Ebonyi North Stakeholders Back Ojimba for Senate, Say 2027 Victory Assured

By Uchenna Okeh, Abakaliki

Stakeholders from Ebonyi North Senatorial Zone of Ebonyi State have expressed support for the candidacy of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) senatorial candidate, Mr Chikodili Ojimba, declaring that he is well-positioned to emerge victorious in the January 16, 2027 National Assembly election.

Ojimba, a businessman from Ebonyi Local Government Area, is challenging the incumbent senator representing Ebonyi North, Senator Peter Onyekachi Nwebonyi, who is also the Deputy Chief Whip of the Senate.

The stakeholders spoke during an August meeting organized for women of Ebonyi Local Government Area, where they described Ojimba’s candidacy as widely accepted across the senatorial zone.

Speaking with our correspondent, Chief Maurice Mbam, popularly known as “Aguiyi,” said the growing support for Ojimba was an indication of the people’s desire for a change in representation.

Mbam said he was confident that Ojimba would emerge victorious in the election, adding that his senatorial ambition had received the backing of a broad section of the people of Ebonyi North.

According to him, Ojimba’s emergence would also reflect what he described as an unwritten understanding among the Izzi people that the Ebonyi North senatorial seat should be occupied for a single term before being handed over to another person.

He argued that since Senator Nwebonyi would be completing his current tenure in 2027, the time had come for Ojimba to take over the representation of the zone at the National Assembly.

Also speaking, a former member of the Ebonyi State House of Assembly, Victor Aleke, acknowledged that Senator Nwebonyi had performed creditably but argued that it was time for him to give another aspirant an opportunity to represent the zone.

Aleke expressed confidence in Ojimba’s ability to win the senatorial election, describing his victory as a “done deal,” while urging the people of Ebonyi North to support his candidacy.

The former lawmaker based his position on what he described as the long-standing understanding among the Izzi people that no individual should occupy the senatorial seat for a second term.

He noted that although the arrangement was not documented in writing, it remained an understanding “in the hearts” of the Izzi people, which, according to him, should be respected.

Aleke, however, expressed support for the second-term ambition of Ebonyi State Governor, Francis Nwifuru, arguing that governors of the state had historically served more than one term and that the incumbent administration deserved the support of the people.

He said Governor Nwifuru’s administration had performed well in the state and urged Ebonyi people to continue to support the governor’s programmes and policies.

The women at the meeting subsequently chanted in solidarity with Ojimba’s senatorial ambition and pledged their support for his candidacy ahead of the January 16, 2027 National Assembly election.