There is no gainsaying that the big political parties in Abia State have consistently, persistently, grossly and impudently neglected Nde Ohafia in their political arithmetics, in respect of elective positions in the state polity. It is fundamentally obvious that since the inception our democratic brand in 1999, Ohafia26 has always been used as a laboratory for political permutations and a ligament for political negotiations by other Abia State political Gladiators.

Despite the persistent call for affirmative action to remedy this political stigmatization and ignominious political gaps in the politics of our state, especially in the aftermath of the Charter of Equity as agreed and opined by all the diverse sectarian groups that make up the state, there seems to be no veracious concession and pragmatic recognition of the ethos and tenets of the Charter in the interest of Nde Ohafia.

Nde Ohafia Anyi, Onye Aju Aju, Anigha Aju Onwo Ya. It’s high we had a rethink and re-orchestrate our political reasoning and partisan gymnastics. As the dictum goes power is not given; it is taken. We, Nde Ohafia should gird our loins, tighten our belts and reconstruct our mental empire and reasoning paradigm, redefine our political direction and destination, and then pursue our conviction with gusto, unflinching vigour, temerity, tenacity of audacity, impregnable doggedness, passionate intellectual spur and unwavering spiritual strength.

Nde Ohafia Anyi, whatever we vividly imagine, ardently desire, sincerely believe and enthusiastically act upon with the right guts, must inevitably come to pass.

Against this backdrop therefore, let Nde Ohafia absorb and make the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) our own sectarian party. From every strong indication, NNPP is the third force and the fastest growing national party in Nigeria. Besides this status, our own Dr Ukpai Iro Ukpai is the man with the party flag, for the 2023 Governorship election in Abia State.

WHY WE SHOULD EMBRACE NNPP

NNPP is the fastest growing political party in Nigeria, at the moment. And it is, no doubt, the 3rd Force. Besides, there are pockets of reasons we should all embrace NNPP, which include:-

1) PDP has failed Abians woefully. Since the inception of this democratic brand in 1999, Abia State has never had it good, in terms of all-round development. PDP is only gifted in sharing our common wealth, without any significant development in any particular facet of the state. There is a political bond affinity in this party, which must be honoured and respected by everyone coming in for any elective portfolio, particularly the position of the Chief Executive of the state.

2) APC, starting from the national to the state levels, has not delivered clear dividends of democracy in any part of the federation. Besides, APC as a party, is being administered as a One Man Business, solely controlled by the Southwest stalwarts.

3) Of the other 16 political parties – APGA, LP, NRM, SDP, ADP, YPP, ADC, etc, none of them is as nationalistic as NNPP; none of them can currently serve as platform that Ohafia26 can ride on to state and national prominence. All of the remaining 16 aside NRM do not have Onye Ohafia as Gubernatorial candidate. As it stands now, NNPP through their BoT Chairman, and by the intervention of their 2003 Presidential Candidate – our own Dr Kalu Idika Kalu, has the ear of Nde Ohafia Udumeze.

Nde Ohafia, let us all support Dr Ukpai and garner all the requisite synergy to ensure that he becomes the next Governor of Abia State, come 2023. Realizing this objective is, undoubtedly the only way through which Nde Ohafia can truly define and establish their political relevance in the scheme of our state polity.

Unequivocally, Nde Ohafia have been politically relegated to the background, reduced to loaves of bread, and consigned to the gabbage heap forgotten sections in the comity of Local Government Areas of the state, where we all have equal stake.

Understandably, the problem facing Nde Ohafia politically, is lack of syncronism, consistency and harmony between the political lifestyles and ego-ideals of our members and the political tenets and dreams of Nde Ohafia. The consequence of this aberration becomes moral syncopation, political eccentrism, charity without agape, distorted and disjointed social focus and loss of gravity in our political coherence.

This is anomalous, disparaging, colossally denigrating, an odium, a scandal and opprobrium of despicable magnitude.

This is the time to get and make it right.Dr Ukpai Iro Ukpai and NNPP need the ultimate support of Nde Ohafia. Let us do it together and have that mutual stake in the politics of our state, come 2023 using the platform of NNPP. I was reliably informed that a powerful delegation of Ndi Ohafia in Lagos told BOT Chairman of NNPP that the Dr Ukpai Guber ticket is essentially for Ohafia Udumeze clan. Great outing!!

Let us support NNPP;
Let us support Dr Ukpai and all our sons and daughters running on the NNPP Platform; and have the dream of Nde Ohafia come to fruition, by the Grace of God and to His Glory alone.
If you don’t say nwam, nwa nma , no one will say it for you! Let’s make NNPP our own!!

Prince Iyke Uduma, a Political Analyst, writes from Lagos