LG Election: PDP shifts power to youths in Umuahia South LG

Peoples Democratic Party stakeholders in Umuahia South Local Government Area of Abia State said that they had shifted power to the youths in the area.

A former Umuahia South PDP Transition Committee Chairman, Chief Charles Ekwueme, made this known at a rally in Amakama-olokoro, Umuahia South Local Government of Abia on Thursday.

Abia State will hold its council election on December 17. The state government did not conduct council poll in the past eight years of the administration of former Governor Theodore Orji.

Ekwueme said: “It is the turn of the youths to lead the council in all elective positions. We, the elders of the party have decided that power must shift to the youth.

“The party elders and well-meaning stakeholders at its primaries elected Obioma Ezeogbulafor, a youth, to pilot the affairs of the council.

“The old brigades have stepped aside for the youth to take over the stage and reign of governance in the council area.”

The PDP local government Chairman, Ngozi Okezie,, said that the elders vacated power to enable the youth contribute their quota in the governance of the council. Okezie called on them to rally support for the party’s candidate by voting for him in the forthcoming election, to realise the agitation for power shift to the youth.

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He said that Governor Okezie Ikpeazu was resolute on conducting the poll, and reiterated that “your vote is your power; we come to beg you to give to PDP because your vote must count”.

The party’s chairmanship candidate, E. Ezeogbulafor told the people that “he is in the race to serve the people”.

Ezeogbulafor gave the people and the elders the assurance that he would work assiduously to ensure that youth’s agitation for power shift was justified.

He appealed to the elders to keep their doors open to counsel and correct the youths whenever they erred in administering the council area.

The candidate also appealed to youths to support the elders and stakeholders’ initiative by voting enmasse for PDP.

Ezeogbulafor said: “We the youths are the ones at the receiving end during elections. They engage us in ballot snatching and other electoral violence on peanut and dump us after the poll.

“I want to beg you to resist being used this time around. Those who engage us will never use their own children.

“They send them abroad to study and use you as their enthronement toll.”

The candidate, who in conjunction with Okezie handed over the party’s flags to the councillorship candidates in Amakama and Old Umuahia wards, promised to transform the council to one of the best in the state.

He said: “I will, based on available resources, meet the needs of the various wards in my bid to make Umuahia South one of the best local governments in Abia and in the country.”

Ezeogbulafor is the second son of former National Chairman of the PDP, Prince Vincent Ogbulafor.