Guber ticket: Tension in Abia as youths shut oil wells

Youths of Ukwa East and Ukwa West Local Government areas, the place where oil is found in Abia State on Wednesday protested over alleged exclusion of their people from the governorship ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The protest created tension in some parts of the state as the youths said they had shut oil wells located in the area and that they would remain closed until the governorship ticket was given to them.

The youths numbering over 1,000 had as earlier as 7am converged on the Obehie junction along the Enugu/Port Harcourt Expressway from where they marched round the town, singing war songs before blocking the ever-busy highway, causing gridlock.

Not even pleadings of a police detachment could dissuade the youths, who called some Abia government officials and some state PDP leaders unprintable names, from leaving the expressway.

The youths marched on the Highway carrying placards with different inscriptions such as, “Jonathan and PDP give Ukwa the Abia governorship seat,” “deliver Abia from the monarchical democracy instituted by agents of darkness,” “Ukwa people are not comprising the governorship seat come 2015,”  “it smacks of injustice if senatorial position of Abia South District and governorship of Abia are allocated to one local government area,” “Ukwa youths earnestly ask for Abia governorship” and “Ukwa people are shortchanged in the political equation of the state.”

Addressing newsmen, leader of Ndoki Youths Movement, Kingsley Okadigbo, said the protest was by the joint council of Ukwa youths, comprising Asa Youths Vanguard, Ukwa Youth Forum and Ndoki Youth Movement from the two local governments of Ukwa East and West.

“We are here to express our displeasure and disenchantment to the unwanted decision taken by the PDP as it concerns the governorship seat of Abia State.

“The two principal positions zoned to Abia South Senatorial zone, the governorship seat and the senatorial position have been ceded to Ngwa people and we have two major political blocs in Abia South, that is Ukwa and Ngwa and it may interest you to know that we have a gentleman’s agreement that has been existing from time immemorial on the sharing formula, especially as it affects the senatorial position,” Okadigbo said.

He regretted that while they were initially angling for the Senate seat that some power brokers in the state came with what they said was a presidential directive that the senator representing Abia South District, Enyinnaya Abaribe should return.

He said since this was the case, instead of the leadership of the party in the state to give the governorship ticket to an Ukwa man, they gave it to an Ngwa man who is from the same Obingwa Local Government as Senator Abaribe.

Okadigbo said youths of the area had as a way of sending their grievances across, shut oil wells located within their communities and that they would remain shut until the governorship slot is given to them.

“What we are saying is that as a matter of equity, justice and fair-play that the gubernatorial position should be ceded to Ukwa. It may interest you to know that after the discovery of oil at Oloibiri in 1956, the next place oil was found was in Ukwa land, Owaza to be précised. And what we are saying is that if we are giving much to the Nigerian nation, we equally expect much from her. We are not asking for what we do not deserve, we are asking for what we are eminently qualified to get and that is the governorship position of Abia State, or oil will no longer flow from our land.

“As journalists, take our protest to Mr. President, we know he is a product of a minority as they claim we are, we know he is also a product of a marginalized area which we also have find ourselves in today; he should put himself in our shoes and give a listening ear and consideration favourably to Ukwa position for governorship,” he stated.

The youth leader said they were no longer interested in the senatorial seat since when they wanted it, it was denied them, saying his people would only take gubernatorial position now.

He warned that if the powers that be failed to accede to their request, they would not only grind to a halt the economic base of the state, but also make the country ungovernable.