Traditional leaders in Edda Local Government Area, Ebonyi State, have been cautioned by Chief Julius Ama Orji, a PDP chieftain, to avoid hasty endorsements of candidates in the next 2027 general election.
It was the turn of Edda to represent the constituency, according to the community leader, who argued that those who want anyone from the Afikpo Local Government Area to keep occupying the Afikpo/Edda Federal Constituency are being unfair to the people of the Edda Local Government Area.
Orji added that the people of Edda council should elect the next federal lawmaker on Friday while answering questions from reporters in Abakaliki, arguing that this is the just thing to do.
His remarks came as the current representative for the Afikpo/Edda Federal Constituency, Idu Igariwey, was allegedly endorsed for a fourth term in office by Edda clan monarchs in December 2025.
Instead of worrying about politics, the PDP stalwart advised the local institutions and traditional rulers to focus on their duty of protecting the culture and traditions of their territories.
“The Edda people should elect the next representative for the Afikpo/Edda Federal Constituency because doing so would be fair and equitable,” he stated. We have no intention of clashing with anyone or any group about this. The citizens of Afikpo are fully aware that this is the proper way things should be.
He said that the Edda people had only been in power for eight years, whereas the Afikpo had held the position for twenty years since the resumption of civilian authority in 1999, marking Nigeria’s Fourth Republic.
The residents of the Afikpo and Edda LGAs would share ownership if the land were to be considered a property. The Afikpo people have been in power for 20 years, so it’s puzzling that they want to return. Therefore, we are claiming that the Edda people should now attack the constituency.
He continued by saying that the Edda people had never had good representation in the Green Chamber and that the former representatives from the Afikpo council could show him the democratic dividend they brought to the Edda area.
Therefore, I am requesting that our traditional leaders refrain from endorsing or supporting any candidate from the Afikpo LGA who wishes to run for office this time. We have been sorely let down, and now it is Edda’s turn to fight for our constituency. It takes more than 20 days, weeks, or months to develop and transform a society; the Afikpo people accomplished it in under 20 years. Nevertheless, our time here has been far shorter at eight years.
But even with it, what do we have? We have had under-representation, underperformance, and the handing out of projects to friends, relatives, and acquaintances at the expense of the public good. “This has to end,” he emphasised.