ENUGU, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)- Onyekachi Nwebonyi, the All Progressives Congress (APC) Senatorial candidate for the Ebonyi-North District in the 2023 general election, has blamed the killings, attacks and destruction of property in the zone on bad leadership.
He said the war-like situation currently rocking the zone occurs because those who represent the area pay lip-service over the crises.
The people of Ngbo in the Ohaukwu Local Government Area of Ebonyi State and the Agila people in the Ardo Local Government Area of Benue State, had been enmeshed in a protracted inter-communal land dispute.
This has claimed many lives and destruction of property worth billions of Naira.
Nwebonyi made the claims at the ongoing Media Parley for candidates of various political parties for the 2023 general election, which is organized by the Nigeria Union of Journalists Correspondents’ Chapel, in Abakaliki Ebonyi State, on Tuesday.
Punch quoted him as saying: “My reasons for soliciting votes from Ebonyi-North people? I will tell you this that Ebonyi-North Zone is currently facing a lot of challenges ranging from boundary disputes that have claimed many lives.
“You can see it from the axis of Ohaukwu. Ohaukwu LGA in Ebonyi State and Agila people in Benue State are fighting. Just few months ago, over 100 persons were killed. We now move to the Ebonyi Local Government of the state; the people of Ishieke and Benue State are having the same problem.
“We now move to Izzi Local Government Area, we are having the same boundary problem with the Benue people. We now move to Abakaliki Local Government, where the same thing is happening between the Local Government and the Cross River State people.
“It appears as if these problems have no solutions. But the problem is that the people representing us at the National Assembly are unable to solve these problems because I believe that the primary assignment of government at all levels is to protect lives and properties.
“So, if you are representing your people and they are being killed on daily basis on a known problem that has a solution and you are unable to address it, then you have no business representing those people.
“So, I want to say that on the day of my inauguration, which I know God will do, as I am taking the oath of office, I will be holding my petition and I know that we have the National Boundary Commission, whose duty it is to address all these issues but somebody must propel that to happen. I, Nwebonyi, will see to it and I want to assure my Zone that I will do everything within my powers to make sure that these perennial problems are put to rest.
“It will not be correct to say that our leaders before now were not making any effort to address all these challenges, but I must say they have not done enough. This is why the Zone is where it is today. It’s very bad.”