The communities of Ohaozara, Onicha, and Ivo in Ebonyi South, under the auspices of the OHANIVO General Assembly, on Sunday unanimously adopted President Bola Tinubu and Governor Francis Nwifuru for a second term ahead of the 2027 general election.
The group said the adoption was in appreciation of their achievements in office and for giving the entire South East “a pride of place in the development roadmap.”
The communities also noted that “President Tinubu has broken the jinx of Igbo marginalisation in the trajectory of development and nation-building in Nigeria since the civil war.”
Orji Uche Orji, special adviser to Dave Umahi, minister of works, said in a statement in Abuja on Sunday that the communities endorsed the president and governor for a second term during this year’s annual iriji festival to celebrate the new yam.
“The president has renewed the hope of Nigerians for a united and egalitarian future through his considerations for diversity and inclusive leadership and therefore earns their total support come the 2027 presidential election,” the statement read.
In the same vein, the communities expressed their unwavering commitment to the re-election of Governor Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru, whom they commended for being intentional in delivering on the People’s Charter of Needs mantra of his administration, which they said had deepened inclusive development across Ebonyi State.
Presenting his welcome remarks at the 2025 Iri Ji Festival of the OHANIVO General Assembly held on 27 September 2025, the president-general of the assembly, Hon. Darlington Onuabuchi Okereke, said the endorsements reflected “the collective minds of the OHANIVO people.”
Dave Umahi, minister of works and grand patron of the OHANIVO General Assembly, thanked the communities for recognising the inclusive development strides of the Renewed Hope administration across the six geopolitical zones and those of Governor Nwifuru in Ebonyi State.
Umahi called on Ndigbo and all inhabitants of the South East to stand in solidarity with Tinubu and Nwifuru in 2027.
“Let me use the opportunity to appreciate deeply our dear president, and I am addressing the South East people. I am addressing some of those who are darkening counsel without knowledge.
“I am addressing those who do not understand what is going on in the South East. I am addressing those who have occupied social media.
“I have told them that in Ebonyi State, we are not obedient people. We have been so marginalised that we are no longer obedient. But our obedience is in the man that has given us a sense of belonging, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
“There is no obedient person in Ebonyi State. What we have is to return the good things President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has done for the South East and for Ebonyi State when the time comes.”
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Umahi said Ebonyi people would not be deceived again, adding: “The last election was a mistake, but we have come to be wiser. We want to be a part of a united Nigeria. We want to be treated fairly. We want to be counted, and the president is doing that. So we have no reason not to support him.
“If you want to struggle against Governor Nwifuru, you have to do it on social media because you will not come here to reap where you did not sow, and nothing will stop his second term because God has already endorsed it.”
Acting governor Patricia Obila, who was special guest of honour at the event, praised the resilience and solidarity of the OHANIVO communities and assured them of the state government’s commitment to deepening development in all Ebonyi communities.
She also thanked the minister of works “for making the country proud through the compassionate delivery of transformative road infrastructure designed to boost the economy.”
In his remarks, Ifeanyi Okorie, chairman of the occasion and CEO of Rock Results Group Nigeria Ltd, called for a resounding ovation in honour of the president “for giving the South East more prominence in Nigeria’s development roadmap.”
He commended Umahi for making Ebonyi people proud in his leadership endeavours and urged the OHANIVO communities to continue to support the economic policies and political aspirations of President Tinubu, noting that more dividends of democracy for the South East were underway.
Prominent stakeholders who attended the 2025 iriji festival included Senator Prof. Anthony Okorie Ani, representing Ebonyi South; Hon. Nkemkama Kama, member representing Ohaozara/Onicha/Ivo Federal Constituency; and Prof. Grace Umezurike, secretary to the state government, among others.
