The Concerned Sons and Daughters of Ukwa la Ngwa has rejected the purported endorsement and adoption of any individual as the “sole candidate” of Ukwa la Ngwa Nation for the 2027 governorship election.
In a statement on Tuesday, the group said it had reviewed the communiqué issued after the Ukwa la Ngwa–Aba Union general meeting held on May 9, 2026, in Aba. The group took particular exception to the portions endorsing Governor Alex Chioma Otti as the sole candidate of Ukwa la Ngwa extraction for the 2027 election.
While every socio-cultural organisation has the right to deliberate on matters affecting its members, the group said, any such deliberation that seeks to mortgage the democratic rights, political future, and collective destiny of an entire people without broad consultation invites dissent.
“Ukwa la Ngwa Nation is not a conquered territory. Our people are not political slaves to any individual, political party, or pressure group,” the statement read. “No assembly, no matter how highly placed, possesses the moral or constitutional authority to impose a political direction on millions of people whose rights are guaranteed under the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
The group described any attempt to stampede the people into political unanimity months before an election as premature and dangerous to democratic culture. It stressed that democracy thrives on competition of ideas, accountability, participation, and the freedom of citizens to make choices.
“Democracy dies when intimidation, emotional blackmail, and political monopolization are elevated above free conscience and open contest,” it said.
While acknowledging Governor Otti’s constitutional right to seek re-election, the group rejected what it called the attempt to turn a socio-cultural platform into an instrument for political coronation. It maintained that the Ukwa la Ngwa Union was established to protect the interest, dignity, economic advancement, and cultural heritage of its members, not to serve as a department of any political party or campaign machinery.
The group expressed concern over the section of the communiqué calling on all Ukwa la Ngwa sons and daughters at home and in the diaspora not to contest the 2027 governorship election against Governor Otti. It described the position as anti-democratic, oppressive, and insulting to qualified aspirants from the area.
“Who authorised a few men to decide who can aspire and who cannot? Who gave them the mandate to reduce the political future of millions of Ukwa la Ngwa people to the ambition of one individual?” the group asked.
It reminded the conveners that political endorsement is not the same as political ownership. No leader, it said, should arrogate to himself the power to determine the collective political destiny of the people without wide consultation across communities, youth groups, women organizations, professional bodies, traditional institutions, and grassroots stakeholders.
The group faulted the communiqué for preaching “shared prosperity” while failing to reflect shared consultation. “It preached unity while suppressing dissenting voices. It spoke of inclusion while excluding alternative opinions and political choices,” the statement said.
The group warned against the culture of personality worship creeping into the polity, arguing that leadership should be evaluated on measurable outcomes, transparency, equity, economic inclusion, and respect for democratic institutions—not emotional propaganda or orchestrated endorsements.
“Ukwa la Ngwa must not abandon critical thinking for blind loyalty to political actors, only to end up betrayed, divided, and economically weakened,” it said. “2027 should be a season for robust engagement, performance assessment, issue-based campaigns, and democratic participation—not intimidation and forced unanimity.”
The group rejected the narrative that the political future of Ukwa la Ngwa depends on aligning behind one individual, stressing that the strength of the people lies in intellectual plurality, enterprise, resilience, and strategic negotiation within Abia’s broader political framework.
It urged youths not to become tools in elite political calculations and called on elders to guide with wisdom, not emotional manipulation. It also advised political stakeholders across Abia to resist declarations capable of overheating the polity and deepening divisions.
The Concerned Sons and Daughters of Ukwa la Ngwa said they stand for democracy over imposition, consultation over coercion, inclusion over exclusion, merit over political monopolization, and collective interest over personal ambition.
They admonished Chief Barr. Theo Nkire and other leaders involved in the endorsement to retrace their steps.
“History will not be kind to leaders who, in pursuit of temporary political relevance, mortgage the democratic soul and independent spirit of their people. Ukwa la Ngwa Nation must remain a land of free men and women—not a plantation of political loyalists.”
