By CHARLES IWUOHA

The Ebonyi State Peoples’ Political/Economic Summit has endorsed the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr Ifeanyi Chukwuma Odii, describing him as a credible alternative ahead of the 2027 election.

The summit, which held at DafoDil Resort, Abakaliki, on Monday, said Ebonyi needed a change of leadership to address poverty, poor governance, decaying infrastructure and threats to the unity of the state.

The communiqué issued at the end of the summit and signed by Moses Idika, the communiqué drafting sub-committee said the 2027 governorship election should be determined by candidates’ records, capacity, integrity and development plans rather than incumbency, political influence, primordial sentiments or inducement.

The summit said the incumbent administration had not made a sufficient case for a renewed mandate, adding that Odii represented a credible alternative at what it described as a critical period in the state’s development.

The PDP governorship candidate was represented at the summit by his running mate, Barrister Patrick Ngbebu. Other participants included political parties and their leaders, community leaders, scholars, civil society organisations, professionals, farmers, artisanal miners, youth and women groups, traders and members of the public.

The summit maintained that a second term in office was not an entitlement but a reward for good performance in the first term.

Citing Sections 179 and 180 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, participants argued that an incumbent seeking re-election must secure the people’s mandate through the electoral process.

“The slogan of automatic renewal has no constitutional basis,” the communiqué said.

The summit condemned what it described as the politics of fear and called for an end to threats, intimidation and harassment of opposition figures, critics, civil society organisations and journalists.

It urged the relevant authorities to guarantee equal protection for all political parties and candidates, stressing that political actors must operate within the law.

Recalling the struggle for the creation of Ebonyi State, participants said the founding generation made sacrifices to establish a state where no section would be marginalised by another.

They noted that political actors from the three senatorial zones had contested the governorship since Nigeria returned to democratic rule in 1999, describing inclusive participation as important to the state’s political development.

The summit also adopted six policy pathways as a minimum development agenda for political parties and candidates seeking the mandate of Ebonyi people in 2027.

On fiscal transparency and accountability, it called for timely publication of budgets, citizens’ budgets and quarterly budget implementation reports, as well as the introduction of an Open Treasury Portal.

It proposed a minimum of 70 per cent capital budget performance, the digitisation of internally generated revenue and an end to revenue collection through touting.

On economic diversification, the summit advocated a productive economy model that would link agriculture to agro-industry, mineral extraction to processing and informal businesses to the formal sector.

It proposed three agro-processing zones, with rice processing in Abakaliki, cassava and yam processing in Afikpo, and salt processing and aquaculture in Uburu.

The communiqué also called for the revival of the Ebonyi Fertiliser Plant, the establishment of a state aggregation company to purchase and store farm produce and guarantee prices, and a cooperative scheme for farm mechanisation.

On solid minerals, participants urged the registration of artisanal miners into cooperatives within six months and called for an end to the export of unprocessed lead, zinc, salt and limestone.

They proposed the establishment of an Ebonyi Solid Minerals Development Company to promote public-private partnerships and attract a cement factory, a salt refinery and a lead and zinc processing plant within four years.

The summit further advocated an Ebonyi Business Enabling Law to establish a one-stop investment centre and provide for the issuance of land titles within 14 days.

It called for the abolition of multiple taxation for small and medium-scale enterprises and the annual training of 20,000 youths in processing, fabrication and information and communication technology.

Participants also urged increased investment in primary healthcare and basic education.

On infrastructure, the summit proposed the construction of 200 kilometres of critical farm-to-market roads, dedicated electricity supply for industrial clusters and expanded broadband access to promote e-governance and e-commerce.

It urged political parties, politicians and interest groups to place the interests of Ebonyi above personal ambition, warning against mortgaging the future of the state and generations yet unborn to power entitlement, primordial sentiments and political manoeuvring.