2027: No more handpicking leadership recruitment ‘ijebego’ in Enugu East; let the people choose their leaders – PDP Senatorial Candidate, Odaa Opuo
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) senatorial candidate for Enugu East Senatorial District in the 2027 general election, Chief Kingsley Chizoba Nweke, has called for an end to the era of handpicked candidates and representatives, insisting that the people must henceforth determine who represents them at various levels of government.
Nweke, popularly known as Odaa Opuo, said the old system in which political stakeholders allegedly selected candidates for elective positions without adequate input from the electorate had failed the people and contributed to poor representation and stagnation in the senatorial district.
He spoke on Monday at a world press conference held at the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Enugu State Council Secretariat, Enugu.
According to him, Enugu East needs a paradigm shift from leadership recruitment driven by political selection and anointment to a process in which the people collectively choose candidates capable of advancing their interests.
Nweke said, “For too long, the people of Enugu East have been presented with candidates selected or anointed by a few individuals. That era must come to an end. Democracy is about the people, and the people must have the final say on who represents them.”
He declared that the 2027 election should mark a departure from what he described as the traditional “ijebego” approach, where political leaders determine who gets elective positions, to “anyi ejebego” — a collective movement in which the people themselves decide who should represent them.
“It will no longer be ‘ijebego’; it is now ‘anyi ejebego’. We are going together as a people to decide who represents us. Nobody should sit somewhere and select a representative for the people without the people having a voice,” he said.
The senatorial hopeful maintained that several things had gone wrong in Enugu East over the years and required urgent correction, stressing that the zone could no longer afford to continue with what he described as a failed leadership recruitment process.
Odaa Opuo with his team during the World Press Conference at Enugu NUJ Press Centre
“Time is now to get it right in Enugu East. We must correct the mistakes of the past and lay a new foundation for effective and accountable representation. Our people deserve representatives who emerge from their collective will and are answerable to them,” Nweke said.
He further alleged that the practice of stakeholders determining candidates had extended across different elective positions, including the governorship, Senate, House of Representatives, House of Assembly and local government chairmanship.
He said, “Stakeholders have, for a long time, been selecting who becomes governor, who goes to the Senate, House of Representatives, House of Assembly and who becomes council chairman. We are saying that this must change. The people of Enugu East must come together and choose the person who will genuinely go to Abuja and elsewhere to speak for them.”
Nweke, a philanthropist and youth mobiliser, said he was seeking the senatorial mandate because he believed he possessed the experience, capacity and commitment required to provide effective representation and open new opportunities for the people.
He identified youth empowerment as one of his major priorities, citing his involvement in youth sports sponsorship and empowerment programmes for women and young people.
The founder of Bolu Ogbe Abakpa Peace Carnival and Coal Camp Carnival/Youth Empowerment programmes said his passion for youth development would be translated into concrete initiatives if elected.
“Our youths cannot continue to be treated as spectators in the development of our society. They must be empowered, equipped and given the opportunity to contribute meaningfully to governance and economic development,” he said.
Nweke also described his aspiration as a mission to rescue the people of Enugu East from what he called the consequences of poor representation, promising to pursue initiatives aimed at reducing poverty, creating opportunities and restoring confidence in democratic leadership.
He therefore urged youths and other residents of Enugu East, as well as the people of Enugu State, to participate actively in the 2027 electoral process and defend their votes.
“I have come to rescue my people from the mistakes of the past. I am asking the people to stand on their feet, defend their votes and insist that their collective choice must prevail. Together, we can make Enugu East and Enugu State great again,” he said.
EDITOR
Sam Udekwe is a journalist working in the News and Current Affairs department, Enugu State Broadcasting Service (ESBS) Enugu. He is well trained in all genres of journalistic venture.
Mr Sam read Mass Communication, graduating all with Distinction in National Diploma, Higher National Diploma and Postgraduate Diploma at IMT, Enugu and Madonna University, Okija, Anambra state, as well as M.Sc Mass Communication at National Open University of Nigeria.
He is the immediate past NUJ Chairman, Enugu state.
samowailo@gmail.com
