Politically speaking, Isi Uzo is made up of four political blocs: Eha Amufu, Ikem, Neke, and Mbu. Before the administration of Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi came and gave Umuaro a voice, which many saw as a minority, it was always a tug of war in the council, especially in Eha Amufu, which is the largest, as it consists of over 54% of the entire voters. Due to their never-say-never nature, as of 2003, they had started killing people and committing arson in the name of politics. In development center creation, there are four development centers: Eha-Amufu East, Eha-Amufu West, Isi-Uzo Central, and Amanyi development center. This alone shows how large Eha Amufu is.
However, the current political crisis in Isi Uzo Local Government Area of Enugu State has been very annoying and worrisome since 2022, when Barr. Chijioke Edeoga left the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and defected to the Labour Party to be their gubernatorial candidate. Before his defection, PDP in the local government could boast of notable political figures such as the then State Chairman of PDP, Hon. Augustine Nnamani; the Hon. Commissioner for Environment, Hon. Barr. Chijioke Edeoga; the Dean of Postgraduate School ESUT, Prof. Sam Ugwu; the then State Assembly member, Hon. Amaka Ugwueze; agriculturist, Alhaji Sani Friday Nnaji, among others.
All these figures had their various camps, except Prof. Sam Ugwu, who is an academic politician that benefits from almost every government in power. Then, we had Augustine Nnamani’s camp and Edeoga’s camp. The Augustine Nnamani camp, also known as the Ikem-Neke-Mbu camp, was made up of Hon. Augustine Nnamani, Chief Barr. Dr. Kate Ebele Nnamani, Late Hon. Ejike Ugwueze, and later Alhaji Sani Friday Nnaji, who joined less than eight years ago. The other camp, also known as the Eha Amufu camp, consists of Hon. Barr. Chijioke Edeoga, Hon. Benjamin Edeoga, Hon. Eric Ebeh, and others who are the Eha Amufu cabals.
These camps used to be very peaceful during the administration of Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, that when you saw the manner in which Hon. Augustine’s camp attended functions with their convoys, you would begin to envy them. That camp was a reference point until something they knew nothing about happened to them and brought sharp disintegration. The feud in that camp became so bad that they began to accuse each other of the murder of Late Ejike Ugwueze. It was so immense that Hon. Augustine Nnamani had to visit Zion Prayer Ministry in search of the genesis of his problem. At a time, IPOB radio carried his name, which made him stay indoors for almost one month due to fear. He was also accused of supporting Edeoga in the Labour Party as against Governor Mbah. All these happened to an extent that video editors were hired by unknown elements to manipulate his activities and portray them in a bad light. Those moments were the worst in his political life.
When Barr. Edeoga left PDP for LP, all his followers followed, and somehow, he conquered Isi Uzo due to his addition of the Umuaro bloc to his camp and the felt-but-not-blown crisis in Augustine Nnamani’s camp. That made him more powerful and lovable because non-group residents began to follow him. He had what others didn't have, which is media boys and e-rats who were willing to die for him.
It is on record that party leadership and council position leadership were shared between Augustine and Alhaji Sani’s camp. One would nominate the chairman, the other deputy, SLG, etc. In fact, the crisis led a former council chairman to accept being the party chairman to act as a liaison between all the camps who were then in PDP. It was very bad in Isi Uzo politics that nothing seemed to be happening other than using money to stop the crisis between PDP and PDP, while LP members laughed with empty pockets and enjoyed the bickering amongst brothers.
When Edeoga returned to PDP, it was like an answered prayer to all the political actors who were tired of the imbroglio, as it had brought about hardship and disunity, which also affected the security situation in the council. Everybody wanted him, except a member of one of the camps who felt her interest would be sacrificed to bring peace because she was sent out of the State Assembly by LP. Hon. Edeoga began the hard journey of bringing all the parties together in order to have one united front. He held private meetings with all the political actors and called for a truce, which worked.
Wednesday, April 9th, 2025, after the defection of Hon. Lebechi Ezeh back to PDP at Umuaro Ward, the proper visible peace talk began to manifest in the house of Hon. Sunday Udor, a Malaysian-based businessman who offered to host his political leaders. At his house, the council chairman and his camp, Edeoga and his own, Chief Nnamani and his own, same with other minor groups, came together to affirm the existing peace. The only absentees were Prof. Sam Ugwu and Hon. Amaka Ugwueze, whose reasons for absence were not known to the writer.
Addressing the party leaders, the Local Government PDP Chairman, Hon. Jacob Abonyi, appreciated the maturity and sacrifices made by all stakeholders in ensuring that the lingering crisis in Isi Uzo was gradually coming to an end. He emphasized that the renewed unity was the answer to the long-standing cry of the people for true development and political stability. Hon. Abonyi urged the leaders to shun bitterness and allow the spirit of collective responsibility to guide their next steps, adding that “no individual interest should override the peace and growth of Isi Uzo.”
He warned that political rivalry must be defined by ideology, not violence, mudslinging, or unnecessary competition that breeds disaffection. He called on the camps to maintain the peace initiated and be deliberate in mending broken trust among members. According to him, “It is not about who controls what now, but about how to rebuild the house we almost pulled down with our own hands.”
As a follow-up to this landmark reconciliation effort, a final peace meeting has been scheduled to hold today, Friday, April 11th, 2025, at the Isi Uzo Local Government Headquarters. This meeting, convened by the Council Chairman and endorsed by Hon. Chijioke Edeoga, will serve as the final harmonization ground where all factions are expected to make final pledges of unity. Each camp is encouraged to come with goodwill and humility, knowing that the collective victory of PDP in future elections depends heavily on the peace they are now sowing.
More so, to me, the purpose of the final meeting should also include a clear establishment of political boundaries to avoid overlapping and disrespect of one another’s terrain of influence. The chairman has warned all blocs and stakeholders to respect the internal arrangements and structures within each bloc. For instance, Mbu should not interfere in the affairs of Neke, just as Eha Amufu should not impose on Umuaro, and vice versa. This understanding will help avoid another round of supremacy battles, which have previously derailed the party’s growth.
In the spirit of this new dawn, party leaders have been urged to ensure that no single individual or camp dominates or hijacks the nomination process for positions, especially as preparations for subsequent elections draw closer. Every zone must be allowed to speak and choose from within, not have choices forced upon them by people from another zone. The people of Isi Uzo have suffered enough from disunity, and now more than ever, they deserve a united leadership that reflects their dreams, identity, and communal pride.
By Sebastine Chukwuebuka Okafor (Bookastro)