Youths in Ebonyi State have warned that any form of intimidation, rigging of the 2019 general elections would be resisted.
The state’s Commissioner for Youth and Sports Development, Chief Charles Akpu-Enika, explained that all legitimate means and measures would be adopted by the youths to vote and protect their votes.
He noted that time had gone when the Nigerian youths were used as thugs to perpetrate violence and rigging of elections.
Akpu-Enika, the Anambra-State-born Commissioner in Ebonyi State, was addressing newsmen in Abakaliki, the Ebonyi Sate capital yesterday.
He said that the incumbent governor David Umahi-led administration has appointed over 5oo youths as Technical Assistants to the Governor (TAs), including other appointees drawn from across ethnic sections.
He noted that with such non-discriminatory allotment of offices and series of empowerment programmes put in place to favour sundry segments and sections of people in the state no one should expect the youths to fold their arms and allow anybody from anywhere to undertake any activities that could unduly influence the outcome of the general elections.
The commissioner though urged the youths to remain law-abiding, assured that the rumours that some persons could use any undue
advantage of coming from the ruling political party at the centre should be disregarded, pointing out that it was going to be general elections that would keep every stakeholder busy.
As it concerns the chances of Umahi in the governorship contest against Senator Ogbuorji of the All Progressives Congress (APC), he stated: “For Umahi, the 2019 governorship is a done deal.
Ogbuorji’s bid is dead on arrival. He is not a match considering his political background; after all he rode on the back of Umahi to return to the Senate last time.
“The old Abakaliki bloc is alert and wise enough to know that giving Ogbuorji governorship would mean backwardness to the state and cheating on their own part because should any other person from the southern bloc get the slot, he would go for another term, therefore giving the south 12 years, consecutively. In short, Ogbuorj’s emergence is a plus to Umahi”, he stated.
Akpu-Enika said that non-indigenes in the state under various platforms including Urban Form had ahead, endorsed Umahi for second term.
He said that there was suspicion that some of those who are contesting for certain positions in the state were going around looking for sponsors from outside the state, so warned that such sponsorship would amount to wastage and swindling.