Ohafia youths reaffirm ban on Senator Orji Uzor Kalu ahead of 2027 polls
Members of the Ohafia Youth Association in Ohafia Local Government Area of Abia State have reiterated that the senator representing Abia North Senatorial District, Orji Uzor Kalu, remains unwelcome in the community ahead of the 2027 general election.
The youth group, led by its chairman, Obasi Kalu Obasi, and secretary, Onyekachi Uduma, said the decision followed what they described as the senator’s alleged labelling of Ohafia as an Indigenous People of Biafra zone during the 2023 general election.
They said the designation led to widespread voter disenfranchisement in the area and prompted them to declare the senator persona non grata in the community.
Kalu subsequently petitioned the group for alleged cyberbullying at the Zone 9 Police Headquarters in Umuahia.
Speaking to journalists in Umuahia on Wednesday, the Public Relations Officer of the association, Chika Nnate, said representatives from various Ohafia communities had accompanied their leaders to the police headquarters in solidarity, following an invitation from the authorities.
Nnate maintained that the alleged classification of Ohafia as an IPOB stronghold discouraged many eligible voters from participating in the last election.
He also questioned the senator’s renewed interest in the area as the 2027 election approaches, citing what he described as years of neglect.
“We are here in response to the petition Senator Orji Uzor Kalu wrote against us at Zone 9,” Nnate said.
“During the 2023 election, our senator allegedly labelled Ohafia an IPOB zone. Because of that, more than 150,000 people were unable to vote.
“The biggest ward in Abia North, Isiama Ward, did not record a single vote, yet results were announced in areas where it favoured him.”
He added that the group found it unacceptable for the senator to return to campaign in the same community he allegedly stigmatised.
“What we are saying is simple. You cannot label us an IPOB zone and then come back to campaign in our land,” he said.
Nnate further accused the senator of failing to attract development projects to Ohafia, claiming there had been no meaningful empowerment programmes, road construction, or constituency projects in the area.
“We do not have a single visible project from Senator Orji Uzor Kalu in the whole of Ohafia. No road up to one kilometre, no youth empowerment, not even basic support. Based on this, Ohafia people have agreed that we do not need him in 2027,” he said.
Members of the association displayed placards bearing inscriptions such as “OUK leave us alone,” “Enough is enough,” “Ohafia stands united,” and “OUK stay away from Ohafia.”
Other placards read, “Show us your senatorial projects in Ohafia LGA,” “You cannot silence the voice of Ohafia,” and “Divide and rule tactics have ended.”