By David Onwuchekwa
One of the leading aspirants for the position of Executive Chairman of Nnewi North Local Government Area under the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Hon. Nnanna Osita Nzewi, has withdrawn from the race, citing the need for peace and unity in Nnewi.
Hon. Nzewi, a native of Nnewichi and Convener of the Greater Nnewi Movement, announced his decision ahead of the forthcoming local government election. He said the move was necessary to allow harmony to prevail in the area.
A seasoned public servant, Nzewi noted that he has served in various capacities from the administration of former Governor Willie Obiano to the present government of Governor Chukwuma Soludo.
According to him, his withdrawal is a sacrifice made in the interest of enduring peace.
He called on other peace-loving aspirants from Nnewichi extraction to follow what he described as a “path of honour” by also withdrawing from the contest.
This, he said, would enable Ndị Umudim to complete their four-year tenure as stipulated in the Nnewi North Chairmanship Equity Charter of 2026, which he described as consistent with the rotational agreement reached in 1997.
Nzewi maintained that the position has been clarified by surviving members of the committee that crafted the 1997 rotational agreement, whom he said are still alive and mentally sound.
In a series of appeals, he urged key stakeholders to take steps toward reconciliation. He called on the President General of Umudim to openly apologise to Ndị Nnewichi over what he described as unguided utterances. He also asked Mr. Austin Emmanuel Jideofor to tender an open apology to a respected Nnewi elder, the founder of Gabros International, and to Ndị Nnewichi.
He further appealed for the immediate withdrawal of all court cases involving Nnewichi, Umudim, and other Nnewi sons, and urged the President General of Nzuko-Ora Nnewi to recall his secretary and other officers with an open apology, explaining that all parties are brothers and must prioritise peace.
“All of us, including myself, who have openly derided elders, fanned the embers of disunity or thrown innuendos at any Nnewi person should withdraw such actions and preach peace henceforth,” he said.
Hon. Nzewi also insisted that the Nnewichi Chairmanship agreement due in the next two years should be honoured. He warned that individuals he described as “dancing naked on Nnewichi today,” particularly those he said recently joined APGA and are hiding under the party’s platform, should be identified as sponsors of discord in Nnewi.
According to him, while the crisis in Nnewi appears on the surface to be about rotation, a deeper look reveals power struggles by individuals seeking to hijack the APGA structure in the area.
Reaffirming his loyalty to APGA, Nzewi said he remains a committed party member who has served and continues to serve the party in various capacities.
He identified different interest groups involved in the crisis, including genuine party faithful, rotational agreement activists from both Umudim and Nnewichi, emerging political interests within Nnewichi, and their sponsors, noting that all have narrowed the discourse to the chairmanship contest despite deeper underlying issues.
He recalled that the traditional ruler of Nnewi, His Royal Highness Igwe Kenneth Orizu III, had previously asked agitators what the government’s position was on the matter, a question he said went unanswered at the time.
“Today, APGA has rolled out its timetable, and the APGA government has made it clear that all current Mayors, including our brother, Echezona Anazodo of Nnewi North, are qualified to proceed to the final stage of the party’s primaries.
This answers the question Igwe Nnewi asked from the beginning,” Nzewi noted.
By his withdrawal, Hon. Nzewi formally declared his support for the incumbent Mayor, Hon. Echezona Anazodo, to seek a second term in office, which he said aligns with the party’s position and the broader interest of peace in Nnewi.
