“We Do Not Need Abia Rejoice To Win Abia Guber”, — Etugo Divine Mandate Declares

The 2027 governorship contest in Abia State has taken a sharper political turn as the camp of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, governorship candidate, Chief Etugo Ndubuisi Ogah, and the Abia Rejoice Movement publicly disowned each other, exposing an emerging battle over political identity, campaign structures and alliances ahead of the election.

The latest development came after the Abia Rejoice Movement declared that it had completely dissociated itself from Ogah’s governorship ambition and reaffirmed its support for the re-election of Governor Alex Otti, while the Etugo Divine Mandate, the core support structure of the NDC candidate, separately rejected a campaign poster bearing the inscription “Abia Rejoice” and said neither Ogah nor his campaign organisation had authorised its use.

The two positions have brought the dispute into the open at a time when political parties and support groups in Abia are increasingly positioning themselves for the 2027 contest, with Ogah insisting on his status as the authentic NDC governorship candidate and the Otti camp consolidating political structures ahead of the election.

The NDC formally unveiled Ogah and Bright Alaribe as its governorship and deputy governorship candidates in Umuahia on August 19, marking a further step in the party’s preparations for the 2027 election.

The controversy surrounding the “Abia Rejoice” inscription is particularly significant because it comes only days after Ogah publicly rejected claims that his candidacy was merely a placeholder for another aspirant, insisting that he remained the authentic NDC candidate.

Ogah had said his name had been published on the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, portal as the NDC governorship candidate for Abia, arguing that the development should end speculation over the status of his candidacy.

Against that backdrop, the Etugo Divine Mandate said it was distancing itself from the campaign material carrying the “Abia Rejoice” inscription, stressing that the poster was neither produced nor authorised by the organisation or Ogah’s official campaign structure.

The group said the creators of the material were unknown to it and declared that it had no affiliation with the “Abia Rejoice” inscription, movement or any organisation associated with it.

“Etugo Divine Mandate and Chief Ndubuisi Ogah do not need Abia Rejoice or its promoters to achieve the divine mandate of God,” the group said, insisting that its campaign would remain centred on Ogah’s candidacy and political vision.

It also accused unnamed individuals of attempting to use the inscription to reinforce what it described as a false narrative that Ogah was a placeholder candidate and warned that it would pursue lawful measures to protect the identity and integrity of the campaign.

The Abia Rejoice Movement, however, presented a fundamentally different position.

In its statement, the movement said Ogah did not represent, speak for or act on its behalf and demanded that he stop using its name, identity, structure, platform or brand in connection with his political ambition.

It described any attempt to associate Ogah with the movement as false, misleading and unauthorised, urging the public to disregard campaign materials, statements or political activities suggesting that it had endorsed or adopted his candidacy.

The movement simultaneously reaffirmed its support for Otti’s re-election, saying its position was based on its belief in continuity of what it described as purposeful leadership, institutional development and sustainable transformation under the present administration.

It said it would activate and strengthen its structures across Abia’s 17 local government areas, wards, communities and polling units ahead of the 2027 election, with the stated objective of securing an electoral victory for Otti.

The development places the dispute beyond a disagreement over a campaign poster and into the broader contest over political structures and voter mobilisation that is already taking shape ahead of 2027.

The Abia Rejoice Movement has in recent weeks featured in political engagements involving prominent political actors. On August 13, federal lawmaker Obi Aguocha visited the movement and sought its support for his re-election, while the movement’s leadership indicated that its position would follow the direction of its leader, Dr. Uchechukwu Sampson Ogah.

The latest declaration therefore gives greater political weight to the movement’s decision to publicly align itself with Otti as the 2027 governorship race begins to move from party positioning towards broader grassroots mobilisation.

For Ogah and the NDC, the dispute comes as the party seeks to establish itself as a credible alternative in a state where the incumbent Labour Party administration is preparing for another electoral contest.

The NDC has already begun consolidating its structures across the state, with its leadership publicly presenting Ogah and Alaribe as its governorship ticket and stressing the need for party cohesion ahead of the elections.

The party has also sought to capitalise on the political influence of Peter Obi, its presidential candidate, with its Abia leadership recently reviving the “Obi Wave” slogan associated with Obi’s 2023 presidential campaign.

At a stakeholders’ meeting, the party’s Abia North senatorial candidate, Uko Nkole, described Obi as a major selling point for the NDC and said the party intended to deploy the political momentum associated with him in the 2027 elections.

Ogah has equally framed his campaign around a promise to reduce the cost of governance, industrialise Abia and redirect public resources towards infrastructure, education, security and economic development.

For the moment, the two sides remain unequivocal. The Etugo Divine Mandate says its campaign does not require the Abia Rejoice name or structure and insists that Ogah’s political project stands on its own, while the Abia Rejoice Movement says its structure and identity remain separate from Ogah and has placed its declared political support behind Otti.

With both camps now publicly drawing clear boundaries around their identities and allegiances, the dispute has become an early indication of how intensely political organisations and support structures could contest influence across Abia’s 17 local government areas as the 2027 governorship election approaches.