2027: Ikwuano/Umuahia Women Endorse Chinedum Orji, Pledge Grassroots Mobilisation

Women from Ikwuano, Umuahia North and Umuahia South Local Government Areas of Abia State have endorsed the candidacy of former Speaker of the Abia State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Chinedum Enyinnaya Orji, for the Ikwuano/Umuahia Federal Constituency seat in the 2027 general elections.

The women, who trooped out in large numbers at a campaign meeting in Umuahia, said they were determined to take an active role in mobilising support for Orji, whom they described as a candidate with the experience and capacity to effectively represent the constituency at the National Assembly.

The leader of the group and former Abia State Head of Service, Lady Joy Maduka, said the women’s decision to endorse Orji was largely informed by what she described as the benefits they received from his empowerment initiatives during his tenure as Speaker of the Abia State House of Assembly.

Maduka said women across the constituency had become dissatisfied with what they described as inadequate representation and were now ready to take the campaign to the grassroots.

She said the women would go from house to house to mobilise voters, insisting that “enough is enough” and that they were determined to place themselves at the forefront of efforts to secure what they consider effective representation for the constituency.

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Maduka stressed that the women’s decision was not merely about political party affiliation, but about their belief that Orji had demonstrated capacity to empower constituents and attract development.

Also speaking, Mrs Stella Chidiebere from Ibeku expressed satisfaction with the large turnout of women at the endorsement event, describing it as evidence of the support Orji enjoys among women in the constituency.

She said the women would extend their mobilisation beyond themselves by convincing their husbands, children and other members of their families to support Orji in the 2027 election.

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Addressing the women, Chinedum Orji thanked them for their support over the years, particularly during the 2023 elections, and said his ambition to return to the National Assembly was driven by the desire to secure a platform to attract meaningful development to Ikwuano/Umuahia.

Orji declared that “it’s my turn,” while urging constituents to assess candidates based on their records, ideas and capacity to deliver rather than political propaganda or personal attacks.

He said his campaign would focus on ideas and accountability, promising to lobby for the inclusion of projects benefiting Ikwuano/Umuahia in the national budget if elected.

He recalled that during his tenure as Speaker, projects and empowerment initiatives reached different parts of the constituency, adding that he would seek to build on such efforts if given another mandate.

On the issue of detained Indigenous People of Biafra leader, Nnamdi Kanu, Orji said he would not exploit the matter for political gain, maintaining that negotiation remained the most realistic pathway towards securing Kanu’s release.

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He also called on supporters to take ownership of the campaign by mobilising at the grassroots, obtaining their Permanent Voter Cards and turning out to vote for the All Progressives Congress.

Orji urged constituents to scrutinise the records of all candidates seeking their votes and ask what they had achieved with previous mandates entrusted to them.

The former Speaker also pledged to pursue infrastructural development, job opportunities and sustainable empowerment programmes for constituents as part of his key mandate, stressing that empowerment should go beyond temporary political gestures.

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The event climaxed with the presentation of an award plaque to Orji by the women, who reaffirmed their endorsement and pledged to mobilise support for his candidacy across Ikwuano, Umuahia North and Umuahia South ahead of the 2027 elections.

See photos below: