Osbourne Umahi, the 27-year-old son of the immediate past Governor of Ebonyi State and current Minister of Works, David Umahi, has joined the race for the chairmanship of Ohaozara Local Government Area under the All Progressives Congress (APC).
It was reported that Umahi picked the party’s chairmanship nomination and expression of interest form, said to cost N30 million, over the weekend.
The minister’s son was escorted to the APC state secretariat in Abakaliki by a large crowd of supporters, where he was received by members of the party’s State Executive Committee led by the state chairman, Stanley Okoro-Emegha, according to The PUNCH.
Okoro-Emegha praised Umahi, describing him as an intelligent young politician and businessman capable of transforming the fortunes of Ohaozara Local Government Area.
Addressing party members, Osbourne Umahi thanked the people of Ohaozara for what he described as their nomination and pledged not to betray the confidence reposed in him.
He said that if elected, his administration would prioritise youth empowerment, noting that young people remained the backbone of development. He also pledged to sustain his father’s legacy of infrastructure development across the local government area.
The APC local government primaries in Ebonyi State are scheduled to hold on January 25, 2026.
This comes amid controversies surrounding the party, which pegged the form at N30 million, a sum many Nigerians consider outrageous.
On Saturday, the APC Ebonyi State Chairman, Stanley Okoro Emegha, briefed journalists in Abakaliki after a closed-door meeting with party officials drawn from across the state about the form price.
The meeting reportedly involved the party’s 13 Local Government Chairmen as well as 171 Electoral Ward chairmen and secretaries, BusinessDay reports.
Emegha explained that the gathering was convened to familiarise party executives with upcoming APC programmes and to ensure smooth and effective information flow across all levels of the party’s organisational structure.
He noted that the party leadership considered it necessary to align stakeholders ahead of future political activities in the state.
The nomination form for the chairmanship position is pegged at N30 million, a figure that has continued to draw scrutiny when compared with the country’s minimum wage, which is N70,000 per month.
Dave Umahi was appointed Nigeria’s Minister of Works by President Bola Tinubu and was officially sworn into office on August 21, 2023, following his nomination earlier that month.
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