By CHARLES IWUOHA

The Labour Party candidate for Abakaliki/Izzi Federal Constituency, Dr Ezeh Emmanuel Ezeh, has accused influential political figures in Ebonyi State of turning political power into family inheritance through alleged nepotism, patronage and the concentration of elective positions among relatives.

Ezeh, raised the concerns on Thursday in a press statement, which he called on opposition parties to unite ahead of the 2027 general elections to challenge what he described as an entrenched political establishment.

He alleged that a privileged circle of political actors had appropriated public institutions, political appointments and state resources for personal and family interests, while ordinary citizens continued to grapple with economic hardship.

“Ebonyi is gradually becoming a state held hostage by a small but very self-serving prebendal political elite that has transformed public office into private property and political power into family inheritance,” he said.

The Labour Party candidate expressed concern over what he described as the growing tendency of influential politicians to secure elective positions for their children, warning that the practice could undermine political competition and equal access to public office.

He cited alleged instances of political godfathers securing local government and State House of Assembly positions for their sons, claiming that some of the beneficiaries were being positioned for higher offices.

Ezeh also accused some political stakeholders of distributing public contracts and political opportunities as personal favours rather than on the basis of merit, transparency and public interest

He questioned the credibility of political actors who, according to him, participate in zoning summits and stakeholder meetings to discuss the state’s future without adequately addressing accountability for past decisions and governance failures.

The politician maintained that the concentration of political influence among a privileged few posed a significant challenge to democratic inclusion and effective governance in Ebonyi.

He, however, argued that the responsibility for changing the political landscape should not rest solely on criticism of the ruling establishment, urging opposition parties to overcome their divisions and present a credible alternative to voters in 2027.

“If Ebonyi is to be saved, the rescue mission will not come from the very people who created the crisis,” he stated.

Ezeh cautioned that opposition parties must also examine their own leadership and political practices to ensure that they do not reproduce the same system of patronage and family entitlement they criticise.

He questioned whether some opposition figures were genuinely committed to reform or merely seeking to replace existing political actors without changing the underlying system.