The National Executive Council, of Eggon Cultural and Development Association ECDA has rejected the purported endorsement of a candidate by the southern zone leadership of the association.
The National President of the Association, Dr. David Mandy Abuluya announce this while addressing press conference in nasarawa eggon local government area of nasarawa state.
Dr. David Mandy Abuluya said, the purported endorsement is null, void, and of no effect, saying, the decision taking by the southern zone leadership represents an egregious violation of the ECDA constitution and a dangerous departure from the core mandate.
“Our constitution in section 4, subsection 1 charges ECDA to only promote the spirit of unity, peace, understanding, and a sense of belonging among the eggon people regardless of status, ideology, sex, religion, or place of origin not endorsing any aspirant over other qualified sons and daughters of eggon who may be vying for the same position across different political parties” it says….
“The southern zone leadership had actively sown division and contravened the first principle of the existence of ECDA, and will always remain non-partisan.; he added
According to him, the ECDA is the umbrella and the unifying platform for all eggon people and will never be a political action committee, campaign wing, or an endorsement vehicle for any individual or political party in the state.
He said, the ill-advised action is capable of projecting the entire eggon nation as engaging in narrow, divisive ethnic politics.
“In a multi-ethnic and multicultural environment like the southern senatorial zone, such a move invites suspicion from the neighbours and other ethnic nationalities as well as every tribe will begins to officially endorse its “own” candidates through their socio-cultural bodies, we risk reducing the vibrant democracy to a destructive contest of tribal blocs and this is not the path to inclusive development, and ECDA will not be a party to it.” he maintain…;
Dr. David Mandy Abuluya explained that, the selection of a candidate is the sole work of political parties, based on their constitutions and internal democratic processes.
He said, the ECDA National Executive will soon provide a platform that allows all eggon political to share their interests, manifestos, but will endorse and their role is to ensure a level playing field, not to single out a person over another from any political divide.
“Our role is to applaud and support any leader, from any party, who demonstrates genuine commitment to the development and welfare of the eggon people and the nation at large but to do otherwise will make ECDA an agent of political factions, which we vehemently reject, he said….”
He further emphasised that, the purported endorsement of political aspirant by the ECDA southern zone is rescinded and declared invalid.
Dr. David Mandy Abuluya called on all chapters of ECDA, both at home and in the diaspora, to refrain from any activity that seeks to use the association’s platform for partisan political endorsement, saying such actions is capable of tearing the cherished association apart and dividing their people based on their legitimate right to free political association.
“Our focus remains unchanged: the unity of our people, the promotion of our culture, and the pursuit of development projects—like the ongoing transformation of the eggon community secondary school—that benefit every single eggon person, he maintain….”
He called on the media and the public to disregard the said purported endorsement, while the official position of ECDA is neutrality, unity, and progress for all.
COV Aliyu Muraki/Lafia.
