Osborn Nweze Umahi, the 28-year-old son of Minister of Works, David Umahi, has emerged as the new chairman of Ohaozara Local Government Area of Ebonyi State.
Politics Nigeria reports that Umahi contested the local government election on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
He secured victory after a campaign centred on grassroots mobilisation, economic development and improved local administration.
Shortly after being declared winner, Umahi announced that he would not collect salary or allowances throughout his tenure.
He said his decision was motivated by a desire to devote the resources of the local government to development rather than personal financial benefits.
The son of the former governor of the state further pledged to prioritise infrastructure, youth empowerment, economic opportunities and improved service delivery across Ohaozara.
Umahi had during the campaign presented himself as a representative of a younger generation of politicians, promising to bring private-sector ideas, efficiency and innovation into local government administration.
He also stressed the importance of strengthening grassroots governance and addressing the economic and social challenges confronting residents of the area.
Earlier, after casting his vote at his Onuofukulu polling unit in Umunaga on Saturday, Uburu, Umahi commended the peaceful conduct of the election.
“I’m satisfied with the conduct of the election so far. I’m happy to see that everything has been peaceful,” he said.
He expressed hope that the peaceful atmosphere would be sustained through the conclusion of voting and the collation of results.
Other political leaders and government officials who participated in the election also commended the exercise.
The Commissioner for Special Duties, Valentine Okike-Uzor, after voting at his Onu Borehole polling unit in Onicha Local Government Area, urged whoever emerged chairman to govern all residents regardless of their political affiliations.
“After today, the chairman becomes the chairman of everybody in the local government, not just one political party,” he said.
The Commissioner for Housing and Urban Development, Francis Ori, similarly praised the conduct of the election and the turnout of voters, while thanking Governor Francis Nwifuru for what he described as the peaceful environment in the state.
Senator Anthony Ani, representing Ebonyi South Senatorial District, also described the election as a demonstration of the state’s commitment to democratic governance.
Ani said the focus should be on the quality of governance delivered by elected council officials rather than the debate over whether local government elections should be held every two or four years.
He urged elected officials to ensure that residents benefited from the democratic process through effective governance and accountability.
Similarly, the member representing Ohaozara/Onicha/Ivo Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Kama Nkemkanma, expressed satisfaction with voter participation.
According to him, the turnout witnessed in areas he visited showed that residents remained interested in local government administration.
Meanwhile, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the state boycotted the exercise, alleging that the process was designed to favour the ruling party.
In a statement issued on Saturday, the PDP Publicity Secretary, Darlington Peter-Onwe, called on the state electoral umpire to “suspend forthwith the local government election” till compliance with the subsisting order of Justice Oshomah.
The party stated its position that “what EBSIEC and the Ebonyi State Government are presenting to the public as a local government election holding today, August, 22, 2026, is not, in law or in fact, an election at all.”
“It is a brazen assault on our democracy, a flagrant act of contempt, a continuing abuse of subsisting court process, and an exercise being conducted on a foundation the courts have already, and repeatedly, declared to be nothing.
“We specifically call on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), as the federal body constitutionally positioned to safeguard electoral standards nationwide, to intervene and formally note this development.
“We call on the Ebonyi State Government to comply, without further delay, with every outstanding court order touching on local government administration in this State, and to cease any conduct that would keep the courts perpetually engaged in setting aside elections this Government insists on repeating in substantially the same defective form,” the statement partly read.