By Chinedu Adonu

ENUGU — Tension continues to mount over the second-term ambition of the Chairman of Aninri Local Government Area, Mr. Ugochukwu Nwanjoku, as concerned stakeholders have accused him of attempting to manufacture endorsements amid growing opposition.

Speaking with journalists in Enugu, Barr. Peter Aja Obiora, a leader of concerned citizens in the council, insisted that the people of Aninri would no longer remain silent over what they describe as a disruption of the council’s rotational leadership arrangement.

“There comes a moment in public life when silence becomes complicity and speech becomes duty. Aninri has reached that moment,” Obiora declared.

He alleged that the chairman, in an attempt to counter the sustained protest by residents, convened a meeting in his hometown, Oduma, inviting Presidents-Generals of various communities with the apparent goal of securing endorsements for a second term. According to Obiora, media teams were in place, cameras positioned, and headlines pre-arranged — but the expected coronation reportedly became a confrontation.

“Many of the Presidents-General did not attend, while those who did informed the chairman that they lacked the mandate of their people to endorse him,” Obiora said. “Leadership without mandate is noise. Representation without consent is theatre.”

Obiora challenged reports claiming that the meeting produced an endorsement, demanding documentary proof such as signed resolutions, attendance registers, or video evidence.

He further claimed that another strategy was being considered through party structures, including convening an “enlarged stakeholders’ meeting” under the pretext of appreciating party members, allegedly aimed at quietly endorsing the chairman.

“You cannot manufacture legitimacy. You cannot outsource consent. You cannot rent credibility. A vote of confidence that emerges from exclusion is not confidence; it is choreography,” he said.

At the heart of the dispute is the rotational understanding among the five towns of Aninri — Mpu, Ndeaboh, Nenwe, Oduma, and Okpanku. Obiora questioned the fairness of one town holding the chairmanship for ten consecutive years under an arrangement designed to prevent domination and preserve unity.

He also called on the administration to publicly account for completed projects across the five towns, asking, “Is public office now a pathway to private magnificence?”

Obiora concluded by urging transparency and accountability, warning that the people of Aninri would resist attempts at manufactured loyalty. “History does not favour those who beg for applause. It favours those who earn it,” he said.