Omuma is a Local Government Area in Rivers State, Nigeria. Its headquarters are in the town of Eberi. Its people are of Igbo extraction. It has an area of 170 km² and a population of 100,366 at the 2006 census. HOME LIKE NO OTHER: OMUMA BY Nwakacha Innocent Chikadibia OMUMA'S POLITICAL PARTICIPATION The pronouncement of Omuma as a Local Government by the then head of State Late General Sani Abachi was the greatest gift every Omuma man and woman should always be grateful for. Irrespective of political differences, Omuma remains our home. Fondly called ‘the promised land, Omuma is the Canaan Land for Omumans and dwellers. OMUMA BETWEEN 1996 – 1998 Omuma was pronounced a Local Government area in the year 1996 by the then military leadership led by Gen. Sani Abacha. However, Omuma people have been active players in the game of politics even before the creation of the Local Government. For the purpose of this piece, I shall confine the information within the aforementioned period of time. Political parties in Omuma as at then: • National Democratic Coalition • Committee for National Consensus • Democratic Party of Nigeria • Grassroots Democratic Movement • National Centre Party of Nigeria • United Nigeria Congress Party • Justice Party The Grassroots Democratic Movement was the ‘talk-of-the-town’ then. The first elected Chairman of Omuma Local Government Area Hon. Emmanuel Opurum from Okpulor community in Obiohia was under this political party. The people of Omuma were very actively involved in this political party called GDM. As at then, Omuma people thought there will not be the emergence of another more viable political party until sometime in 1999. OMUMA BETWEEN 1999 – 2011 Before the year 1999, Chief Hon. Georgeford Nwosu was a Science Teacher in secondary school. He got a political call as a sub career. The emergence of the Peoples Democratic Party in 1999. Recall that Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo who was a vice president to Murtala Mohammed and was thereafter imprisoned alongside the senior brother of former president Umaru Musa Y’Adua in Abakiliki prison by Gen. Sani Abacha. During the dictatorship of Sani Abacha, Obasanjo spoke out against the human rights abuses of the regime, and was imprisoned for alleged participation in an aborted coup based on testimony obtained via torture. He was released only after Abacha's sudden death on 8 June 1998. However, after his release, he emerged the standard bearer of the people's Democratic Party PDP for the 1999 General Election in Nigeria. Obasanjo was sworn in as the president on the 29th of May 1999 as a democratically elected president of Nigeria. Back home; Omuma continued with active political participation with the election of Chief Georgeford Nwosu as the next Chairman of the LGA elected under the platform of the PDP in 1999. Thereafter, Chief Hon. Nwuke Anucha also was elected under the same PDP platform as Chairman of the LGA during the regime of Dr. Peter Odili who was the then Governor of Rivers State. Recall that Dr. Nwuke was an Adviser to the Governor before this time. It is imperative to mention that Omuma has produced Commissioners who did marvelously well in rebranding their ministries E.g. Engr. Nwankwo Ndubuisi , Engr. Emeka Nwogu Nwogu, Mr. Dickson Umunakwe, Late Barr. Monday Onyezonwu, Barr. Nwankwo Sylvanus. Also, during the regime of Sir Celestine Omehia, Dr. David Ogbonna from Umuelechi was appointed the Chairman of Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission. During the 2003-2004 Local Government Elections in Rivers State, the All Nigeria Peoples Party had very heavy electioneering campaigns in Omuma with Mr. Hillary Nwankwoala as its flag bearer and other councillorship candidates under the party, notable amongst them was Mr. Francis Nwauzor Ndudiri of Ward 2. However, despite the strong campaigns this party had, they still lost the bid for the chairmanship of Omuma to Hon. Nwuke Anucha of the PDP. Later in 2007, Hon John Nnamdi Anuch, a Journalist who was the then Chief Press Secretary to the Nwuke Anucha led council became the chairman of the council and was re-elected in 2011. Hon Kelechi Nwogu emerged the candidate of the PDP after a primary election held in the council premises and he won the House of Assembly election in 2011. He was re-elected in 2015 election to represent Omuma for the second time in Rivers State House of Assembly under the PDP. Several other political parties have sprung up within this period as alphabetically arranged below and Omuma has been actively involved in them: • Advanced Congress of Democrats • Alliance for Democracy • Action Democratic Party • All Democratic Peoples Movement • All Progressives Congress • African Democratic Congress • Advanced Peoples Democratic Alliance • All Nigeria Peoples Party • All Progressives Grand Alliance • All People's Party • African Renaissance Party • Conscience People's Congress • Communist Party of Nigeria • Citizens Popular Party • Democratic Alternative • Democratic Socialist Movement • Fresh Democratic Party • Labour Party • Masses Movement of Nigeria • National Conscience Party • New Democrats • New Generations Party of Nigeria • National Democratic Party • People's Democratic Party • Progressive Peoples Alliance • People Progressive Party • People's Redemption Party • People's Salvation Party • Action Alliance • Social Democratic Mega Party • Socialist Party of Nigeria • Social Democratic Party • United Nigeria People's Party • United Progressive Party • Mega People Political Party • Young Progressive Party • Etc. The postal code of the area is 512.
