Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia
A group which described itself as Real Abia Farmers has appealed to Governor Alex Otti, the Ministry of Agriculture, and relevant agencies to quickly wade into the leadership crisis rocking the Abia State chapter of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN).
The group, in a petition to the Governor, a copy of which was read during a protest in Umuahia, alleged that the State Chairman of AFAN, Ms. Gift Ogbonna, did not emerge through a proper election, and demanded that she “stop parading herself as AFAN Chairman.”
It also accused Ogbonna of disparaging the Commissioner of Agriculture, Dr. Cliff Agbaeze, arguing that such an attitude does not promote harmony and collaboration.
This comes less than one week after Ogbonna and members of AFAN loyal to her accused the Agriculture Commissioner of sidelining them in the disbursement of the African Union Development Agency–New Partnership for Africa’s Development (AUDA-NEPAD) Smallholder Farmers Initiative.
AFAN, which also accused the Commissioner of generating a fake farmers’ list as beneficiaries of the initiative, called for a probe into the format adopted by the Ministry of Agriculture in generating the list.
The Commissioner, however, denied any wrongdoing, explaining that factions in AFAN informed the decision of the Ministry to deal directly with verified farmers.
Lady Precious Uwaoma, spokesperson of Real Abia Farmers, accused the AFAN Chairman of “prioritising personal gain over the welfare of the farming community.”
The petition read in part: “It is with profound regret that we highlight the alarming state of affairs within AFAN under the chairpersonship of Ms. Gift Ogbonna. Not only was she not duly elected through a proper electoral process, but her tenure has since been marked by blatant dishonesty and misinformation.
“Since her inauguration, Ms. Ogbonna has engaged in disparaging the Honorable Commissioner for Agriculture, undermining the efforts of the government to foster constructive dialogue and collaboration.
“This behaviour goes against the principles of transparency and cooperation that Dr. Alex Chioma Otti’s government stands for.
“Regrettably, Ms. Ogbonna and her associates, who claim over 20 years of service within AFAN, have contributed little to the advancement of farmers in Abia.
“In light of these grievances, we earnestly appeal to the government, particularly to the Honorable Commissioner for Agriculture, Dr. Cliff Agbaeze, to take immediate action.
“We request that a meeting be convened with all genuine farmers in Abia State to facilitate an opportunity for a proper, free, and fair election within AFAN.”
The group also requested that the government, “through the Commissioner for Agriculture, Dr. Agbaeze, be allowed to handle every activity of farmers in Abia State henceforth, until a proper election is conducted.”
But in a swift response, Mrs. Ogbonna said the group was strange and not known to Abia AFAN.
She insisted that she emerged via a legitimate election conducted by a committee set up by the Commissioner for Agriculture in December 2024.
Ogbonna, who said she was inaugurated in February 2025 by the national body of AFAN for a five-year tenure, alleged that the “strange group appears to have been sponsored by the Commissioner.”
Recall that AFAN, during a press conference last week, accused the Commissioner of attempting to impose his candidate on the body, claiming that there were no longer any factions in the association.
The Commissioner, however, said he had no vested interest in the leadership of AFAN, which he claimed had three factions.
