17/07/2026
A Declaration of Resistance Against Exploitation, Division and the Unilateral Alienation of Abam's Ancestral Heritage: A Follow-up Communiqué of Abam Progressive Forum
Attention: Abam Political Appointees
Attention: Abam Stakeholders (Diaspora)
Cc: Chief Ogbuka Umekwe
Cc: Hon. Lukeman Ukara
Cc: Hon. Ikeogu Okpi
This second Communiqué has become imperative in response to the avalanche of clandestine meetings, virtual conferences, telephone conversations and behind-the-scenes engagements that have proliferated since the release of our first communiqué. While some have mistaken secrecy for safety, they must understand that secrecy is no guarantee of concealment when vigilance is constant, and no conversation remains truly hidden from citizens who are committed to defending the collective destiny of their people. The future of Abam cannot be negotiated in darkness without attracting the scrutiny of an informed and watchful populace.
We are sufficiently informed of the numerous engagements involving the Forum of Presidents-General, political office holders and other stakeholders, together with the divergent positions adopted in those deliberations. We are equally aware of the unwavering disposition of Hon. Lukeman Ukara, whose conduct appears calculated to prematurely mortgage the collective interest of the people of IDIMA ABAM through an apparent determination to facilitate the transfer of ancestral lands to Presco Plc. Likewise, it is no longer hidden that the de facto President-General of Ndi Oji, Hon. Ikeogu Okpi , is reportedly disposed towards committing NDI - OJI ancestral lands to the same arrangement.
History is unforgiving. Decisions that compromise the heritage of a people for temporary gains neither expire with the tenure of those who make them nor disappear from public memory. Rather, they become enduring stains upon the conscience of generations. Posterity hardly distinguishes between those who executed such actions and those who silently encouraged, legitimised or defended them.
Against this backdrop, we commend the wisdom, courage and steadfastness demonstrated by the Abam Forum of Presidents-General under the leadership of Captain Usim. By refusing to be hoodwinked, inveigled, flattered, induced, coerced, manipulated or deceived by Presco Plc or any of its collaborators, they have reaffirmed the sanctity of communal leadership and strengthened the confidence of the Abam people in institutions that remain accountable to the collective will. Also worthy of extolling is the fierce courage exhibited by Eze Robert Nwankwo in reinforcing the position of the traditional rulers that Abam is not for sale.
We must equally, and with respect, caution certain members of the ABAM DIASPORA , particularly Chief James Umekwe, against encouraging decisions whose consequences will be borne almost exclusively by those who continue to live upon the ancestral homeland. Those who sleep under another sky should exercise restraint before prescribing choices for those who must weather the storm at home. Advice offered from afar may well be sincere, but the irreversible consequences of alienating ancestral lands will ultimately rest upon communities whose livelihoods, identity, history and future generations remain inseparably rooted in Abam.
This communiqué also serves as a solemn admonition to HON . UCHENNA OKORO and every political office holder who may be tempted to substitute personal discretion for collective consultation. A leader who determines the destiny of his people without first seeking their consent mistakes delegated authority for ownership. Public office is a sacred trust bestowed by the people, not a licence to impose personal preferences upon an unwilling population. Genuine leadership is measured by consultation, transparency and accountability, whereas unilateral decision-making belongs to rulers rather than representatives. No elected official possesses either the moral or democratic authority to mortgage the future of an entire people without their informed consent, for the mandate to lead can never be interpreted as permission to decide alone. The destiny of Abam belongs exclusively to the people of ABAM. Be a legislator Sir! Don't be a Land Agent.
Consequently, we call upon the Majority Leader and every elected representative to immediately desist from every action capable of facilitating Presco Plc's entry into Abam contrary to the clearly expressed will of the people. The constitutional responsibility of legislators is to enact laws, provide oversight and defend the public interest not to function as intermediaries in transactions involving communal ancestral lands. Any conduct that transforms political leadership into the business of land brokerage represents a profound departure from the principles of representative democracy and an unacceptable abuse of public trust. Political office should never become a pathway for advancing private land interests at the expense of communal heritage.
Intelligence available to us and independent findings further indicate an alleged plan to deploy enormous financial inducements, reportedly amounting to hundreds of millions of naira, in an attempt to weaken resistance and compromise various groups into abandoning the collective position of the Abam people. Whether pursued through inducement, intimidation or manipulation, such desperation only reveals the extraordinary lengths to which vested interests may be willing to go in order to override the sovereign will of our communities. Our position remains unequivocal. No amount of money, whether measured in millions or billions, possesses the capacity to purchase our history, silence our conscience or extinguish our resolve. The future of Abam is infinitely more valuable than any temporary financial inducement. Every group, institution and community approached under whatever guise should therefore remain steadfast, recognising that whenever personal ambition is substituted for collective consent, democracy gradually yields to domination, and the destiny of an entire people becomes vulnerable to the preferences of a few. That is a path which Abam must resolutely reject.
Accordingly, every strategy designed to impose Presco Plc upon Abam against the freely expressed will of the people must be resisted through lawful, peaceful, constitutional and democratic means. The collective voice of Abam must remain stronger than the ambitions of individuals.
To Presco Plc, our message is equally direct and unambiguous. Available public records, together with observable developments surrounding your engagement with communities in Abam, have only deepened public concern regarding your persistent determination to acquire Abam's ancestral lands despite sustained and overwhelming resistance from the people. Any investor who disregards the clearly expressed wishes of a community underestimates both the resolve and the dignity of that community. Genuine investment thrives on mutual respect, transparency and voluntary consent; relentless persistence in the absence of consent inevitably breeds suspicion rather than partnership.
Abia State is blessed with numerous communities that may voluntarily embrace your investment proposals under conditions acceptable to them. Should your organisation genuinely desire a mutually beneficial partnership, it should pursue negotiations only with communities that freely choose such arrangements, rather than persisting in strategies that risk fracturing the unity of Abam through suspicion, division and communal discord. Sustainable investment cannot flourish where consent is absent, and no corporate interest should be elevated above the sovereign will of a people determined to preserve their ancestral inheritance.
To every autonomous community within Abam, we reiterate that the resolution adopted by the General Assembly on 13th June, 2026 remains binding in both spirit and substance. That historic resolution unequivocally affirmed that no community within Abam should alienate or sell any portion of its ancestral lands to Presco Plc. As the sovereign expression of the collective will of the Abam people, that resolution must neither be diluted by personal ambition nor undermined by political expediency. Every community owes a moral obligation to uphold both the letter and the spirit of that collective decision.
At a time when nations across the world increasingly embrace sustainability, environmental stewardship and intergenerational equity, it would constitute a profound betrayal for the ancient Kingdom of Abam to exchange the inheritance of unborn generations for fleeting economic promises whose long-term consequences remain uncertain. Our ancestral lands are not commodities to be traded at will. They are sacred trusts handed down by our forefathers and held in stewardship for those who will inherit Abam long after the present generation has departed.
We acknowledge the numerous communities that have reached out to the Abam Progressive Forum seeking reassurance, protection and support in the face of mounting pressure. We commend their courage and assure them that every legitimate constitutional, civic and legal mechanism available shall be deployed to safeguard their rights and uphold the collective decisions of the Abam people. Our mobilisation shall remain political, lawful, intellectual and civic, anchored firmly upon justice, transparency and democratic accountability. We shall continue to expose every attempt to divide our communities, erode communal autonomy or undermine resolutions freely adopted by the people. Those who disregard the collective will of the people should not expect political support or electoral goodwill from the communities whose trust they have betrayed.
We equally condemn every orchestrated campaign of misinformation and propaganda by overrated content creators media urchins whose intellectual wavelengths cannot measure up the size of the va**na of an anopheles mosquito. Be reminded that Abam is not a content and public discourse deserves reasoned argument, factual engagement and intellectual honesty rather than personal attacks, manufactured narratives or orchestrated campaigns intended to distract from the substantive issues confronting our communities. The struggle for the future of Abam cannot be reduced to propaganda; it demands integrity, courage and fidelity to truth.
Accordingly, while resisting this economic terrorism , we will continue to reiterate our allegiance to the State Government and her infrastructural developmental interventions visible across Abam. This agitation should not be mistaken for political witchhunt or rascality against constituted authority. The state government has the full support of Abam in the upcoming election. Be that as it may, this public statement serves as notice that the Abam Progressive Forum shall continue to lawfully mobilise citizens, engage relevant institutions and pursue every democratic avenue necessary to resist any strategy, policy or arrangement that seeks to divide the people of Abam or alienate their ancestral heritage without their free, prior and informed consent. Every individual, institution or corporate entity that facilitates or encourages such division shall be held publicly accountable through peaceful civic engagement, public advocacy and all lawful means available within our constitutional democracy.
We therefore call upon all men and women of goodwill, the Women's Wing, the Youth Wing, the Forum of Presidents-General, traditional rulers, custodians of our customs and traditions, community leaders, professionals, members of the clergy, the intelligentsia and every son and daughter of Abam to stand united in defence of our ancestral inheritance. The preservation of our land is neither a partisan cause nor the responsibility of a select few; it is a collective obligation owed equally to our forebears and to generations yet unborn.
Let there be no misunderstanding. Abam cannot be divided in order to be conquered. The unity of our people is not negotiable, our ancestral heritage is not expendable, and the collective will of Abam cannot be overridden by clandestine negotiations, political expediency or economic inducements. The voice of the people must remain supreme, for no government, political office holder or corporate organisation possesses either the legal or moral authority to determine the destiny of Abam without the informed consent of the Abam people.
Abam is not for sale.
Our heritage is not negotiable.
Our future cannot be mortgaged.
Divide and Rule Strategy failed even the Imperial Britain!
APF is a legal entity registered under the extant laws of the Corporate Affairs Commission with REGISTRATION NUMBER 8133207
Signed:
Abam Progressive Forum.
