Ex-Abia PDP Chairman, Nwaka Wants to Succeed Ikpeazu in 2023

Emmanuel Ugwu-Nwogo in Umuahia

Former chairman of the Abia State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Emma Nwaka, has become the first aspirant on the platform of the ruling party to formally declare his interest to succeed Governor Okezie Ikpeazu in 2023.

He made a request for the governorship ticket when he visited Abia PDP secretariat in Umuahia and told the members of the state executive committee that he was ready to take over and sustain the ruling party’s control of Abia at the end of Ikpeazu’s tenure next year.

Early this month the state chairman of the ruling PDP, Hon. Asiforo Okere had told journalists that the party was yet to have aspirants for the governorship and other elective positions as, according to him, those that reportedly expressed interest did so “at the community level”.

But Nwaka, who presided over the affairs of Abia PDP when the party recorded 100 per cent success in the governorship, state and National Assembly polls in 2011, said that he decided to vie for the governorship seat based on his personal conviction that he has the capacity to do the job effectively.

“It is with all sense of humility and the courage of conviction that I say to you: ‘here am I, send me’ as the candidate of PDP in the forthcoming 2023 governorship election in Abia State,” Nwaka told the state party executives.

He said that his ambition was borne out of divine inspiration, hard and long meditation and prayer, adding that “my life’s journey has sufficiently equipped me for this moment.”

“My manifold experiences from the courtroom, to the boardroom through to the legislative and the executive arm of government, including having had to provide leadership at a very critical juncture in the life of our party, without gainsaying it have put me in good stead to serve Abia State at the highest level,” he said.

The former party chairman, who is a legal practitioner, promised that he would “do a new thing for Abia” leveraging on the 30 year development plan and the urban development plans for Ohafia and Umuahia as outlined by the present administration.

He said that he had been engaged in extensive consultations at ward, local government, zonal and state levels of the party and with groups and critical stakeholders, adding that his aspiration has generated “high level of acceptability across the length and breadth of Abia State.”

He reminded the party executives on the need to adhere to the Abia Charter of Equity and cede power to Isuikwuato District in Abia North zone in order not to short-circuit the dreams of the founding fathers of Abia, who believed in equity and fairness.

In his response the state party chairman, Okere described Nwaka as a well qualified aspirant and a good party man, adding that what the former party chairman is asking for is not too much given the services he had rendered to the ruling party.

He promised a level playing field and equal opportunity for all aspirants while the primary elections would be transparent to the satisfaction of everybody.

Okere commended Nwaka for distinguishing himself as a true party man by starting his consultations from the ward level and also for promising to abide by whatever the party would eventually decide on its 2023 governorship ticket.