Ex-Abia Chief of Staff Emerges APP Guber Candidate

Emmanuel Ugwu-Nwogo

Former Chief of Staff in the last administration in Abia State, Mr. Mascot Uzor Kalu, has emerged as the governorship candidate of the Action Peoples Party(APP) for the 2023 general election.

He was elected through voice affirmation votes at the party’s primaries held yesterday  at Umuahia, after his only challenger, Hon Ndem Chukwu  stepped down.

Kalu, who is a younger brother of the Senate Chief Whip, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, served as CoS to Senator Theodore Orji for most part of the administration when he was Abia governor.

The party also nominated its candidates for the three senatorial districts, eight federal constituencies and the 24 state constituency seats, charging them to go and bring victory to the party and the people of Abia.

In his acceptance speech, the governorship candidate declared that the two-month old APP was poised to bring “a big change to Abia”, noting that Abians have been yearning for good governance since 2015.

Mascot, who was the standard-bearer  of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the Aba federal constituency by-election last year, said that APP is a party whose time has come. He vowed that the new party would crush the older parties and send the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) packing out of Abia government house.

According to him, the APP is looking forward to a good outing in Abia, adding that it has already demonstrated its strength by fielding candidates in all elective positions that would be contested in the state next year.

The Abia APP gubernatorial standard-bearer  lamented the deteriorating state of affairs in Abia, saying that workers have been subjected to untold sufferings due to non-payment of salaries while pensioners continue to gnash their teeth.

He assured Abia workers and retirees that salaries and pensions would be paid on the 26th day of every one if APP takes over the government in 2023.

However, he acknowledged that “we have a lot of work to do” in the young party in order to achieve the set electoral goals, adding that nine months is enough time to grow and strengthen the party.

Mascot  therefore, charged party members to carry the party’s message of hope to all nooks and crannies of Abia and “work very hard” for the success of APP in the 2023 general poll.