Abia APC Guber Candidate, Emenike, Promises to Develop Umuahia

Emmanuel Ugwu-Nwogo in Umuahia

The people of Ibeku have expressed their anger as Umuahia, the capital city of Abia State, has not witnessed any significant improvement under the present administration of Governor Okezie Ikpeazu, which has just nine months to its expiration.

The anger over the stunted capital city was fully expressed at a meeting of stakeholders from the “four corners of Ibeku” that was held at Nkata Ibeku Umuahia North Local Government.

Convened under the aegis of Ibeku Constituency Stakeholders Forum, the meeting was used to adopt the Governorship Candidate of the All  Progressives Congress (APC), Mr. Ikechi Emenike, as “Ibeku APC Project.”

They tasked Emenike, who holds the title of Onwa n’Agbara Ibeku (the moon that shines on Ibeku), to develop Umuahia to a befitting status of a capital city.

In their welcome address, which was read by Professor Chris Nwamuo, the stakeholders lamented that apart from underdevelopment of their land which is hosting the Abia capital, the Ibeku people have also “continued to be treated as second class citizens in their land.

“It is ironical that today Ibeku is a home of underdevelopment, marginalisation, selective youth empowerment and discrimination in appointments and infrastructural development.

“Today, things have fallen apart. The politics of underdevelopment and marginalisation has eclipsed the pace of development in the once beautiful Ibeku Kingdom,” Nwamuo said.

However, the professor of Communications, who is also the orator of the University of Calabar, said that with Emenike in the governorship race, the Ibeku people would lament no more but would rather support him to become governor and rebuild Umuahia and the entire state.

“This is the time to clean up our tears, gird our loins and cheer Ikechi Emenike to victory,” Prof Nwamuo stated, adding that their rallying call is: “Fellow Ibekuans, we are at the bridge-head. We must cross the river and shout for joy at our victory and liberation from bad governments.”

Some notable Ibeku personalities at the event included the President General of Ibeku Egwuasa, Mr. Jerry Onyemachi, Retired Justice Igbo Akomas, Professor Abarikwu, Mr. Onwunaruwa, Mr. Nwanne Nwabuisi, who represented South-east in the National Population Commission (NPC).

Several groups, including professionals, pensioners, business men, students, youth organisations, widows association, Hausa/Yoruba communities, among others were on hand to show solidarity and support the Rescue and Develop Abia Agenda of Emenike.

Many stakeholders that spoke at the occasion harped on the need for Ibeku people and all Abians to support Emenike to chase out “greedy, inept leaders” from the Government House and develop Abia State for the benefit of its people.

The chairman of Ibeku Stakeholders Forum, Mr. Jerry Eleonu, vowed that “we are ready to use our votes to usher Emenike into Government House,” while the Women lLader, Ms. Christy Ekeke, pledged “the solid support of Ibeku women.”

Emenike, who was touched by the lamentations, including that of pensioners that came to pledge their support, assured them that if given their mandate he would end government-inflicted tears and anguish in the state and develop Abia to an enviable level.

He said: “I will bring light to Ibeku land; the darkness we see today will be no more,” he said, adding that part of his mandate “is to clean the faces of anguished people of Abia and clean the city.”

The APC’s governorship hopeful regretted that Umuahia, which was one of the best planned cities in Nigeria by the colonial masters, has been made “the worst state capital by 24 years of direct destruction of a state and its people” by successive PDP-controlled state governments.

“The only thing you need to rescue Abia is your votes and your vote is very important and you must it to set Abia free,” he said, adding he would “remove the hands of looters from the state treasury so that there will be enough money to pay workers, pensioners and build infrastructure.”