Orji, Wabara, Others Drum Support for Atiku in Abia

Emmanuel Ugwu-Nwogo in Umuahia

The Atiku/Okowa Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) was yesterday launched in Abia State with Senator Theodore Orji, former Senate President Adolphus Wabara, and other PDP chieftains rallying support for the party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, and his running mate, Ifeanyi Okowa, in the state.

Orji, who is the South-east Coordinator for Atiku/Okowa Presidential Campaign Council, performed the inauguration of the PCC in Umuahia. He charged the members to be dedicated and committed to their mandate, “which is to deliver Atiku” in Abia.

To achieve that goal, the Abia Central Senator said PDP faithful in the state must face the task ahead with unity of purpose and total dedication to the cause of returning the former ruling party to power.

He urged members to subsume their personal interests and political ambitions and work for the overall interest of the party at the 2023 general election.

Orji said, “Now that we have a presidential candidate and our brother (Okowa) is the running mate, we should support them so that we go to the election united and to win not to lose.”

The former Abia State governor warned members of the campaign council against acts of betrayal and hanky-panky deals, adding that it would be to the benefit of everyone if the main opposition party emerged winner at the presidential poll.

While noting that the amended electoral law had made it very difficult for anybody to rig the poll, Orji stated that success at the polls would be determined by hard work on the part of the contending parties.

Wabara, in his remarks, pleaded with Ndigbo to embrace Atiku and throw their weight behind the PDP presidential flag bearer to takeover Aso Villa come 2023.

The former Abia South Senator, who is the acting chairman of PDP Board of Trustees (BoT), stressed the need for the party to remain united, adding that the PCC should work assiduously to give the party victory in Abia State, which he described as a known PDP stronghold.

Wabara stated that Atiku had already made a solemn promise to facilitate the emergence of a Nigeria president of Igbo extraction after his tenure, hence, Ndigbo should trust him and make him victorious so that he could fulfil his promise.

The former senate president stated, “Atiku has promised to hand over power to a successor from Igbo and I believe he will do it. Let’s be patient and support him.”

He said Atiku had a very bright chance of winning the 2023 presidential poll and so, “let’s go where the president will emerge from”.

Former chairman of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Chief Onyema Ugochukwu, also drummed support for Atiku, saying the PDP presidential hopeful “is a strong believer in restructuring”.

Ugochukwu stated that the former vice president had demonstrated his love for Ndigbo, which was why he had consistently picked his running mate from among the Igbo.

In his inaugural speech, the Abia State Coordinator for Atiku/Okowa PCC, and former Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Chief Charles Ogbonnaya, promised to deliver their mandate, adding that Atiku would record a landslide victory.

Members of the PCC in Abia included Deputy Governor Ude Oko Chukwu, who was appointed Chairman of the PCC, while Rep Nkem Abonta was made Vice Chairman.