2023: You Must Join Hands with Me to Rescue, Develop Abia, Emenike Tells Abians

Emmanuel Ugwu-Nwogo in Umuahia

The Abia State governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Ikechi Emenike, has urged Abians to end their ‘I-don’t-care attitude’ to political affairs of the state and partner with him to rescue Abia from those blocking its way to development.

Speaking at a series of townhall meetings he held yesterday with different social-cultural groups and market associations in Aba, Emenike made Abians understand that their state would not get to the expected height of development by mere wishful thinking.

He told the groups, including the Abiriba Communal Improvement Union, Aba, Old Bende Progressive Union and Aba Merchants and Artisans Association (AMAA) that they must actively participate in making a new Abia possible with their votes.

According to him, those who refuse to use their votes to express their disenchantment with the rot in Abia were also guilty of helping the bad leaders to remain in power and continue to hold the state down.

“If you want a good Aba; if you want a good Abia State, let’s work together,” he said, adding, “If you vote for a government that will remember that it is in partnership with you, that government will serve you.”

In each of the meetings, the APC governorship flag bearer was inundated with lamentations about the maladministration in the state which continues to manifest in poor infrastructure, menace of touts and general stagnation of Abia.

But Emenike told Aba residents and indeed all Abians that grumblings and lamentations would achieve nothing unless they take a positive step and join hands with him in his avowed mission to rescue and develop Abia (RADA).

“The time has come for Abians to emphatically say, enough is enough. It’s time for Abians to shake off fears and vote out those that have been holding the state down,” he said.

“If you want change, you must fight for change and show your strength with your votes,” he added.

Emenike pointed out that the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has been feeding on the docile attitude of most Abians to remain in power and perpetuate bad governance.

He said that Abia PDP has been taken for granted hence it has the courage to ask for votes in 2023 to remain in power after 24 years of disastrous governance in Abia.

The APC governorship candidate, who was accompanied by the state leadership of the party, APC senatorial candidate for Abia South, Hon. Blessing Nwagba and the candidate for Aba Central state constituency, Lady Jane Ogbauta, promised to birth a people-oriented government.

The Chairman of Abia APC, Dr. Kingsley Ononogbu, reiterated his assurances that the main opposition party was determined in its mission to rescue and develop Abia with Emenike as the arrowhead.

He enjoined all well-meaning Abia people residing in Aba to support the governorship candidate of APC and all the other candidates of the party to ensure a total change in the sad narrative of Abia.

At the interactive session with members of AMAA, the president of the association, Sir Albert Okafor, told Emenike that “what we want is change and development in the city of Aba and the rest of Abia.”

He said that AMAA, which has 96 affiliate groups, was happy that the APC governorship hopeful has come to share with them his progressive, practical ideas and vision for Abia thereby giving them hope for better things to come.

The leadership of Old Bende Progressive Union in the nine local governments of Abia South expressed their satisfaction and acceptance of the APC gubernatorial flag bearer, saying that his burning zeal to take Abia to greater heights resonates with them.

Chief Friday Eze, who stood in for the chairman of OBPU, DIG Azubuko Udah (rtd), said that the 2023 governorship project of Emenike has become the project of Old Bende hence they would do everything in their power to realise its successful outcome.

“We shall run this race with you to a successful end. We shall do all in our power to give you the mandate on March 11, 2023,” he assured Emenike.