A chieftain of the All Progressive Congress in Abia State, Chief Friday Nwosu, has called on other governorship aspirants in the state to step down for High Chief Ikechi Emenike to be the flag bearer of the party.
He said Emenike was a detribalised Abia resident who would prioritise the well-being of Abia people above personal interest.
Nwosu, a National Welfare Officer of the party who spoke at his country home in Obingwa Local Government, pointed out that Emenike had been instrumental to the upliftment of many Abian people in the business world and politics, not minding their local government of origin.
Narrating the process leading to his emergence, the legal luminary stated that the majority of Abia stakeholders were against him but Emenike encouraged him all the way and at the end, his name appeared on the national consensus list.
He said, “Since the inception of the current democracy in 1999, report has it that no Ngwa man or woman let alone Obingwa person has ever been elected a member of the National Working Committee of any major National political party in Nigeria.
“When I started the race no one gave me a chance. At a point, I wanted to withdraw but Emenike always urged me on.
“He stood by me and showed that his love for the Ngwa nation has no limit. The good news was that in the end, God gave us victory. He achieved this feat when he is yet to be Governor, then imagine what will happen if he becomes the Governor. That is why I am calling on all of us including those eyeing the governorship position to step down and queue behind him by joining forces with him”.
Nwosu, a former governorship aspirant, assured Emenike of the total support of Ngwa stakeholders and promised to convey an enlarged meeting to thank him for his show of love to Ngwa Nation.
Though the meeting was originally supposed to be between Emenike and stakeholders of Obingwa, the crowd turned out in their numbers to welcome a man they described as their benefactor. According to Abia state deputy chairman of the APC, Chief Grant Nwogu, the turnout was a result of the unprecedented thing he did for them.
Chief Grant Nwogu, who just served out his tenure as a board member of a Federal Agency courtesy of High Chief Emenike, enjoined the people to go get their PVCs, ” the only way we can show our appreciation and love to Ikechi Emenike, is to get our PVCs, ensure we massively vote for him on the election day and protect our votes. I know him very well if he emerges as Abia state governor, Abia and Abians will be the better for it,” he said.
On his part, High Chief Ikechi Emenike thanked the people of Obingwa, especially those who came out to receive him.
He assured them of his determination to make life better for them and Abians in general, stressing that non-payment of salary as at when due, owing of gratuity and pensions, unemployment, and infrastructure decay affect everybody notwithstanding where one lives in the state or the party you belong to, hence he called on everyone to join hands with him to redeem Abia state.
” What Abia needs today is not zoning as it has not helped us at all, what we need today is the best man for the job, a person with the requisite competence, compassion, knowledge, and connection to move the state forward. Bad roads affect everybody, I spent five hours on the road from Ugwunagbo to Umuahia, this is bad and very painful. Let us put sentiments aside and push bad governance out of our system. I enjoin you to work in unity so as to attract more members. We must win the coming election,” he stressed.
Emenike reminded them of the good old days when Abia state used to be a hub for productive industries that created employment.
Consular offices and commercial sections of embassies were located in Aba. Some people traveled to South Korea without visiting Lagos for visas.
“The worst thing that can happen to parents is for them to continue feeding their children after they have either graduated from university or from where they went to learn a trade. Abians have found themselves in a very painful situation and we need to collectively change it.
“Singapore and Dubai were built in our lifetime, who says Abia cannot be greater if we harness, for example, the tailoring potentials and other skills in Aba, it can generate a lot of jobs and funds for the development of our state.
“Who says that military and paramilitary quartermaster supplies cannot be produced in Aba. We must build blocks of development without which government cannot do anything. I assure you that if given the chance to govern Abia state, all facets of our economy, all nooks, and crannies of our state will receive a positive impact. Teachers, pensioners, and civil servants will not be owed,” he vowed.
Copyright PUNCH.
All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from PUNCH.
Contact: [email protected]
