The governorship candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance for the 2023 general election in Ebonyi State, Prof. Benard Odoh, has said he wants to be governor to liberate the people from what he described as “too much oppression” in the state.
He stated this on Friday during separate consultation meetings with the leadership of Motor Spare Parts Dealers; National Association of Technicians and Automobile; Ebonyi State International Market Youth Forum; and others, in Abakaliki, the state capital, assuring that he would not meddle in their affairs as governor.
“I won’t come to put chairman for you. I won’t come to force Okada riders, Keke operators or building materials’ traders to put Chairmen for them. I won’t come to your communities to install town union presidents, it’s not my business at all. My work will be to bring investors to the state. There is too much oppression in this state, but when I become your Governor, I will liberate the people, so that our people will have freedom to do what they want to do within the laws.”
He promised to create enabling environment for businesses to thrive, reiterating that he would work out modalities capable of harmonising taxes in the state.
He said, “If I’m your Governor, we won’t use thugs to harrass you over taxes, we will sit down with you to agree on the amount to pay as taxes and the modality of payment.
“You are my own stakeholders and I don’t have Godfather. If you support me to get to that position, I will not let you down. I observed that not even one person is an importer amongst you, everybody goes to Onitsha to buy market.
“When I met with the building materials traders recently, I told them, let’s write it down: if I become your Governor, we must raise at least 20 importers amongst you. I will not invest money on flyovers that have no direct impacts on our people, I will invest directly on our people.
“I won’t need to get permission in Abuja or from anybody to serve our people. Whatever we promise to do, we must do it. One thing we must know is that what kept us in this condition we are today is that politicians come to share N1,000 or N2,000 to us to get our votes, but we must do everything possible to resist it in this coming election.
“The traders whose shops and warehouses were destroyed at Abakpa market and old building materials market, we will review them, because I’m aware that Mr Adol-awam was a Council chairman when Abakpa market was constructed and I’m aware that people bought shops there with their hard-earned money. So, if that place which you have paid for has been taken from you and I become Governor tomorrow, I will not watch you walk away without anything.
“If a government acquires people’s land and say, it’s for a public interest and later share the land to individuals, we won’t encourage that, because blood flows in my veins and we are one people. If you are in pains, I won’t sleep as your Governor. It’s my duty to protect you and your investments.
“I won’t come here to pursue my pocket, that’s not what I’m coming to do. I’m only looking for this opportunity to serve you well, so that after my tenure, I will go home and be happy; and the day the Lord will call me, I will die peacefully, knowing that I have done my best.”
