Abia Deputy Governor, Sir Ude Oko Chukwu
2023: Deputy Governor Chukwu enters race to ‘SECURE’ Abia
[From BONIFACE OKORO, Umuahia]
Abia Deputy Governor, Sir Ude Oko Chukwu, Friday, formally joined the race for the governorship contest in the state in 2023.
Declaring his intention to succeed his boss, Governor Okezie Ikpeazu, Oko Chukwu said he was coming ‘to SECURE Abia.’
This is because, as he explained, his cardinal objectives would be based on Security, Economy, Care, Urban Renewal, Roads and Education (SECURE).
Addressing his teeming supporters, at Abia Hotel, Umuahia, from where he proceeded to present himself to the State Working Committee of Abia chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the Deputy Governor said that because of his long involvement in the administration of Abia, he has advantage over other aspirants, stressing that he has “unbiased understanding of what Abia is and what Abia needs.”
According to him, if he emerges the governor next year, he “will hit the ground running from the day he assumes office ”and would not have to waste time “on a learning process.”
“I have been actively involved in the affairs of Abia State in different capacities in the past 18 years,” he said, adding: “As a good follower and a true leader, I stand before you today to take responsibility as part of the success and shortcomings that Abia has been in the past years of my involvement.
“The beauty of my involvement is that in areas we did not do well, I have learned good lessons for success and in areas we succeeded, I have the knowledge and opportunity to make things better for NdiAbia.
Explaining his mission, Oko Chukwu said “what I have come to do today is to offer NdiAbia a covenant of service, performance and leadership.”
Oko Chukwu who is the only deputy governor to have served out a full two-term tenure with a governor in the history of Abia State, explained that his “dream was to provide the best possible for ourselves: food, housing, good roads, good schools, working hospitals, clean markets, adequate security, clean environment and a lot more other things that make life worth living.”
The former Speaker of Abia State House of Assembly was very positive that Abia has the resources to tackle these challenges if only “we can look inwards and harness the human and material resources we have to achieve our goals.”
The Deputy Governor, who promised to be transparent and accountable in administering Abi, said: “Stand before you today with profound humility to present myself to lead us to the promised land. I hereby declare my intention to contest for the governorship seat of Abia in 2023.
“The decision to contest for the governor ship,” he said, “is borne out of personal conviction that I can lead us to take Abia to the next level,” adding, “I will use my professional background as a chartered Accountant to foster and entrench good governance in the state by ensuring that we apply the best systems of transparency and accountability in the conduct of government business.”
“As governor, I will mobilize our state’s resources and our people to rapidly confront our challenges, secure our future and remake our state to be the leader it used to be,” he promised.
Appealing for the support of Abians, he said: “I call on everyone here and NdiAbia in general to have faith in the ability of my leadership” and assured that he would build on what the present administration has done, particularly in Aba, vowing to make it to regain its dominance as the business hub of the South East.
