2023: For a better Abia, shake off your fears, vote for me, Emenike tells Aba residents

From Boniface Okoro, Umuahia

The governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Abia State, High Chief Ikechi Emenike, has called on Abians and residents to be courageous in using the power of their votes to oust bad leaders in the 2023 general elections to change the fortunes of the state for good.

“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,” Emenike specifically told Aba residents on Friday, February 3, 2023 during a string of separate town hall meetings with different groups in the commercial city.

The groups were Abiriba Communal Improvement Union, Aba, Old Bende Progressive Union and Aba Merchants and Artisans Association (AMAA).

“If you want change, you must fight for change and show your strength with your votes,” Emenike further told the people.

In each of the meetings, the APC governorship flag bearer was inundated with cries and complaints about the maladministration in the state which has manifested in poor infrastructure, menace of touts and general stagnation of Abia.

But Emenike made the various groups to understand the need for them to play active role in the quest to make Abia work for all, saying that bad governance has persisted this long because bad people were allowed to remain in power.

Calling on the residents of the commercial city of Aba to partner with him to free Abia from the grip of bad leaders, the Development Economist said, “if you want a good Aba; if you want a good Abia State, let’s work together.”

“If you vote for a government that will remember that it is in partnership with you, that government will serve you,” he said, adding, “I ask you to vote for somebody who can add value to Abia and change things for the betterment of all.”

Emenike pointed out that the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has been capitalising on the docile attitude of Abia people to perpetuate bad governance. 

According to him, Abia PDP has been taking Abians for granted; hence it has the courage to ask for votes in 2023 to remain in power after 24 years of disastrous governance in the state.

The APC governorship candidate, who was accompanied by the state leadership of the party, APC senatorial candidate for Abia South senatorial district, Hon. Blessing Nwagba, and the candidate for Aba Central State Constituency, Lady Jane Ogbauta, promised his audiences of a new dawn of a people-oriented government if he wins the governorship election of March 11, 2023.

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.

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

According to Okafor, 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 senatorial zone expressed their satisfaction and acceptance of the APC gubernatorial flag bearer and his burning zeal to take Abia to greater heights.

 Chief Friday Eze, who stood in for the chairman of OBPU, DIG Azubuko Udah (rtd), said that the 2023 governorship project of Emenike was the project of Old Bende and a task which must be accomplished.

“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.