Don’t make mistakes of the past, vote APC, enjoy democracy dividends – Ononogbu

*As Tinubu storms Umuahia to flag off presidential, gubernatorial campaigns

From Boniface Okoro, Umuahia

Ahead of the January 24, 2023 All Progressives Congress (APC) Mega Rally in Umuahia, Abia State, the party has called on Abians to avoid making mistakes of the past but to vote APC and enjoy greater dividends of democracy.

The mega rally slated for the Umuahia Township Stadium is a double-barrelled event which would serve as an opportunity to flag off APC’s presidential, governorship, National and House of Assembly campaigns for its candidates in Abia State.

It is expected that APC National Chairman, Abdullahi Adamu, will present the party’s flag to its candidates in the state, including High Chief Ikechi Emenike, as the governorship candidate

Abia APC Chairman, Dr. Kingsley Ononogbu, who charged Abians not to make the mistake of the past, said Abians should vote APC in the 2023 elections both at the state and federal levels to empower the state to demand for its fair share of dividends of democracy with authority.

Ononogbu, while briefing newsmen in Umuahia Friday, said Abians should not repeat mistakes of the past to enable the state to move forward.

 “That is why we are saying, give us the strength to be able to even go to the table and say this must be done. When you have the votes in your favour, you can look into his (President) eyes and say, no, enough is enough, we have been ignored for too long.

“So, that is why we are appealing to our people, let’s not make the mistakes we have done before. Let’s be part and parcel of the success, and go there (Abuja) authoritatively and ask for what ordinarily should come to us,” the Abia APC Chairman said.

 Ononogbu said even when the South East did not vote for APC in 2019, President Muhammadu Buahri still provided critical infrastructure such as the second Niger Bridge, reconstruction of Enugu-Aba Expressway, stable electricity to Ariaria International Market, Aba; upgraded Enugu International Airport and expanded Sam Mbakwe International cargo Airport, among others, in the region.

“These things were achieved when we didn’t vote for APC.  So, you can now imagine what we can get when we allow ourselves to be part of the success story by voting for APC government. We implore our people to vote APC 5/5 down the line.”

“We have the opportunity now to take something to the table and that is our votes, then we sit back and make demands on them (federal government),” he said while calling on the people to support APC in the 2023 elections.

On the rally, which he said that the APC Presidential Candidate, Senator Ahmed Bola Tinubu, would be on hand to flag off and which is expected to be “mother of all rallies,” the Abia APC helmsman urged Abians to grace the occasion and be part of the history of the making of a new Nigeria.

“We are expecting that our people will turn out en masse and be part of the history of the new Nigeria. It is going to be an opportunity to call on all Abians to be part of this success, we have to contribute to this success, such that by the next regime, Abia state and its indigenes will be able to boldly go to Abuja and ask for and negotiate and bring home what is due to Abia State and not to go to beg because we would have been part of that success,” adding “it is high time our people are identified at the national level.”

According to him, there was a dire need for change of government in Abia because the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) which has been in power in the state since 1999, has “ran the state down” which has resulted in non-payment of salaries to workers and pensioners, lack roads and other critical infrastructure.

“In the past 20 – 24 years, PDP has run down this state. And if we appreciate and understand it, probably, one would have said that APC will not need to campaign in Abia State.

“So, we are optimistic that if we do our own part by supporting the APC, both at the state and at the federal, there will be so much for us to celebrate,” Ononogbu said.

On his part, Director-General of the Abia APC Campaign Council, Chief Uche Ogboso, agreed with the party Chairman that “the present clueless government in Abia has performed woefully that everybody is yearning for a change.”

“One of the reasons we have gathered this morning is to let Abians understand the need to support the APC government during the forthcoming 2023 general elections. Our concern here is principally how to make sure that people understand the need for a change of government in Abia.  The present state of Abia State is so sorry that even blind people can see it. Everybody feels that heat,” he added.

Ogboso enjoined Abians to vote for the APC governorship candidate, High Chief Ikechi Emenike, saying that “of all the candidates angling to lead Abia, the only person who is very transparent; very strong and straight forward; who has not had any dealings whatsoever with the past governments of Abia State is High Chief Emenike.”

“I want to assure you that if we support APC in this 2023 election, Abia is going to be good; all that the people are yearning for shall be possible in Abia State,” he posited

According to the APC Campaign DG, after Tuesday’s rally, the party would embark of open campaigns to consolidate on the enormous underground work it has been doing; and dismissed the notion in some quarters that the party wasn’t campaigning.

“After the January 24 rally, we will now be free to campaign openly in the fields. We will go from local government to local governments, from ward to ward, we will cover all the grounds, we will leave nothing undone. We have been campaigning. People should understand that you have to do your underground work very well for you to achieve a good result at times like this,” he said.

Chairman of the Presidential Campaign Rally, Major-General Charles Okoro, assured that all necessary arrangements for a successful outing have been put in place.

“We are ready, and we are eagerly waiting for the super heavyweight Presidential Candidate, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to come and preach the APC gospel in Abia,” General Okoro said.