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By Kenneth Udeh
Abia State Chairman of the Action People’s Party (APP),Princewill Ukaegbu, has said the party is the only platform through which the people of Abia North can actualise their goal of producing the next governor of the state on Saturday.
Besides equity and fairness, the APP has also been said to be the best party with a realistic master plan to rescue the state from its current myriad of infrastructure deficit, economic, educational, health and security challenges through its gubernatorial candidate, Mascot Uzor Kalu.
Ukaegbu said this during a joint rally in Igbere, Bende Local Government Area, which had in attendance members and executives of OUK Movement, Reality Organisation and APP.
According to Ukaegbu, the party carefully chose its flag bearer, Mascot Kalu from Abia North and ceded its deputy governorship slot to Ukwa East in person of Osondu Akoma to respect the existing zoning principle thereby giving the people of the zones a sense of belonging.
He disclosed that the courts had ruled out opportunities for APGA and APC to produce candidates from Abia North extraction following a February Appeal Court ruling that APGA has no gubernatorial candidate while the Supreme Court voided the candidacy of Uche Ogah of the APC.
Ukaegbu said APP’s Mascot is the youngest candidate who is sufficiently educated and possessed the leadership qualities to save the state from its current challenges for the good of all Abians irrespective of clan, tribe or religion.
He berated the APC, PDP, Young Progressives Party (YPP), Labour Party and other parties for disrespecting Abia North by disregarding the zonal power rotation as they selected their candidates from Central and South.
He said going by the zoning principle which began in 1999, Abia North is expected to produce the next governor, adding that each of the three zones would have by May 29, 2023 taken their turn.
“The completion of Governor Okezie Ikpeazu’s tenure heralded the beginning of the rotation from Abia North.”
Addressing newsmen, the party leader said judging by the Charter, the North, Central and South have had their turns in producing governors that ruled for two terms of eight years each in the persons of Orji Uzor Kalu for North and Theodore Orji for Central and now Ikpeazu who took the turn of the South and is due to complete his second term in May.
Ukaegbu canvassed power return to Abia North, saying: “Members of Abia’s largest political platforms, the OUK Movement and Reality have come together to, once again, declare support for the APP.
They are the largest because their members are drawn from all political parties, including the APC, PDP, YPP and others.
“Obi is no longer on the ballot paper so Labour Party’s time is over, the people have decided to vote based on equity and capability to deliver and the APP is the only party with such. Our candidate, Mascot stands out not just because he hails from Abia North, but because he is the youngest, most educated and has been tested both in the public and private sectors and he has demonstrated his ability to lead.
“I as the party chairman I’m an indigene of Abia Central, I could have as well used my influence to make our party candidate emerge from my zone but it’s not the right thing to do. Abia North has waited patiently for 16 years in the spirit of tolerance and brotherhood for power to rotate to other zones of the state, does it mean they are fools?”
“APP is the only hope for Abia North because the candidacy of our brothers, Uche Ogah of the APC and Greg Ibe of APGA has been nullified by the courts, APP remains the best option to provide equity and good governance for all Abians.”
According to him, candidates of the PDP, APC and LP all hailed from Ngwa extraction in Abia Central while that of the YPP hails from Osisioma council in Abia South where the incumbent governor comes from, leaving only the APP with a candidate from Abia North.
Ukaegbu said the current zoning arrangement of other parties could disrupt the peace, justice and fairness the state had achieved in politics, and urged all eligible voters in Abia to cast their votes for the APP to guarantee peace and development.
He urged voters to troop our en-masse to exercise their franchise, assuring the Independent National Electoral Commission had put in place measures to improve in its conduct.
Ukaegbu tasked the electorate to look out for and cast their votes in the box beside the Elephant logo.
