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By Brown Chimezie
There is no denying the fact that when it comes to dividends of democracy, Abia State has not fared well.
However, Dr Emeka Udowu,the leader of Abians in Diaspora is optimistic that if the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), governorship candidate in the Saturday’s election, Prof Gregory Ibeh is elected, he would break the yoke of bad governance that has bedeviled the state since the dawn of the present democratic dispensation in 1999.
In this interview, Dr Udowu who is also the leader of Abia Grassroots Movement lists the qualities that made the professor stand out among his fellow contestants.
Why are you rooting for Prof.Greg Ibeh?
The reason why I am rooting for Prof Greg Ibeh is when compared with the other governorship candidates, he is very different. He is a man of integrity. He has impeccable character. He is an entrepreneur par excellence. He has invested heavily in Abia State and he is a very successful business man.We want such a person to transfer his entrepreneurial and managerial skills to the management of Abia State. Bill Gates said that the success that a man has achieved in his private capacity helps a lot when he goes into managing public affairs. None of his contestants has any worthwhile investment in Abia State. None of his fellow contestants has even impacted on their immediate communities. So Abians should be wary of this. It is very dangerous to give power to people who have nothing to lose. Prof Ibeh has invested a lot in Abia so he has a lot to lose if things go wrong. So, if he is elected, he would make sure that the state is secured for all.
What are his chances going by the fact that his party has not won any major election in Abia?
His chances are very bright.To start with, APGA as a political party has its root in the South east part of the country. It is the party of Late Ikemba Nnewi, Dim Chukwuemeka Ojukwu who the Igbos would forever hold dear to their hearts. APGA has won governorship elections in Abia sister states like Anambra and Imo. Another chance is that the ruling party in the state, the Peoples Democratic party (PDP), all that they have succeeded to do in the last 24 years is to under-develop the state. So Abians are earnestly yearning for change. They want to do away with PDP like yesterday.They are tired of the party.They want to break the yoke of bad governance which PDP has brought to the state. For the other contestants, APC has nothing to tell the people of Abia State because of their misrule at the centre. In the eight years of APC administration, there is no federal presence in Abia state.They did absolutely nothing for our people.Then the Labour party, I understand perfectly the latest word in Nigeria’s political lexicon, Obi’s wave in the South east. However, Peter Obi and the Labour party governorship candidate in Abia State are not the same person.They don’t have the same character traits. Obi ran on integrity, competence and excellent track record but the same may not be said of the party’s governorship candidate in Abia State. So the election is as good as won by Prof Ibeh.
Election in Nigeria is capital intensive and the Professor is not a money bag, how is he going to cope?
2023 general elections is unlike the previous elections. By this I mean that it is not based on money.You see what Peter Obi did with his famous, we no de give shi-shi. So the 2023 general election is based on integrity, competence and track records. Prof.Ibeh is running based on credibility. He has created enough awareness. His jingles are going on, on televisions and radio stations in Abia State. His campaign posters are in all the nooks and crannies of the state.There are foot soldiers carrying out political evangelism for him.That is all he needs. He does not need money to buy votes. He also has a lot of good will to the extent that people are branding their cars for him, people are donating their widows mite to his campaign. So a lot is speaking for him. He had given a lot of Abia youths scholarship. He has empowered the less privileged in the society. During COVID-19 pandemic, he donated his school to be used as isolation centre. On and on. Even my humble self will give 100 Abia youths scholarship in support of his campaign.The scholarship is in academic and skill acquisition. Abians in Diaspora,which I am the leader sometime ago has given him several awards in recognition of his developmental efforts and services to humanity. Prof.Ibeh did not jump fence to be where he is today. He has made his mark as an entrepreneur, as a leader and as a philanthropist. So, amongst the candidates, he has no match.
What advice do you have for Abia people?
The advice that I have for Abia people is that it is high time we broke away from the status quo.There is no way you will continue to do the same thing and expect a different result.We need to do away from those who have held Abia hostage both politically and economically.We need to break away from those who have been using us for ransom. This election should be seen as a new dawn in the state. So I am appealing to them to vote en mass for Prof Greg Ibeh on the election day. This is a call to duty for the survival of Abia State.We must try to get it right this time around.That we have traveled a long way on the wrong road does not mean that we cannot pause, turn and begin to head to the right direction. Abians are not cursed. I am assuring them that a vote for Prof. Ibeh will not end in regret, rather it will be what they will be very proud of many years to come. We need to do away with politics of godfatherism. For a long time now, the money that are supposed to to be used for the development of Abia are been used to service godfathers. Prof.Ibeh will make the difference. He will use Abia state money to develop the state
