Thee agitations by different senatorial zones and some clannish organizations as to who succeeds Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu as the next Governor of Abia state took a different turn Tuesday morning as the Abia Assembly minority leader and member representing Bende North state constituency Hon. Chijioke Chukwu responded to an interview granted by his colleague, Hon. Ginger Onwusibe, who represents Isiala Ngwa Nouth state constituency.
Recall that Hon. Onwusibe had in an interview granted to AFNews posed a rather rhetoric, controversial and derogatory question when he said “if ticket is given to an Abia North Man, who will do the voting.”
Responding to these questions and other issues raised by Ginger Onwusibe in the interview, Hon. Chijioke Chukwu asked thus:
“What I think should have concerned Abians more should have been to place a demand on the Executive and Legislature to deliver proper democratic dividends, but it surprises me that Election that is still two years away, is attracting strong agitations to occupy the position of the Governor…and I asked myself, is it that the Governor has finished his administration, is his administration winding down, or has the citizens lost faith in the administration and that is why ahead of time they [Ginger and co] are making these agitation.
“The statements credited to Hon. Onwusibe is not only uncharitable but it also distracts not only the Governor from delivering on his mandate but also Abians from the real issues of Governance and placing a demand on the administration thereby shifting their focus to who becomes the next Governor when the current Governor has not delivered optimally.”
He Further stated that the interview granted by Hon. Ginger was distorted, filled with half truths and does not in the anyway represent the true history of Abia state and the zoning/sharing formula. In his words “the original political divides when Abia was created was Old Afikpo Division, Old Bende Division, Isuikwuato District And Old Aba Division.”
“Fortunate enough, the Afikpo Division has been ceded to Ebonyi state, leaving Old Bende, Isuikwuato District, and Old Aba Zone. If we are to be fair, assuming we don’t want to go along the senatorial district line…it is only normal for every sane thinking person to, somebody who does not want to introduce confusion into the polity to say, since Old Bende and Old Aba has taken their turns, where is Isuikwuato District. But recent political development has jettisoned the old division line of geographical administration of our political structure giving rise to the senatorial districts.”
“…thus the submissions made by Hon. Ginger Onwusibe are self serving and selfish, he is just looking for cheap popularity. He is my colleague, I know where he stands in all positions, what he canvasses in the morning is not what he canvasses in the evening. In the morning he is canvassing for a Governor of Umunneato extraction, in the evening he is consulting his colleagues, house of Assembly members that we should assist for one of us in the House of assembly to be made Governor. How do you take such a man serious?”
Hon. Chukwu further traced the circumstances surrounding the ascendency of Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu as the Governor of Abia state and stated that “left for an Ngwa man, Governor Okezie Ikpeazu would not be Governor today. His ascendency to that throne he owes it to the people of old Bende because I don’t think there is anyone that contributed more in terms of material human and financial resources that deployed to foist Governor Ikpeazu on Abians than the people of old Bende.”
“And he arrogantly said if you give Governorship ticket to An Abia north man who will do the voting….”
“He didn’t know that while our PDP brothers from Abia North and old Bende were used to hold some of us down to ensure that what was voted was exactly what was counted whereas our party men in APC from the Ngwa axis compromised their positions, the party and the APC Candidate worked with PDP to ensure Governor Ikpeazu was delivered.”
“Now Abia North has come together, if they think they have divided us along party lines, but they don’t know that 2023 will be different, the hand that scattered Israel will bring Israel back and we are ready to negotiate and consult because no senatorial zone alone can produce the Governor in isolation…”, he concluded.
Hon. Ginger Onwusibe is right in his submissions that Old Aba zone produces governor 2023 and that the three blocks/brothers of Isiala Ngwa north, Isiala Ngwa south and Osisioma LGAs produce the governor. I also agree with Hon. Ginger Onwusibe the Honourable member representing Isiala Ngwa north state constituency ABHA in his comment that “if you nominate from the Abia north who will do the voting” the old Aba zone has supported old Bende zone to produce governor for 16 years, we want the same now on the side of old Aba zone. Isukwuato district is under old Bende district. Please I will advice we go for a right candidate and successor of the governor Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu comes 2023 from the old Aba zone.