Ikpeazu ’s election brings equity, fairness to Abia - Gov. Orji
ABA—A group, Alliance For Good Governance,
AGG, has appealed to the candidate of All
Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, in the just
concluded governorship election in Abia State, Dr
Alex Otti, and other contestants who lost to
concede defeat and support the winner, Dr. Okezie
Ikpeazu, in the task of developing the state.
Coordinator of the group, Barrister Emeka
Onyechere, yesterday at a briefing in Aba,
discouraged all the defeated candidates from
challenging the election results in the Tribunal
and urged them to toe the path of outgoing
President Goodluck Jonathan who conceded
defeat for peace and interest of the country.
He Said: “In every contest there must be a winner
and those who lost in that election should
consider the interest of the state above their
personal ambition and should join hands with the
winner and contribute their quota to the
development of the state instead of unnecessary
litigation that are targeted at distracting the next
elected governor of the state.
Meanwhile the outgoing governor of the state
Chief Theodore Orji, has said that the emergence
of Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu as the governor-elect of the
state has enthroned justice, equity and fairness in
the political equation of the state.
Governor Orji, who spoke to journalists in reaction
to Ikpeazu’s victory, said his election had also
broken the jinx of an Ukwa/Ngwa person
becoming the chief executive of Abia since the
state was created in 1991.
“The party (PDP) said it was time to break the
jinx of an Ukwa/Ngwa man becoming a governor,”
Orji said.
According to him, the pattern of voting in the
election shows that no section of the state can
produce a governor without the support of Ukwa/
Ngwa.
Orji explained that the implementation of power
shift had put in place a template that must be
sustained in order to avoid rancour, acrimony and
distrust in the contest for power among various
sections of Abia State.
The governor dismissed the widely held view in
the state that he installed Ikpeazu, insisting that
he was chosen by the party, having emerged
through a governorship primary election.
He also dismissed the insinuations that he would
be manipulating Dr. Ikpeazu to do his bidding.
According to him, once he leaves office, he will
have nothing to do with how his successor ran
his administration.
“You cannot manipulate a man with Ph.D. He is
old enough, has been in government and is very
intelligent. The era of manipulation is gone.
“I am moving to another level as a Senator
representing Abia Central,” Orji said.
He, however, urged the governor-elect to see the
whole of Abia as his constituency and strive to
sustain the peace and unity of the state by
running inclusive government and taking the issue
of security seriously.
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