2023: Group Begs Abia Speaker, Rt Hon Chinedum Orji To Join Governorship Race

Following the decision of Abia State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP to zone its governorship ticket to the North and Central Senatorial Districts of the state, a group, Ikukufied Movement has urged the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Rt Hon Chinedum Enyinnaya Orji to join in the race to succeed Gov. Okezie Ikpeazu in 2023.

Rt. Hon. Chinedum Orji is son of the immediate past governor of Abia, T.A Orji who is currently serving as Senator representing Abia Central.

He handed over government to incumbent Gov. Ikpeazu in 2015 whose statutory second term in office ends May 29, 2023.

Though Sen. T.A Orji has before now said he will retire in 2023 from active politics after his eight years in Senate, it is not clear if this will happen.

Ikukufied Movement during its rally on Tuesday said the Speaker, popularly known among supporters as Ikuku is the only young leader in Abia who can foster youth inclusiveness in governance.

The Coordinator of the group, Bishop Ike said Speaker Orji understands the problems of Abia, having been a member of the stage Assembly in the past eight years as well as son of a former governor, insisting that challenges of the state are not strange to him.

“This group consists of young men from across Abia state and we are calling on Chinedum Orji aka Ikuku to come and run for the post of Governor of Abia state, because we believe he is the only young man that has the capacity among the ruling class today to be able to salvage the state and bring youth inclusiveness.

“What is the reason for #Endsars and all the protests that has happened in recent times is because of youth want a young person to lead them. He is young, his been in the system, his father has been Governor and he has been a speaker so he knows the problems of the state so you wouldn’t say they are strange to him.

“We believe when he comes in with his new idea, and with the way he has performed as a state legislator within his constituency given in he will do fantastically well, so we are here to call on him to run for Governorship. He doesn’t know we are here, we’ ve seen him from afar and we know he is going to deliver.”

In the absence of the speaker Rt. Hon. Chinedum Enyinnaya Orji, the former T.C Chairman of Umuahia North Alhaji Sulaiman Ukandu assured them of delivering their message to the Speaker.