Abaribe’s Gov’ship Bid: My Concern To Deliver Quality Projects In Aba Before Rains, No Distraction — Ikpeazu

Abia state Governor, Okezie Ikpeazu has said he will not be distracted by the announcement of Sen. Enyinnaya Abaribe’s interest to contest for governorship seat of the state, saying the report on the development in the media space is factually incorrect while others were reported with needless innuendo.

In a release on Monday titled, ‘2023 – IKPEAZU WILL NOT BE DISTRACTED’ signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Onyebuchi Ememanka, the governor while noting that power comes from God stated that he is not thinking about the politics of 2023 at the moment.

While insisting that this will amount to technical abridgement of his own tenure and cause him distraction reiterated his commitment to the completion of ongoing projects especially in Aba for which contractors have been mobilized.

He highlighted the roads to include, Faulks Road, Port Harcourt Road, Ngwa Road, Uratta, Obohia, Ohanku, Onuma, Eziukwu-Cemetery Road, Aba Owerri Road, ABSUTH – Udeagbala Road and the Osisioma Interchange, amongst others.

Giving account of what led to Sen. Abaribe’s indication of interest to contest for the governorship of the state, the governor said, “On 24th December 2021, Governor Okezie Ikpeazu received Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe in his Country Home at Umuobiakwa, Obingwa LGA on a scheduled Christmas visit. This visit, which has become an annual ritual by the Senator, is for all intents and purposes, a display of brotherhood and love. Senator Abaribe is not only an elder brother to the Governor but a highly respected Nigerian political leader.

“It was in the course of the visit that the Senator informed the Governor of his intention to “throw his hat into the ring” when the contest for the 2023 Gubernatorial Elections in the State starts. The Senator was accompanied by some political leaders from Obingwa LGA on the visit.

“Governor Ikpeazu welcomed the Senator and thanked him for the Christmas visit. On the issue of his gubernatorial ambition, the Governor made the following remarks –

“That he believes strongly that power comes from God and that the issues around power are too important and critical that God cannot leave it entirely in the hands of men. It was this philosophy that defined his own emergence as Governor in 2015” he said.

The governor therefore emphasized that it will be inexpedient for him to associate himself with the aspirations of any person at this time, a move that could send wrong signals to the rest of the State and introduce some level of confusion in the politics of the state.

“Finally, Governor Okezie Ikpeazu is a democrat who understands and respects the rights of every citizen to his political aspirations. He also firmly believes that when the time is right, the usual interplay of political forces on the one hand and a divine agenda on the other will put all issues around who succeeds him to rest” he concluded.