The Abia State chapter of All Progressive Grand Alliance, APGA has accused the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP of poaching and inducing its candidates who are from the Ukwa-la-Ngwa political bloc, particularly House of Assembly candidates.
The party said its investigation indicates that the PDP is also poaching its (APGA) candidates to sabotage the candidacy of Prof. Gregory Ibe, the governorship candidate of APGA in 2023 with irresistible sums of money in the financial inducement.
“According to our intelligence, their plan is to lure the affected APGA candidates with such heavy financial offers to help deliver PDP governorship candidate, Professor Uche Ikonne in their respective constituencies. They equally promised to concede the House of Assembly seats to some of the APGA candidates while others they promised to reward with political appointments in the imaginary Ikonne-led government,” Augustine Ehiemere, the APGA chairman in Abia State said in a statement on Tuesday.
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The party also urged “lovers of democracy” to resist this attempt to use the common resources of the people of the state to further hold down the state.
“We, therefore, urge all lovers of democracy and freedom fighters in Abia to rise and vigorously resist this wicked plot by Abia slave masters to use our common patrimony to hold the state down perpetually. Never again shall we mortgage our future and the future of the unborn generation because of pecuniary interests.
“We should not allow those who have allocated to themselves the position of kingmakers to use our collective resources to buy our future. We must all rise to ensure that only those who have the competence to revive our economy and navigate the state out of its present economic doldrums receive our mandate.
“Should we allow godfatherism and imposition which have taken Abia State far behind other states in the South East to continue? Should we allow Abia workers and pensioners to continue in the misery of non-payment of salaries and benefits? Should we allow the destruction of our health and education sectors plus infrastructural dilapidation to continue? Should the squandermania by PDP be allowed to go unchecked?
“This is time to vote competence and not mediocrity. The next Abia Governor must have the capacity and track record of achievements like Professor Greg Ibe. Abia State cannot be entrusted in the hands of emergency philanthropists and overnight billionaire Government contractors who are feeding fat on Abia’s commonwealth.
“Who among all those jostling to be Governor in 2023 has empowered or provided employment for Abians like Professor Ibe who is the single highest employer of labour in the state? Professor Ibe has empowered thousands of our people long before now unlike some of these emergency philanthropists.
“As a party, our advice to our candidates from Ukwa la Ngwa and other parts of the state is to refuse to be remembered on the wrong side of history. The bid to free Abia from political bondage is a divine project that should not be truncated or sacrificed on the altar of personal aggrandizement.
“We urge them to stand tall as heroes of democracy and support our Governorship candidate, Professor Greg Ibe, in his vision to birth a new Abia where merit will be placed above other sentiments.
“If we may ask: What have Ukwa East and Ukwa West people gained from the PDP-led Government for over 20 years when their roads remain impassable despite being the only oil-producing area in Abia State? Ugwunagbo LGA also has its own fair share of bad roads, lack of electricity, and infrastructural decay. Osisioma, Aba North and South as well as Isiala Ngwa North and South LGAs are no exceptions. Obingwa with a lot of impassable roads despite being the home LGA of the Governor is not better off either. So, why should any right-thinking candidate of Ukwa la Ngwa extraction succumb to the PDP trap?” the statement read in part.
