After months of speculations on the whereabouts of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP governorship candidate in Abia state, Prof. Uche Ikonne, the state Governor Okezie Ikpeazu has finally opened up, saying the former ABSU vice chancellor is ill and recovering gradually and progressively.
According to the Governor, Prof. Ikonne had attended some rallies organised by the PDP in Abia, including “the biggest rally that has happened” in Umuahia when the G-5 governors came to the state to flag off the campaigns.
Speaking on Flo FM radio programme on Monday monitored by ABN TV, Gov. Ikpeazu said Prof. Ikonne was also present in his house when a gala night was organized in honour of the G-5 Governors till 2am where he managed to give a speech “and then he took ill”.
“It is unfortunate that he is lately indisposed but I want to report some progress and the progress is that Prof. Ikonne is recovering gradually and progressively.
“He has left the hospital and is going through convalescence. I am sure that he will be strong enough in the future to join,” he said.
The governor insisted that his party the PDP is “very very powerful” in the state, maintaining that there is no other party that can boast of the strength PDP wields.
“Some of them may have supporters in one or two local governments but across Abia, they can’t put 100 people each across Abia” he said.
He called of the people of the state to keep hope alive, saying the governorship candidate will soon bounce back, stating that his absence at this time will not define the progress of the campaigns or agenda of PDP in the state.
The governor said it might be the wish of their detractors that Prof. Ikonne’s absence will linger, stating that when he (governor) was ill, permutations changed and people were allocating positions to themselves.
“I’m sure they even appropriated my wife to themselves,” the governor said.