Ikpeazu, Best Thing To Have Happened To Abia – PDP Chieftain, Okoro

A member of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Abia State, Chief Promise Uzoma Okoro has described the outgoing Governor of Abia State, Dr Okezie Victor Ikpeazu as “the good thing that has happened to Abia”.

Chief Promise who is the immediate past Deputy Chairman of Bende Local Government Area of the State said this on Sunday, said those abusing the Governor were doing so out of sheer envy and lack of proper information over the infrastructural strides of the Okezie administration.

It was reported earlier that a Nigerian cyber security expert based in South Africa, Charles Awuzie had in a post described Ikpeazu as the worst Governor in the history of the State.

Mr Promise maintained that the Governor had lifted the state from infrastructural decay and insecurity by introducing security architecture that had made it impossible for any successful armed robbery in the state in the last eight years.

“I rate Ikpeazu very high in Infrastructure and security; he is the good thing that has happened to Abia State, it has never been this good before now until Ikpeazu made it happen.

“The little delay that heralded the March salaries of Abia civil servants is a clear testimony that Governor Okezie Victor Ikpeazu was paying salaries as at when due, despite the insincerity of some individuals. The Governor maintained that he won’t allow what happened in the Governorship election to distract him.

“The Osisioma Flyover, the Aba Garment shoe factory, the remodelling project of Ariaria International Market, 700 schools, four model classrooms, good road network, provision of an enabling environment for businesses and security are all legacies that the Governor is leaving behind.” adding that the issue of salaries of some parastatals and pensioners had been blown out of proportion.

“The laws establishing most of these parastatals that are unable to pay their workers despite generating revenues for it are the major cause of the challenges, they should be reviewed.

“The Governor has been meeting up with the provision of subvention to them, but it appears that the subventions were not enough, so let it be reviewed.

“The issue of pension predates the administration of Governor Okezie Victor Ikpeazu. If we want to be fair to him, it has been a foundational error that should be looked into,” he said.

He called on those abusing the Governor to stop it.

“Ikpeazu is the most abused Governor today not because he didn’t do anything, but simply because he decided to allow opposition and opposing views to thrive in the state unlike his colleagues who would have used the state instruments to silence every rising voice.

“The same way they abused Jonathan in favour of Buhari, the same way they will look and ask for Ikpeazu to come back as Governor,” he said.