Ukwa East Leaders Converge, Call For Massive Registration Of Voters

The Leaders of Ukwa East Local Government Area, Abia State, last weekend, at Ohambele Primary School, called on all eligible residents of the area to turn out en masse to participate in the ongoing voters registration. They decried the abysmally low number of registered voters in the local government area.

The Chairman of the occasion, Reverend Felix Akara, urged all sons, daughters, and residents of Ukwa East to embrace the opportunity offered by the continuous voter registration exercise to ensure that they were registered.

He said there was urgent need to take the message to all homes, schools, and churches in order to shore up their strength, as the dividends of democracy were shared based on the number of votes given during elections.

According to him, ” if our votes are good enough, people will listen to our requests”. He stated that the neglect of the deplorable state of the Obehie – Azumini road could be traceable to the fact that the local government area never as much impact during elections because of its low number of registered voters.

Speaking on the occasion, a Leader and Chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Sir Marc Wabara, noted that for a long time the people of Ukwa East had not come together specifically to focus primarily on the developmental needs of the people of the local government.

He said, “every politics is local. We cannot afford not to use this current programme as individuals and as a group to increase our voting strength in Ukwa East.

Also speaking, former Senate President, Rt. Hon. Adolphus Wabara, said the people of Ukwa East had been suffering because of the numerical strength, and stressed that it had become very critical for their people to appreciate the fact that politics would always remain a game of numbers. He said, ” we are in trouble politically, and this programme is about our people and not for any political party “.

In his own speech, the member representing Ukwa East State Constituency in the Abia State House of Assembly, Hon. Paul Taribo, stated that political leaders were usually motivated by the support given to them while allocating resources.

He, therefore, appealed to the people to forget about party affiliations and give support to the call for massive mobilisation of eligible voters in the area.

Earlier, the Convener, who is also the Chairman of Ukwa East Local Government Area, Hon. Chuks Wabara, said there was indeed strength in unity of purpose, especially when faced with common challenge of socio-economic marginalisation.

He said, “our political pedigree, our advantage and bargaining power in the political field of play is intrinsically tied to our electoral rights as a people”.

The Local Government Chairman stated that another opportunity had presented itself to change the narrative that Ukwa East did not have strong voting strength.
Other dignitaries that graced the occasion were; Eze I.O. Nwankwo, the Sole Administrator of Abia State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission, ASOPADEC, Rt. Hon. Emeka Stanley, former Commissioner, Abia State, Dr. Chika Emuchay, Hon. Goldie Nwagbara, Hon. Reginald Ezenta, Chief Chijioke Wabara, Malcolm Akuata, and Dave Ordor.