Abia’s political woes will continue unless the people take bold steps to free the state from politicians without character.
The declaration was made on Monday in Aba, Abia, by the state’s chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr. Kingsley Ononogbu.
“Abia’s case will continue to grow worse unless we stop choosing politicians without character,’’ he told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Aba.
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“We must break the cycle, restore the state and place it on the upper end so that those coming after us will take it higher,’’ he said.
Ononogbu said the APC would liberate Abia from rogue politicians and change its leadership narrative by fielding politicians with character to contest and win in 2023.
He urged Abia people to get their voter’s cards ready to vote for credible candidates to lead the state on the platform of the APC.
“That is the reason the people we are fielding are products of deep knowledge, deep thinking, and deep research and not people who will carry peoples’ money and run.
“If they have shame, why would the same persons ruin this state for 24 years and still think they should continue to rule it? Let anyone of them come to the television; let us talk,’’ he said.
Ononogbu said no Abia person should watch Abia’s current political developments from the fence.
He added that the people should be angry enough by now to engage and fight to retrieve the state from its clueless politicians.
The party chair said Abia people should not feel overqualified and contented with staying in their homes only to complain and grumble, leaving the political turf to people not qualified by training, character and background to talk about governance.
He assured that the APC in Abia would bring transparency, quality, and character to bear when it wins the 2023 elections and positively change Abia’s political narrative.
“We have the capacity, the capability and the brainpower to do what needs to be done in Abia which other leaders are doing in their states and the people are applauding.
“How much is teachers’ salary that we should be talking about owing teachers in Abia and how much are the pensioners paid that we should be talking about that?
“We want to bring governance to Abia people based on knowledge and character. No more sharing of money.
“That is what we are offering Abia people. We are not giving any bribe. We don’t have bribe to give anybody. Abia APC will offer good and accountable governance.
“We will not allow godfathers in Abia APC. People must be qualified for whatever positions they get,’’ Ononogbu stressed.
He noted that Abia had about seven retired army Generals who never wanted to enter into politics, but that Abia’s embarrassing condition had moved them to join politics.
The APC chair stressed that Abia people should all be genuinely angry about the backwardness in the state and join hands with his party to change the state’s situation.
Ononogbu said APC would use the strategy of openness, transparency, and integration to ensure that contestants who lost elections remained in the party to ensure its victory at the polls.
He said that his mission in politics is to liberate Abia, rescue its citizens and reposition the state for better performance.
He noted that God used former Gov. Chris Ngige to break the state’s evil chain and liberated it while former Govs. Peter Obi and Willie Obiano improved on the development of the state.
He added that sitting Gov. Chukwuma Soludo is now taking the state to higher heights.
Ononogbu expressed regret that the reverse was the case in Abia where “Orji Uzor Kalu who did not do well from 1999 to 2007 is an angel when compared with what is being done today,’’