By IHECHINYERE CHIGEMERI-UWOM

The All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in Abia has alleged that the past seven years of the PDP-led government in the state featured slow pace of development.

Mr. Emeka Nwachukwu, the Director-General of Prof. Gregory Ibe’s Governorship Campaign Organisation, made the remark at a news briefing in Umuahia on Tuesday.

Nwachukwu said that the deplorable state of affairs had reduced Abia to a pariah state and subject of ridicule among the comity of states.

He said that APGA was poised to throw out PDP in 2023, describing the Okezie Ikpeazu administration as “highly profligacious and grossly inept”.

He said that the task of delivering Ibe as governor had been simplified by Ikpeazu’s misrule.

According to him, Abia had dropped from the first position before Ikpeazu’s emergence to the 36th position in the state peer review mechanism index.

“Abia that prides itself as God’s own state is today a God-forsaken state.

“Abia people are now ashamed to own up their state of origin, owing to Ikpeazu’s disastrous performance.

“It has become a pariah state in the comity of states.

“It has become a subject of ridicule and scorn,” Nwachukwu said.

He described the APGA candidate as the most credible, versatile, visionary, equipped, accessible, humble, charitable, knowledgeable, philanthropic, transparent and most prepared for governance.

Nwachukwu said that APGA remained the only party that cares principally for the interest and aspirations of the Igbo nation.

He charged Abia people to vote for Ibe and other APGA candidates in the general elections “to secure our future and that of our children” and also lay the foundation for good governance.

He gave assurance that the crack created in the party in the aftermath of the primary elections would be closed, saying that the party would go into the elections as one united entity.

Also, the Head of Media for the campaign, Rev. Sleek Ogwo, dismissed the speculation that the governorship hopeful had health challenges, describing it as unfounded.

Ogwo said that the campaign organisation had drawn up its campaign strategies and would soon launch its state-wide campaign.

“The campaign council, headed by Emeka Nwachukwu, was unveiled and inaugurated on Friday, preparatory to the imminent launch of the governorship campaign,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Commissioner for Documentation and Strategic Communications in the state, Mr Ugochukwu Emezue, has said that APGA was “hallucinating” about taking over power in Abia.

Emezue said that Abia had remained a PDP state and that APGA or any other party had no space in the state.

He said, “PDP has always defeated APGA in Abia because this is a PDP state and history would repeat itself in 2023.”

According to him, Abia has recorded steady and progressive trajectory with evidential transformation under PDP. (NAN)

Update news