By CHARLES IWUOHA

Dr. Sunday Opoke, on Tuesday emerged as the Young Progressives Party (YPP) governorship candidate in Ebonyi State for the 2023 election.

Opoke, who was a governorship aspirant of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), crashed out in the primary, defected to the Young Progressives Party (YPP) and was officially presented with the party’s flag.

The governorship candidate defected along with over 2,000 of his supporters.

Speaking while addressing his teeming supporters, said he has 7-point agenda for the state, if given the mandate in 2023.

He alleged that the state civil service has collapsed in employment and engagement of service.

He therefore promised to reform the civil service and observe the principle of engagement.

“There is something very ugly in this state that from 1996 till date, there has not been genuine employment for the youths.

“When Sam Egwu was there as a governor, he only employed few people very close to him and put them in few places. When he was going out, he now did massive employment. Elechi came and removed them.

“When Elechi was going out, he did massive employment and left.

“This one now, Umahi, when he will be leaving office, he will also do massive employment. It means, they have no plans for the youths. That employment is a wicked employment because it won't be up to two years and the next governor will come and remove it.

“So, from the day the state was created, there is no plans for the youths, there is no plans for the young people, there is no plans for graduates, there is no plans for anybody. All they do is employ their family members to occupy leadership positions. The narrative must change.

“As we are engaging you, we are providing you the enabling environment to productive

“In Ebonyi State, the greatest assets are the civil servants because every civil servant has at least minimum of 10 dependent relatives,” he said.