SAN FRANCISCO, January 07, (THEWILL) – Umuahia, the Abia state capital, and its environs, is in a state of frenzy as the state gets set to host President Muhammadu Buhari, Vice President Yemi Osibanjo, All Progressives Congress (APC) Chairman, John Odigie Oyegun and other bigwigs of the party on Tuesday January 9.
Other APC chieftains expected at the rally include the Chairman of the Progressives Governors Forum and Governor of Imo state, Rochas Okorocha; former senate President, Senator Ken Nnamani; former Governor of Old Anambra State, Chief Jim Nwobodo, Ministers from the southeast; immediate past Governor of Enugu State, Barr. Sullivan Chime; immediate past Governor of Ebonyi State, Martin Elechi among other APC stalwarts in the country in general.
The state Publicity Secretary of the party, Mr. Benedict Godson, stated that the party intended to use the rally to announce its preparedness to take over governance in the state and other states in the South-East in 2019.
He said President Buhari is expected to be in the state for the first time after being elected President of the country for a mega rally organized by the party at the Umuahia Township stadium and would also use the opportunity to present to the people of the state, some political bigwigs in the state who had joined the party from Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and from other parties.
He also added that members of other political parties that defected into the party like former Executive Governor of the state from 1999-2007, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu; PDP 2015 Governorship aspirant, Dr. Sampson Uche Ogah; former Managing Director of defunct Hallmark Bank, Chief Sir. Marc Wabara; Barr. Emeka Wogu; former Labour Minister, senator Bob Nwanunu; General Ogbonnaya Okoro rtd and others would be formally presented to the public during the President’s visit.
“The Abia mega really will be the first APC rally in the South in 2018 and we want to use it to tell the world that we are ready to take over the Abia Government House and other state government houses in the South-East. We also want to use the occasion of the rally to pledge our support for the President Buhari to run for the 2019 presidential election,” he stated.
“We will also receive prominent politicians of Abia State extraction like Chief Orji Uzor Kalu, Dr. Uche Ogah, Chief Chineye Ike and others who thought it wise to join the party in the last few months.
Speaking on zoning the governorship, he stated that, “we don’t have candidates and we can’t have an anointed candidate” insisting that the party’s governorship candidate could emerge from any part of the state.
“We believe that there are some persons with governorship ambitions and they have not made it open to us. We are not zoning the governorship slot. It is open. We want a credible person to emerge. We need change in the state.
“We need a credible and reliable person who can change the life of Abians and develop Abia. It doesn’t matter the part of Abia the person is coming from.
“The APC is desirous of change and ensuring that Abia is developed. We want Abians to feel the impact of governance.”
