Letter to Abia PDP Delegates: The time for equity has come
Posted by John Okiyi Kalu | 9 years ago | 3,019 times
Abia state was created August 27th of 1991 by then Military President, General Ibrahim Babangida. The state was carved out of then Imo state from three zones of the old East Central State. The zones were previously called Afikpo Division, Bende Division and Aba Division. Afikpo division produced the first elected governor of the state, Dr Ogbonnaya Onu, before the zone joined Ebonyi State in 1996.
Equity, in the context of this letter is simply the quality of being fair and impartial. It could also be seen in terms of justice according to natural law or right; specifically :freedom from bias or favoritism. My short letter to Abia PDP delegates is therefore basically a call to ensure fairness in the distribution of power in Abia state.
This is the time for Abia South Senatorial zone to produce the governor of Abia State.
Since the inception of this democratic dispensation, almost 16 years ago, two men from old Bende division have occupied Abia's government house: Dr Orji Uzor Kalu (1999-2007) and Ochendo T A Orji (2007-Date). Both men emerged from the old Bende division block of the state. While Kalu is from Abia North Senatorial zone, Ochendo Global is from Abia Central made up of local governments in Umuahia and others from old Ngwa division. It is therefore only Abia South Senatorial zone that has not produced the governor of Abia state.
Regardless of the reason why the people of old Ngwa division have been excluded from Abia governorship, the time has come for redress. Injustice anywhere is injustice everywhere and all the delegates must have that at the back of their minds as they vote. More so when the best candidate out there among PDP aspirants, Dr Okezie Victor Ikpeazu, is from Abia South. He has the best education, public service experience and is resident in Abia with his family. He knows the issues better than any other aspirant and has shown capacity to innovate and solve problems. His only seeming disadvantage appears to be that he is not a moneybag even though he retains popular appeal.
Esteemed delegates of our great party, most of you must have received all manner of financial gifts and promises from moneybag aspirants who are intent on buying Abia governorship at all cost. They have swarmed Abia from Lagos, Abuja and all parts of the world to posture as our new saviors. Yet while Abia burned in the past over issues with inequity root cause that unfortunately boiled over to violent crimes they were no where to be found. They didn't show up to pay the N20m demand from the criminals who kidnapped 15 Abia children in September 2010. Non of them gave you money to rebuild your businesses that were heavily impacted by the unfortunate brigandage of those days. They didn't even use the billions they are throwing around to fix roads leading to their houses. Rather they fled and left us to our fate.
Now they are back to spread hate and lies. They have told you that if an Ngwa man becomes governor your properties at Aba will be confiscated. How is that possible in a country with laws? Have our Ngwa brothers not demonstrated enough hospitality by welcoming and selling lands to all Igbo for many decades? In which other town in Igboland do all Igbo feel a sense of being at home more than Enyimba City?
These mercenary politicians have continued to use the media to lie to the world that Okezie signed a phantom agrrement with Ochendo to pay him N1.8b every month for 4 years? Isn't that laughable in a state whose assured monthly revenue is at best paltry and ranks among he lowest in Nigeria? In case you have forgotten, opponents of equity in Anambra spread similar unfounded allegation last year while your Anambra brothers were getting ready to solve their equity equation by handing power to Anambra north. They claimed Obiano signed an agreement with Victor Umeh to deliver N500m every month to the latter and even produced a forged "agreement" to make it look real. Yet Ndi Anambra proceeded to solve their equity problem and today Obiano is governor. Umeh is receiving nothing.
They have told you that Okezie will be the incumbent's stooge and I make bold to state that in power politics that is not possible. Didn't you read how Jonathan will be Obasanjo's stooge? Was Sullivan Chime not advertized as Nnamani's stooge? Is Willy Obiano the stooge of Peter Obi? What about Elechi of Ebonyi? The truth is that every man who has power will use it as he deems fit within the limits of our laws and nobody can dictate to him. Ochendo Global will not be idle after leaving Umuahia Government House. He will, God willing, be going to the Senate to represent Abia Central at Abuja. For a man with his personal experience in the power game, he will be the last person on earth to seek to control his successor. All he has told us is that he wants to solve the equity problem of Abia state as a legacy to children yet unborn. We the stakeholders presented Okezie to him and he asked him to join others and campaign for the support of Abians. If today he is backing Okezie Ikpeazu's candidature, it is simply because Okezie is the best man for the job and a leader with Ochendo's experience must have easily spotted that.
Almost all the PDP states in Nigeria are focused on ensuring political equity through zoning as enshrined in PDP's constitution. Enugu is on a mission to ensure Equity reigns. Same with Ebonyi and others. Abia's case cannot be different. Support the equity candidate, Dr Okezie Ikpeazu, for the peace and progress of Abia. Do not allow your conscience to be seared for life because of money given to you from sources you don't know. Abia governorship is not for sell and you must know by now that any candidate that is freely dolling out money to delegates, party chieftains and others is investing and will reap it from our treasury. Do not convert Abia Government House to a business premises where the man at the helm will tell us that he was richer than Abia when he became governor, as we heard between 1999 and 2007. Nobody needs to remind you how it all ended then.
The negative propaganda and stereotype against our Ngwa brothers should now be consigned to history. The people that gave birth to Jaja Nwachukwu and many great men and women have endorsed Okezie Ikpeazu as their best man for Abia Government House from May 29th 2015. Resist the campaign to divide Ngwaland and Abia State by making a resounding statement with your vote-ABIA BU OTU.
We cannot afford to lose this golden opportunity to redress the perceived wrongs of yesteryears and the task of doing that is in your hands, our delegates. Granted that historically Ngwa born candidates have always contested for Abia Governorship with others regardless of Abia Charter of Equity (ACE) but we must understand that the spirit behind the charter is still alive and solely aimed to achieve equitable distribution of political offices in Abia. Since others, by accident of history, have taken turns at the governorship, let all delegates join hands and complete the cycle by voting for Okezie Ikpeazu from Obingwa in Abia Senatorial district.
As God's own people of God's own State, it is important that every good prophetic scripture be fulfilled in our state. Psalm 113:7 says that the poor (Okezie) shall be lifted up to lead from the waste management job. God is telling us something: Abia will be the greatest state when Psalm 113:7 is fulfilled. The job of making that scripture come to pass is now in your hands.
God bless you as you make history today by supporting the cause of equity so that Abia can consolidate and make quantum leaps under a tested and trusted performer who knows Abia in and out and is prepared to lead from day one by reason of his education, humility and fear of God. Okezie will surely take us many notches higher.
Together we can.....
Yours Fellow Aba boy,
John Okiyi Kalu
Convener, Neigbors4Okezie
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