From: David Onwuchekwa, Nnewi
Running mate to the All Progressives Congress (APC) gubernatorial candidate in the November 18 elections in Anambra State, Dozie Ikedife Jnr., has urged politicians using the name of late Chief Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu to deceive the people to top the act “because Anambra people have demystified the antics of the APGA government’s propaganda. They should allow late Ikemba Nnewi’s soul to rest in peace.”
He also called on the electorate to avoid sentiments in their voting behaviour during the election coming up in a matter of weeks ahead.
Ikedife Jnr. made the call in Nnewi, Anambra State, on Wednesday, in an interactive session with journalists in Nnewi on how prepared his party was for the election, vowing to remove the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA)-led government in the state which he described as a disaster.
Ikedife Jnr. claimed hat over 90 percent of Governor Willie Obiano’s achievements were on bill boards, pages of newspapers and electronic media, with nothing concrete to show for them. He noted that Governor Obiano had achieved nothing in concrete terms.
He said that the bill boards dotted all over Anambra State with the picture of late Odumegwu Ojukwu and the inscriptions ‘nke a bu nke anyi (this is our own) is the biggest deceit of the season. He queried how a party which presence could not be felt beyond the River Niger or other boundaries of Anambra should be ideal for the Igbo or claimed to be for the interest of the Anambra people and Ndigbo, generally, adding that the Igbo should reconnect to the center for maximum benefits of democracy.
Ikedife Jnr. said nobody should commend Governor Obiano for prompt payment of workers’ salaries and pensions. He said that rather people should ask the governor what he had done with the billions of naira that came to Anambra State as federal allocations and the 21 local councils of the state, not to talk of heavy taxation on the people of the state in the name of Internally Generated Revenue IGR).”
His words, “The APC is coming with a passion to relieve our people from economic and political bondage. Agreed that taxation is a major source of government revenue but we will ensure a pocket friendly tax regime in our drive for Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) and make it open and transparent to all Anambra people,” he said.
He said the APC was poised and fully loaded to bring effective change in governance in Anambra State to cater for every segment of the population of the state irrespective of the zone anyone belongs to.
He told the journalists that the primary health care services in the state would be revitalised and affordable with free primary health care for senior citizens and children below five years to reduce infant mortality rate.
He said the party would reorganise the state secondary health care with emphasis on refurbishing and restructuring of the State’s General Hospitals. He also said that same attention would be given to tertiary health care delivery with the target to adequately fund the State Teaching Hospital in Amaku, among other innovations.