From: OKEY SAMPSON, Aba
The All Progressive Congress (APC) in Abia State has sounded it clear that Governor Okezie Ikpeazu would be the last governor of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to rule the state as the party said it has concluded plans to take over the state in 2019.
Chairman of APC in Abia, Hon. Donatus Nwankpa, who made this known in Umuahia, the state capital, while addressing newsmen, said other states across the country were embracing change, adding that Abia State would not be left out.
He said the government in Abia State as presently constituted “cannot bring anything new into Abia state”, stressing that “there’s no difference between the present and immediate past administration in the state.”
Speaking further he said, “If I say Ikpeazu and PDP cannot return to Abia government house come 2019, I don’t think I spoke from any point of ambiguity.
“Dr Okezie Ikpeazu is the last PDP governor to occupy Abia Government House until May 28 midnight. On May 29th, the man that will be sworn in into the Government House will be an APC governor. I stand by these words and I don’t think I spoke Greek here.
“If you’re following the political history of Abia you’ll know for sometime now, there had never been free and fair election in Abia. The last free and fair election in Abia was 1999. Now, APC led by President Muhammadu Buhari has assured that there will be free and fair election where votes of the people will count.”
In order to ensure victory for the party in the state, Nwankpa said APC has done some strategic planning and repositioning of the party which has ensured winning leaders who would mobilize the grassroots and whom the people have confidence in.
On the December 2016 local government election in which PDP was said to have won everything, Nwankpa said the election was all fraud and can never repeat in the state. “APC was never swept at all. The so called state independent electoral commission did not provide electoral materials in not less than two third (2/3) of the local government of the state. You can investigate this. If you can investigate properly, you’ll know that the last local government election in Abia is a huge exposure of what PDP is all about and the impending defeat of PDP.
He said if it were to be in a sane society, there was no way that out of the 292 polling units in the state, there was no way no member of APGA, APC, Labour party including a governor and senators was popular enough to win his ward.
He said the election was conducted by Abia State Electoral Commission (ABSEC), but expressed delight that from the way things are moving, the next election would be conducted by INEC which would allow such massive fraud.
“They will never rig for any party. Let the people decide who will govern them. The first thing we must ensure is that INEC must be an unbiased umpire. Even if we are defeated in our stronghold we don’t care so long as it’s free and fair.”