Sir Marc said his decision to represent Abia South in the red chamber was informed by the need to make positive impact on the fortune of his constituents.
Chuks Onuoha, Umuahia
The battle for who occupies Abia South Senatorial seat in 2019 is surely gathering momentum. This is even as one of the prominent contenders in the contest, an All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Chief Marc Wabara, prepares to kick-start his campaign.
The contest, political observers say, might be the most contentious since this is the first time in the history of Abia South senatorial battle; three major political parties are participating.
The parties are: the All Progressives Congress (APC), All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). It will therefore be a departure from the past, when one candidate will have the privilege and opportunity of being voted for, just because he hails from the zone and was unanimously chosen by the people.
The question on the lips of everyone is who among the likes of Sir Marc Wabara of APC, Chief Chris Nkwonta of the APGA and Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe of PDP will emerge winner of the election?
Speaking on Abia South Senatorial contest, Sir Marc, one time Chief Executive Officer of the defunct Hallmark Bank, said that his decision to represent Abia South in the red chamber was informed by the need to make positive impact on the fortune of his constituents.
He further said that, as a respected financial expert and former gubernatorial aspirant on the platform of the PDP, he believes strongly that his experiences and skills would be deployed to serve Abia South Senatorial District meritoriously, as well as Abia State and Nigeria at large, having cut his teeth in politics for over a decade now.
According to him, the large image of the incumbent senator of the district, Enyinnaya Abaribe, is a huge task to confront considering that apart from the fact there are four councils in his part of Ngwa land, compared to where he (Wabara) comes from, which has two councils, the political experience which Senator Abaribe has garnered for over 12 years may not play out in his favour because the people need change urgently.
“I am aware that the challenges facing me are very daunting having come from the same council with the APGA candidate, Chief Nkwonta, who is a business mogul that got familiar with the political terrain of Abia South when he contested for the Senatorial position in 2015 but lost to Abaribe.
“But in my own political permutations, the two are no threat to my candidature because today’s politics, people no longer look at parties but personalities that will deliver to them the dividends of democratic principles.
“For now, the politics of rotation in Nigeria and Federal might stand in my favour because the people of Ukwa know that it is their turn to produce the next Senator since Abaribe, an Ngwa man has occupied the seat for 12 consecutive years. He is not the only person with the wherewithal as far as that position is concerned, and the people are not happy that only an Ngwa man is there where there are so many qualified people in Ukwa land, and myself being one of them.
“I will redefine representation in Abia South Senatorial zone, so that my constituents will enjoy the benefits of democracy and good representations, because my representation at the senate will be selfless, robust and effective, as I am particularly committed to initiating and promoting bills, aimed at tapping fully, the homogeneous human and material resources of the people of Abia South zone.
“My victory in the 2019 elections for Abia South Senatorial zone is rest assured and non-negotiable, and I must keep to my promises to make Abia south great again. I am unshakable because I have God on my side”, Wabara said.
He further noted that it was poor representation that brought about insecurity in the zone, promising that his emergence in 2019 will put insecurity in the zone to the annals of history.
He said that as a former successful Bank Chief Executive, he made indelible marks in the management of financial institutions, explaining that good representation is about having the interest of the people at heart , which he noted, he had from time.
On his plans for women and youths, Wabara said “I would target legislation that foster gender mainstreaming and youth empowerment as well as ensure that government policies and programmes which specifically target women and youths are fully implemented and effectively monitored. It was the zeal to continuously serve humanity that changed my trajectory and this saw me into politics on the platform of PDP, but today, I am in APC with a message of service to my people”.
He said that it was his early understanding of the virtues of hard work and discipline that made him traverse corporate world without hiccups and today he has come into politics to perform the same feat.