Maduako Igbokwe l Friday, February 3, 2023
UMUABIA, Abia – A Prophet can always be with honours in his place, if he has touched lives, brought, development and connected with his people.
The love for a good prophet was demonstrated on Thursday at grand finale of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) Ward to ward tour which ended in Uturu, the home town of Abia state APGA Governorship candidate, Prof Gregory Ibe and the party candidate for Isiukwutato House of Assembly Hon. Uche Akaeme.
The party had on Thursday ended ward to ward tour of 184 wards in Abia state at Prof Gregory Ibe’s ward 7 in Uturu amidst jubilations and massive support for Prof Gregory Ibe, Uche Akaeme and all APGA candidates.
The Uturu ward to ward tour which started at Hon. Uche Akaeme ward 9 was like a mass movement for APGA as over 2000 people attended the tour.
Given the acceptance of Uche Akaeme by his people who came out enmass to support him, Prof Gregory Ibe was not allowed to address his people. The leader, of the ward to ward tour and secretary of APGA, Abia state Ambassador Sunday Onukwubiri , stopped him from talking, saying” your people have spoken for you as a candidate of most choice”.
At Ward 9, the state party Secretary Ambassador Sunday Onukwubiri, the leader of the team , who was highly impressed by the turn out said it is the turn of Uturu to lead Abia state and urged every Uturu person to support the project
“It is the turn of Uturu in Isiukwutato local government to produce the governor of Abia state. We searched and found your son and our brother Prof Gregory Ibe as most competent and qualified person to lead Abia state to our dream state.
Ibe sent us to you, honestly, we are not supposed to do campaign about Ibe in Uturu, because he is your son. We that are not from Uturu are for Ibe and we want you all to lead the campaign so that we cannot lose any vote to other parties in Uturu” he said .
He appealed to all Uturu sons and daughters to join hands in this great message and ,tell everybody that it is the turn of Isiukwutato to produce the next governor of Abia state, and the best is Prof Gregory Ibe.
According to him, Isiukwutato cannot miss this golden opportunity offered by Prof Gregory Ibe and APGA, noting that Uturu most pursue it with their two hands. Dem Uchenna, a former Commissioner in Abia state ,from Umunochi empathically said that come March 11 2023 ,Prof Ibe is the next governor of the state.
According to him, if Prof Ibe assumes office as governor of Abia state on may 29,he will create jobs for the teaming youths who are jobless in the state today. “If you look around you will see that there are a lot of people in Abia today that are not working, even those that are working do not get salaries. Ibe will create jobs and pay a liveable salaries as at when due.
The Ngwa had led Abia state for eight years and they messed up and misled the state. It is the turn of Abia North to produce the next governor.
Carry this good message of Prof Gregory Ibe to all corner of Abia state, tell people that our next governor is Prof Ibe. If you are in the bus, markets, Church, any where you are, go with message of Prof as the next governor of Abia state” he said .
He also told the ward 9 members ,”Uche Akame is your son and you know him better before you presented him to us, we are proud of him, please, don’t disappoint him”.
According to him, take this messages to every where you go that Ngwa can govern Abia state again. The former Director of Abia State Electoral Commission Iyom Ngozi Oyiaoha said God blessed Ndi Uturu, Isiukwutato with purposeful leaders like Prof Gregory Ibe.
According to her, when an Isiukwutato man is in leadership position he does well, citing Admiral Ndubisi Kanu and General Ike Nwachukwu.
“All your votes should be for Prof Gregory Ibe ,he should not get anything less than 95 percent in Uturu. Please, vote all other APGA candidates as you vote for Ibe” she said .
Speaking also the Senatorial candidate for Abia North Barr. Carol Okorafor, while urging the people to vote Prof Gregory Ibe, said since 1999 men had always been in the Senate and it is turn of a woman to take over.
“We are not fighting our men ,but we are appealing to them to allow woman to represent Abia North at the Senate this time. I am a mother and wife ,I know the problem of the family. I will always be with you, if I am elected. If I am elected, I will be inclusive in all my operation. I will be a good representative” she said.
She said Uturu is a blessed town for having somebody like Prof Gregory Ibe. According to her, Abia state is almost a failed state and it needs a person with vision like Ibe to wake it up.
” Your son is gift to Abia, Gregory Ibe is a gift to Ndi Abia,we most support him with our two hands . He is the best among those coming to lead Abia . Please, take this message to all people, that Prof Gregory Ibe is best among the candidates in the state. Cast your vote where there is a cock” she said
Also the candidate of Umunochi/ Isiukwutato federal constituency,Dr. Onyiye Kay Rufus Obi, said ” I want to represent you at House Representatives, by God’s grace I will be there”.
According to her, somebody has been for 16 years,there is need for another person to go. ” I am not a politician but a business woman, who is joining politics to make a difference in our constituency”. She distributed wrappers and materials to 10 indigent persons in the ward
Hon. Uche Akame, the candidate for Isiukwutato House Assembly,was stopped by the leader of when the crowd that followed were much. ” Hon. Uche Akaeme, your people have spoken for you and you don’t need to say anymore . You are on ground and your people are with you with what I am seeing” the leader said. The excited, Prime Minister of Abo Autonomous Community Chief Sunday Nnadi assured that the ward will support and vote for APGA. According to him, the ward will not lose any vote for their son Uche Akame for any party.
At Ward 8
State secretary, Sunday Onukwubiri, in his opening remark, said that, Uturu people should carry the message of Prof. Gregory Ibe to other parts of the state and market him to the entire Abians project.
According to him, it is not good that in the last 24 years Isiukwutato has not been governor of Abia state. He said this is the time for Isiukwutato man to be governor. Dem Uchenna said they are in Uturu to empower the people for race and they most embrace the projet for the good of Uturu and Abia state.
He said the PDP has misled Abia state and landed the people into serious crisis and mess, noting that the people most say no to continued leadership of Ngwa in the state.
” You most not vote or allow any party who did not field Isiukwutato man as candidate to lead again. Gregory Ibe will be the next governor of Abia and he is the best to take Abia to her glory” he said.Iyom Ngozi Oyiaoha urged Uturu not to allow what happened in 2015 to repeat itself in Uturu again .
According to her, in 2015 Uturu had 45,000 registered votes but less than 18,000 voted. ” We most not allow the same this year. A Vote for Prof Ibe is a vote for development of Abia state” she said.
Mrs. Carol Okorafor also reiterated that , it is time for a woman to go and represent Abia North at the senator . “I am ready to bring to you whatever that belong to you Support your son Gregory. Ibe, he is the most qualified and best with heart of gold” she said .
Onyiye Rufus Obi, in her own, said APGA is the only party that is Igbo party, “it is our own party ,we most embrace with all we have”. She also stated that Uturu most embrace APGA because it is time for them to shine and produce the governor of the state.
“There is the need for us to follow APGA and we will see the difference. Iam out to serve my people and I am not a local champion, I am in Abuja and know who is who” she said. Speaking ,Hon. Uche Akaeme said that he is coming out to quality representation to Isiukwutato people at the state house of Assembly.
“When I was the president general of Uturu,I did well. I will also do better if I get to Abia state House of Assembly. I built a police station to enable us have a local government, but some people, mischievously said I built the station to imprison our youths” he said .
He urged the people to vote Prof Gregory Ibe, himself and all candidates of APGA. “If Gregory Ibe becomes governor,he will create Jobs to enable the youths take care of their aging parents” he said
Ward 10
Speaking at the ward ,the State secretary said they have toured 56 wards out of 57 wards in Isiukwutato local government council and the grand finale will be at Prof Ibe’s ward 7.
According to him, Abians have agreed that Isiukwutato will produce the next governor and it is a challenge every Uturu man and woman most take serious. Dem Uchenna said he is an Isuochi man and he has a dream for Uturu produce governor of Abia state.
“Our dream is to see how an Uturu man as governor and if Ibe becomes a governor ,it will favour our people, especially the youths of Uturu. The present government of PDP has destroy Abia and we are presenting Ibe to rescue the state from current mess” he said .
Iyom Ngozi Oyiaoha, said God blessed Isiukwutato ,noting that ,since the creation ,it has consistently produced good and quality leaders. According to her, Isiukwutato people has produced great administrators in the state, people like Ndubisi Kanu and Ike Nwachukwu and they did well.
” I was in PDP and I left when I discovered the fraud in the party. PDP is no longer accepted in the state and APGA is the only hope for Ndi Abia.
Labour candidate last time, he claimed Ngwa and today, he is from other place, he cannot be trusted. I am not from Isiukwutato and most of us here are not from Isiukwutato but we are supporting an Isiukwutato man to be governor of Abia state because he has what it takes to be good governor of Abia state “she stated.
While the senatorial candidate, Barr. Okorafor described Prof . Gregory Ibe as the Peoples’ choice .
“Gregory Ibe is our own ,we most support him to become a governor of Abia state. We have confident and trust in him. He is going to be our governor. Every Uturu person most give him all the votes ,we most not allow any vote to go out outside him and APGA.
“As you vote for Prof Gregory Ibe, vote for all APGA candidates. I am going for senate and this time we shall allow a woman to be senator. We appeal to our men to support me as one of their daughters. I will represent you well. I am qualified and competent to represent you at the Senate.
“ A woman knows the needs of the family, trust me with your votes. I will help you to make law that will impact positively on the lives of Abia North people. Those who have been attending have been pocketing the constituency projects money, only to come to at the election time to spend your money for re-election. Please ,vote for APGA all the ways” she said .
Onyiye Rufus Obi, said, if an Umunochi has been there for 16 years ,then it is the turn of the Isiukwutato to go. “I am a business woman ,I studied medicine to pleased my parents, but after I went for my choice career which is business . I want Ndi Uturu to vote for me on February and Isiukwutato people will vote for Gregory Ibe and Uche Akaeme for governor and house of assembly on March” she said .
Uche Akame, said I am not campaigning for today, I just want to remind us about myself. I am Uche Akaeme, the former president of Uturu Development Association (UDA),I gave admissions to many Uturu sons and daughters, I gave jobs to many Uturu sons and daughters in Abia state university, Uturu, (ABSU).
“I built police station to safeguard Uturu..it is not to take our youths to prison,. Uturu has agreed that Ibe will go for governor and Uche Akaeme for House of Assembly. Ibe is the best among all the candidates coming out for governorship . We must vote for all APGA candidates in all elections” he said.
Ward 7, Prof Ibe’s ward
It was overwhelmingly support, given the number of people that turn out for the tour. In deed it was a real home coming for Ibe and Akaeme . Our Women, men and youths turn out to show support to their son . Pleased, with the turn out, State secretary said he was pleased and happy with the turn out.
He urged the people of the ward to stand up and defend their son, saying that alot of people have gone to many places to stop Prof Gregory Ibe from being governor.
” This place is a special place because alot of people have gone to so many places just to stop your son Prof Ibe and it cannot work . Any Party or person in this place that will work against Ibe ,holy ghost fire. People chorused with loud amen ” he said .
According to him, as mark of honour to Prof Gregory Ibe, the party will sing APGA Anthem at ward 7 to round off the tour . “This is our final ward in Abia North. I am urging you people that all the votes in the wards will go to APGA and Ibe.
All the prayers by Ndi Abia, Ndi Igbo cannot be in vain. We want all the votes in the ward to be for Gregory Ibe. All Achara sons and daughters have no reason not to vote for Prof Gregory Ibe. Empty you votes for Ibe and APGA” he said .
Speaking at ward 7,Uche Akaeme described the tour as a movement that needs everybody to work harder.
“This movement is for all of us ,we most join hands . We are better, comes March 11 when Prof Gregory Ibe assume the position of governor of Abia state. All the struggle is to better Uturu, Achara and Ndi Abia. I am contesting to represent Isiukwutato at the House. We the APGA does things very well. We give HoR to Isiukwutato, senate to Arochukwu. Ibe is given the ticket to bring about the new Abia
We built Uturu police station,when we were building the police station there were rumours that the purpose of the station was to imprisoned Uturu youths, which is lie, we built to it enable us have local government and attract more development.
We are all going to Umuahia together, I am asking you to give me the key to drive you to Umuahia” he said . While ,Onyiye Rufus Obi said she was coming to represent Umunochi/ Isiukwutato federal constituency for the good of the people.
“I am Onyiye Rufus Obi, I want to represent you at HoR . At the day of election vote for APGA. The person there has been 16 years and she should allow other to person to occupy the position, it is not her birth right.
Vote for Prof Gregory Ibe for governor, Carol Okorafor for senate,and my humble self for house of representatives , Uche Akame and all the APGA candidate in the forthcoming elections. I have brought much development to my community when not even in the power and ,when I got there I will do more for my people” she said .
In all the four wards of Uturu, Dr onyiye Rufus Obi, gave out 10 pieces of wrappers to indigent people in each ward and also gave out new phones and others .
Barr. Carol okorafor as Usual pleaded with the men to give a woman chance to be at the Senate. According to her as a mother and a wife she represent them very well.
