A former Abia State Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party,(PDP) Senator Emma Nwaka on Tuesday, inaugurated his office in Umuahia where operations leading to his Governorship campaign will take place.
The development is coming few weeks after Sen Nwaka,formally declared interest to succeed Governor Okezie Ikpeazu in 2023 thus making him the First Aspirant to hold a consultative meeting with the enlarged State Working Committee of the party at the PDP Secretariat in Umuahia where he purchased the party’s Gubernatorial Forms.
The Campaign office located at No.43b, Aguiyi-Ironsi Layout Umuahia is expected to come alive with activities as some stakeholders in the Abia Polity have begun mobilizing support for him across the state.
Speaking during the event,Nwaka who hails from Isiukwuato in Abia North Senatorial zone, while insisting that equity should serve as a yardstick for electing the next governor of Abia said it was wrong for the arrangement of equity, established by the founding fathers of the state, to take the back burner in the polity of the state.
He urged the PDP not to truncate the Abia Charter of Equity which recommended power rotation among the four Divisions from which the Abia acronym was formed adding that , Isikwuato which represents the letter “I” in Abia acronym is the only bloc yet to taste power, and should be allowed to produce the governor come 2023.
In his words; “We have since the inception of the state proven our worth by contributing to the making of Abia to what it is now; but no native of Isiukwuato has had the opportunity to be Governor of Abia State.
“It is not right for the agreement on equity by our founding fathers to be down played now that it is considered the turn of Isiukwuato area to produce the next governor of Abia.
“The application of equity is significant in facilitating the growth and development in every part of the state as well as giving everyone a true sense of belonging”.
Nwaka said that the resolve of state leadership of PDP to zone the Abia governorship ticket to Abia North and Central senatorial zones could be considered as not in line with equity,adding that it would not deter him in his aspiration to become the next governor of Abia State.
He said that PDP had not failed to uphold the tenets of unity and peace as it had the issue of rotation of office and positions written in its constitution pointing out the national leadership of PDP had clearly stated that zoning pattern should be applied by the party at all levels.
Nwaka promised to uphold the principles of good governance; if he emerges as the governor of Abia and added that the “youths would be the cornerstone of his administration”.
In his remarks, a PDP Stalwart, Chief Enyinnaya Ubani,said that recent development in Abia had shown that people understood equity differently noting that reactions had trailed the Abia PDP’s resolution on the zoning of the governorship ticket to Abia North and South senatorial zone and expressed confidence that in due time the people of Abia would understand true equity.
Also,a former Treasurer of PDP in Abia, Mr Chinonyerem Uwadinjo, described the Governorship Aspirant as a peaceful man and a silent achiever that has the capacity to pilot the affairs of the state and urged Abians to support him to become the next governor of Abia, adding that he would live up to expectation.
