The Senator representing Aba South Senatorial District in the National Assembly under the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Sen. Enyinnaya Abaribe has expressed confidence in Governor Alex Otti’s chances for a second term.
According to the Senator, the Governor’s impactful projects across Abia State demonstrate effective governance.
Speaking during a Christmas and New Year visit to Governor Otti on, Senator Abaribe, popularly known as Nma-Agha Ndigbo (The Sword of the Igbos), said, “Even though my party is APGA and his party is Labour, we have moved beyond party lines to focus on governance. I came to encourage him. He’s done so well, and we want to ensure he continues delivering for the people of Abia”.
Abaribe praised the Governor’s infrastructural achievements, especially in Aba, his senatorial district saying, “I have driven around, I have seen everything. All I want to do is to continue to encourage him to continue in the path that he has chosen.
“We also agreed that we are going to come around to commission some of the projects that he has done in and around my Senatorial Zone”.
“I think Second Tenure is still very far away but I do not see any stumbling block on the way if we go by what he has done at this point”.
The Senator, who also chairs the South East Senators Forum, emphasized collaboration between the State and the National Assembly to advance Abia’s development.
He noted that discussions with the Governor also covered regional issues, including President Bola Tinubu’s proposed tax reforms.
Senator Abaribe said that their concern is the development of the South East and to ensure that the Zone is not left behind while the rest of Nigeria is moving on.
He commended President Tinubu for promising to do the rail lines and other infrastructure within the South East during his visit to Enugu State over the weekend to commission projects.
On the release of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Abaribe described President Tinubu as a “listening leader” and expressed optimism about a favorable decision.
“I expect that the President will listen to both his Attorney General and every one of us who have been agitating that the issues in the South East.
“The President wants to pass a tax bill that has to do with production. You cannot tax people who don’t produce. So he needs Nnamdi Kanu out so that all those things that are holding us down in the South East, that have made us not to produce as much as we ought to produce, will not be there”.
“So, we continue to call on President Tinubu to release Nnamdi Kanu and we are ready and willing to be guarantors for him to be released so that we can have life coming back into the South East and take it away from the criminals, kidnappers, the cultists and dangerous elements that are floating around us who have made it a point that they would perpetrate violence, do criminal activities and use Nnamdi Kanu’s name as their reason”, Senator Abiriba Stated.
He stressed that Kanu’s release would restore stability to the South East region, and allow the zone to reclaim its position as Nigeria’s production hub.
“The President’s tax reform bill focuses on production, but you cannot tax people who aren’t producing. Kanu’s release will end the all the insurgency, the sit at home on Mondays and every other thing we have noticed in the South East”.
On President Tinubu’s Tax Reform bill before the National Assembly, Senator Abaribe said, “We have a position of the South East that we will have to continue to negotiate and debate and that we do not want it to be passed in a hurry because it is something that will affect future generations.
“The South East Senators Forum took a position just like the Governors and other people to do further negotiations and so, we believe that we are going to do this further negotiations”, Senator Abaribe concluded.
