Ogbonnaya Ikokwu, Umuahia
Abia State governorship candidate of All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA), Prof Gregory Ibe, has said he joined the governorship race because of his observed slow pace of development in the State within the past Twenty-Fours under the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party.
He insisted that the state of infrastructural decay within the Economy, Education, Health and Social Sectors in the State was capable of making any resident of the State angry after considering that salaries, pension and gratuities not being paid, while many roads in the State are now death traps.
Ibe, spoke in Umuahia the State capital on Saturday during a meeting with the leaders of the Christian Association of Nigeria in the State.
He pointed out that his desire to bring about societal change spored him begin as a private individual to assist people by setting up an NGO called Gregory lyke Foundation as far in the year 1991 when Abia was created.
He said, “God prospered my handiwork I quietly began to partner government in executing social interventions in education, health, infrastructure and sports. You recall one of such partnership occurred during the COVID-19 lockdown.
“When I saw that the people in power lack the ability to develop our state I decided to eave my comfort zone as a technocrat and step into the dirty waters of politics in order to help my people.
“Currently I am a consultant to 15 nations of ECOWAS Commission, the World Bank and United Nations. I am also consultant to seven federal ministries.
“But for the sake of liberating my people from the under development I am willing to sacrifice all that”.
Ibe, who is also the chancellor of Gregory University Uturu, also revealed that his ambition to govern Abia has also attracted the wrath of political class in the State against him.
According to him, “when I incurred the wrath of the cabal holding Abia down. Just as Pharaoh became angry when Moses announced the message of Jehovah to him these evil forces that do not want Abia to be God’s Own State began to gang up against me.
“Subsequently there is nothing they have not done to stop this mission of liberating and developing our state. In desperate bid to stop me they began spreading false rumours about me. They attacked my health with juju and began to circulate evil reports that I have been amputated. They enlisted the partnership of some aggrieved politicians who went as far as falsifying someone’s WAEC certificate and alleged it is mine. In order to make people hate me they lied that I am being sponsored by former Governor TA Orji.
“They even went as far deploying money that would have been used in bettering the life of our people in funding some collaborators to go to several courts against me. But no
matter what they did God of Ndi Abia said NO!
“Brethren in all of these attacks I would have been dead but God said no. Look at Abia God’s Own State 32 years after creation and determine whether we are where
should be. The answer is a big NO! Which is why God strengthens me like biblical Moses to continue to stand before the Pharaohs of Abia to declare let my people go to a better Abia.
“The New Abia that I want to lead our people into after May 29, 2023 is a state where no one and no community will be left behind. There will be even development from South, Central to North with unique innovative projects in every Local Government Area as you will see when you read my manifesto.
“Apart the job of repositioning Abia in all sectors, one of the first assignments will undertake with the support of Sen Abaribe will be the release and rehabilitation of our son Mazi Nnamdi Kanu. With the support of my collaborators in the United Nations we shall adopt available political solutions in liberating Mazi Nnamdi Kanu”.
Responding the CAN chairman in the State Apostle Emmanuel Agomuo, assured Ibe, that the church will continue to pray for a peaceful election and development of the state.
He urged Abia residents to come out in their large numbers to exercise their civil responsibility during the forthcoming governorship election and vote for the candidate of their choice.
The cleargyman expressed hope that Abia people will not allow any political party to rig the election.