Abia stands still as Buhari campaigns

The Enyimba International Football stadium, Aba, the commercial nerve of Abia State on Tuesday witnessed huge turnout of Abians and supporters of the All Progressives Congress (APC) from the seventeen local government areas of the state as the campaign train of President Muhammadu Buhari visited the state ahead of the February, 16 presidential poll.

This is however contrary to the sit-at-home orders of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) who asked Abians to observe a mini sit-at-home from 6am to 4pm Tuesday, in protest of the visit of the president.

President Buhari who came in the company of former governors of Abia State; Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu and Ogbonnaya Onu (Minister of Science and Technology), Senator Ken Nnamani, Otunba Niyi Adebayo, former Governor of Ekiti State, Senator Chris Ngige, National chairman of APC; Adams Oshiomhole, the lawmaker representing Isiukwuato/Umunneochi Federal Representatives, Hon. Nkeiruka Onyejiocha, former Minister of Labour and Productivity, Hon. Emeka Wogu, Senator Nkechi Nwaogu among others.

Speaking at the event, President Buhari vowed to continue to tackle infrastructural problems in Nigeria and to ensure that Nigerians do their businesses without stress.

The president who maintained that businesses would be improved as soon as infrastructure challenges of the country was tackled, said that despite the limited resources available to his Government and total fall in oil revenue, his government have been able to justify their promises to Nigerians and are ready to do more when given the mandate to continue in power.

He urged all the people of Abia State to ensure that APC is voted for in the forthcoming elections to enable them continue the fight against corruption, infrastructural decay and ensure adequate security for proper management of the country.

In his words: “I’m impressed with all the speakers because they’ve articulated what this administration is able to do. When we came in, we approached governance with three point agenda of security, economy and fight against corruption.

“We tried to justify these by trying our best within the time available to us from 2015 to now with the resources available to us. You can all recall that the production of 2.4 million barrel per day, was cut short to half a million barrel per day. In the world market which is outside our control, the cost of petroleum per barrel went down from 40, 38, 28 dollars per barrel.

“It is in this context that I want you to see how this administration has been committed to development of this country. Upon all these, we are doing the roads now, we are doing the railways which was neglected and virtually killed and we are doing power which is one of the projects I’ve came here to commission today.

“I assure that if we get infrastructure correct; the roads, the railways and power, Nigerians will mind their businesses. It all depends who is in the Government. We have identified this and we are committing available resources to make sure we get the infrastructure right and we are doing as much as possible to secure the country so that we can properly manage it. I thank you for your commitment and I expect you to this time around, vote APC.”

APC National Chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole who could not hide his joy over the reception that Buhari got in the state said that it was an indication that Abians have embraced the change mantra of the APC administration, stressing that the Buhari government has done well in the southeast geo-political zone through some of the completed and ongoing developmental projects the APC government is doing in the zone.

Oshiomhole who blamed the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) for years of decay in the southeast despite the support that the southeast gave to PDP, urged the people of the state and the southeast not use 2019 to correct the mistakes of 2015.

He said: “I’m very happy at the testimonies I’ve heard today about what this administration has done in Igboland and Abia State in particular. You can bury the truth ten meters deep, but you cannot kill the truth.

“The truth is that in this state, PDP has governed for 19 years just as they controlled the country for 16 years. In those 16 years, this part of the country that was most loyal and committed to voting PDP was abandoned and Federal dual carriage road in the zone was turned to a cassava farm.

“No one could commute from Aba to Port Harcourt. Everything was destroyed under PDP. My message is simple, the beauty of Nigerian democracy is that if you elect by mistake, it cannot last for more than four years. The last mistake of 2015 must now be corrected in 2019.

“What we need in leadership are men and women who can serve Nigeria as their constituency. The development literature of the Federal Government in South East is very clear. It’s not rocket science. The Ariaria International Market Power Plant is there for all to see. The basis for sustainable economy is to build durable infrastructure and President Buhari is ensuring that.”

Also speaking, a Chieftain of APC and former governor of the state, Dr. Orji Uzor-Kalu lambasted the PDP led administration in the state for what he termed as total neglect of infrastructure in the state and none payment  salaries and  pensions which he said has left many people who served the state with all their hearts in perpetual poverty.

Kalu who is the Senatorial candidate of APC for Abia North District also blasted former president Olusegun Obasanjo for his constant criticism of President Muhammadu Buhari.

“I always call the PDP administration in Abia State liars because in this state, they rumoured that I was dead and gone and I’m alive today to the glory of God. Again I call them liars because they always pay Abia civil servants on radio.

“When I was Governor, there was free education, our darling team Enyimba which was why I built this stadium became champions of Africa twice. In my days, workers and pensioners never begged for their monies.

“I heard a man called Olusegun Obasanjo attacking Mr. President and this man Obasanjo forgot that it was him that brought corruption to Nigeria as a president.

“He was the first President who started thwarting democratic processes in Nigeria. My Problem with him was when he called me and some other persons to support his third tenure bid and I refused and urged others never to accept it. He turned himself into a dictator. How can someone compare Obasanjo and Buhari? Buhari wants the Judiciary to be perfectly independent.

“The judges in my state told me that they are at the process of receiving their monies directly from Abuja. Since I left office as governor, we never heard roads in Abia because subsequent administrations left Abia to decay.

“They’ve told a lot of lies about APC in Abia and come the 16th of February, we shall test the popularity of every party in this soil. Uche Ogah has been tested in the Private sector and he won and he’ll win squarely here. President Buhari has no comparison and Abia will give him 70 percent vote in Abia State,” he said.

The APC gubernatorial candidate, Dr. Uche Ogah, APC Governorship candidate in Abia State urged the president to disregard any information that there is another party in Abia capable of winning elections outside APC. He declared Abia as an APC state.

“Abia people have resolved to unanimously move to APC and there is no other party that can stop it. You’ll get our votes in Abia and the mistake of 2015 will never repeat. We shall be first in giving you votes. We’ve felt your love through numerous Federal Government projects here.

“We’ve told our people that the mistakes of PDP will be corrected in Abia as we move into Government. Thank you for remembering our infrastructure in the South East. Our roads are now better and what else can we say that to appreciate and show you real love during the elections. Our people are tired of PDP.

“The last we had good Government was under Dr. Orji Uzor-Kalu and we have decided that we shall move to next level. We are assuring our people that within just seven days in government, Abia State shall invite Julius Berger to our roads.” We are an oil producing state and we have nothing to show for it.

“The current administration has received 400,000 billion naira in the last three years without completing even ten kilometer road in our state. We have over 100 companies that have closed down in Aba and this is why my people want me because, I understand business.”

The president also used the opportunity of the visit to commission the Ariaria Independent Power Project executed in the state through the Rural Electrification Agency under the Presidency.