A Peoples Democratic Party, PDP Chieftain in Abia state, Chief Ncheta Omerekpe has thrown a challenge to all Governorship aspirants, who want to fly the flag of the party as Governorship candidates, to come for an open debate, to tell Abians what qualifies them to fly the flag of the party in the 2023 Governorship elections.
He threw the challenge before the state Party Chairman, Dr Alwell Asiforo Okere , while speaking at the party secretariat, along St Finbers Road, Umuahia, where he had come to officially inform the party of his intentions to run for the Governorship seat of the state.
He said that one of the basic questions to ask during the debate is to find out from the aspirants how they made the money with which they want to contest elections to govern the state.
“But there are basic questions that should be asked in this exercise and one of them is to find out from the aspirants how they made the money with which they want to contest election for governorship. I learnt that there was somebody who came here to purchase form, and people started asking questions on when he made the money. A man who joined the Government in 2015 and today he has made enough money in millions that enabled him to aspire for Governorship position. The money he is flaunting could not have come from outside Abia state”, Omerekpe said.
The Umuakwu Nsulu, in Isiala Ngwa North LGA of Abia State born philanthropist, business mogul and financial consultant was accompanied by mammoth crowd of supporters from across Local Government Areas of the state.
He explained that in course of such a debate, every aspirant will be allowed to be civil and in course of their civility, they should say the truth about their sources of wealth as well as be at liberty to call anyone, discovered to have stolen money from the state treasury, a thief.
He explained that many of those who are today flexing muscles as millionaires and billionaires, that want to govern the state were mere paupers before 2015 when they came into government, and today they are beating their chest as people who have made enough money to purchase aspiration forms with intentions to govern the state.
The party Chieftain wondered if the money being flaunted by such emergency millionaires and billionaires were not stolen from the state coffers.
He told the party leadership and newsmen that if there is anybody who is more qualified to aspire to govern the state, that he is the one, because as one of the oldest party members, who joined the party in 1999 when Orji Uzor Kalu was in PDP, he made a donation of one million naira then for the up keep of the party, and that he never made his money from Government.
He also told his audience that he single-handedly renovated the party secretariat, where they were seated to its present status, and that the state party Chairman, Dr Alwell Asiforo Okere can testify to that .
Omerekpe said that the tradition of the party is that the Governor will choose and hand over to a person of his choice to succeed him , after his tenure, but that today, because the party is ready for change, “this is the first time, that the person chosen by the Governor will not fly because we are ready for change”.
He explained that he will not sit down and watch political jobbers bring out somebody who, in every sense, is least qualified to fly the flag of the party when qualified persons like him are ready to serve.
He said that the person, said to have been anointed by the Governor to succeed him was not chosen by the Governor, but by “Some boys who are around the Governor, who use Government house for business because the Governor was out of the country when the presentation was made.”
He wondered why Governor’s boys would select a man who is more than 80 years old to aspire, “somebody I can easily defeat in the Governorship contest”.
The business mogul advised the Governor Ikpeazu to play the role of a father to all the people who have purchased forms to govern the state by giving everybody equal opportunity to participate .
“The main issue now is how PDP will win election in 2023,who is the person that will fly their flag, this is the first time God has assured me to aspire and win election. But all those who are Governors aides, who believe that they have arrived, one of them will soon be mentioned and he lives in Lagos and comes to Abia every month to clollect 1 billion naira”, he disclosed
According to him, “before , we used to hear that party is supreme, but today, party has become a house boy, and we can’t continue to allow that”, he said and expressed surprise how the Governor’s aides would bring out somebody to succeed him when he traveled”.
He said that he has not been part of any government in Abia, but has surpassed the achievements of some Senators and House of Representatives members in his personal efforts to better the lot of the people of the State.
He pledged to serve Abians with all his heart if given the mandate, reminding all that if they want change, he is poised to effect the needed change as Abia is in dire need of change by moving away from imposition of candidates which has become a norm in the State.
Speaking earlier, Asiforo, who described Omerekpe as a party man promised that the party will give all aspirants a level playing ground.
At Omerekpe’s entourage was the member representing Isiala Ngwa North in the Abia State House of Assembly, Hon. Ginger Onwusibe, who had also picked his nomination and expression of interest form to represent Isiala Ngwa North/South Federal Constituency.
He said Chief Omerekpe has imparted the lives of the people positively and will do well if he becomes the Governor of Abia state.
Onwusibe, who described Omerekpe as a philanthropist and business mogul, said that he has done so much, constructing roads, schools, skills Acquisition centers, hospitals, stating that he has all it takes to occupy the number one seatin the state. END
