…says Governor Ikpeazu Betrayed ‘Power Rotation’ Arrangement
…‘Ikpeazu Imposing same ‘Injustice’ he’s Fighting under G5 on Abians’
By Ogochukwu Isioma, Umuahia
•Chief Mascot Uzor Kalu
Governorship candidate of the Action Peoples Party (APP) in the forthcoming March 11, 2023 gubernatorial election in Abia State, Chief Mascot Uzor Kalu, says the people of Abia North senatorial zone will speak with one voice at the poll.
This was as the former Chief of Staff accused Gov. Okezie Ikpeazu of promoting and fostering same injustice he claims to be fighting under the Peoples Democratic Party G5 forum on Abians by betraying power rotation to Abia North, thereby denying the people opportunity to produce the next governor.
Igbere TV reports that the first democratically elected governor of Abia state, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu is from Abia North senatorial zone, his successor, Theodore Orji is from Central zone, while the incumbent Governor Okezie Ikpeazu is from Abia South zone. With this, power can be said to have rotated among the three zones.
Based on the foregoing, it is expected and a widely held belief that upon the expiration of Gov. Ikpeazu’s second term, power would return to Abia North zone in all fairness, and in line with the principle of equity and justice.
But, against this popular belief and arrangement, Gov. Ikpeazu is known to have championed, supervised and micro-zoned the governorship ticket of his party, the PDP, to Abia Central, where his immediate past predecessor hails from.
At the PDP, at the national level, Gov. Ikpeazu and other four aggrieved governors of the party had formed the G5 (five governors) forum over alleged injustice in the party, accusing the PDP of marginalising the South.
They had demanded that power should rotate back to South, with President Muhammadu Buhari, a Northerner, completing his eight-year tenure. G5 had also demanded that the party’s chairmanship position be zoned to South.
Meanwhile, Igbere TV understands that, among all the current candidates contesting for the Abia governorship seat, only Chief Mascot hails from Abia North zone. It is expected that the people and Abians in general would rally round the APP candidate to uphold justice, equity and fairness.
Speaking on ‘The Standpoint’, a political programme on Rapid FM, Umuahia, Chief Mascot said Gov. Ikpeazu shouldn’t be crying about injustice on Southerners in his party at the national when he is personally overseeing same injustice on his people back home in Abia.
Chief Mascot was, however, optimistic that the people of Abia North and Abians in general would speak with one voice with their votes at the ballot by electing him, a candidate of Abia North extraction, as their next Governor.
“You (Ikpeazu) can’t claim to be fighting injustice in your own party and on Southerners at the national level whereas back home (in Abia), you are spearheading and executing same injustice on your people,” Chief Mascot said.
According to him, it is hypocritical for one not to practice what he or she preaches, “as the saying goes: charity begins at home, we expected same (justice) for Abians from Gov. Ikpeazu, he should keep up to the commitment in 2019 to return power to Abia North, equity should be restored.”
He pledged that his party, the Action Peoples Party (APP) would enthrone good governance in Abia state by rescuing, rebuilding and making the state great again.
On his part, the party’s Deputy Governorship candidate, Professor Osondu Akoma said the APP has good intentions and parades people-oriented programmes for a greater Abia.
He, therefore, urged the people to vote out PDP and elect the APP and all its candidates in the forthcoming general elections in Abia State.
