Go beyond endorsement, speak out against bad governance, lawmaker tells Ngwa elders

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By Steve Oko

The lawmaker representing Aba South state constituency in the Abia State House of Assembly, Hon. Obinna Ichita, has told Ukwa la Ngwa Council of Elders, that it amounts to hypocrisy to be jostling over endorsement of candidates for the 2023 election while keeping mum over bad governance and injustice in the state.

Ichita who spoke on the heels of the altercation between some stakeholders of the socio-cultural organisation over which candidate to endorse for Abia governorship in the forthcoming poll, accused some politicians of using the umbrella of the association to foist their preferred candidate on the people.

The lawmaker expressed dismay that a serious group like Ukwa la Ngwa Elders Council would be so obsessed with endorsement while overlooking more important issues affecting the state.

He expressed disappointment that the Council was yet to take a position over the neglect of Ukwa land, the only oil-producing area in the state but was quick to push for a candidate in 2023.

The deputy governorship candidate of the All Progressive Grand Alliance, APGA, challenged the elders to speak out against the persecution of the opposition in the state instead of dabbling into partisan politics.

Hon Ichita in a statement called on the association not to play into the hands of political merchants but uphold the integrity of the revered association.

Below is a full text of the statement made available to Wawa News Global:

“The attempt by a few persons (of Ukwa la Ngwa extraction) to mask their group’s interest as the interest of the entire Ukwa la Ngwa people must be resisted by all conscious and revolutionary Ukwa la ngwa indigenes; Same way that revolutionary Abia youths have resolved to mount a robust resistance against the threats of attack/persecution of opposition politicians and opposition lawmakers in Abia state.

“Rather than condemn the poor leadership skills of the officials of the executive arm of Abia state government, some elders from Ukwa la Ngwa are busy throwing punches on local blogs and tabloids about whom to endorse as the next Governor of Abia.

“Presently, strategic and important roads in Aba, the heart beat of Ngwa land lay in runs. The two Local Governments in Ukwa are literarily cut off from the rest of the state due to bad roads. Ukwa, the land that made Abia an oil bearing state is desolate and abandoned.

“The elders have never condemned the administrative ineptitude in Abia.

Since when do elders sit idly at home and watch the goat deliver in tethers?

“The silence of these “leaders and elders” of Ukwa la Ngwa in the face of gross abandonment of public infrastructure in both Ukwa and Ngwa lands, in addition to the attempted emasculation of opposition politicians, and the primitive attacks on opposition lawmakers in Abia, speak to the partisan nature of this group of people.

“They are after their personal interests and not the interests of the people of Ukwa la Ngwa.

I am a bonafide indigene of Aba, the heart of Ukwa la Ngwa. I represent one of the most important constituencies in Ukwa la Ngwa in the state parliament, hence, I have unimpeachable rights to offer opinions on issues that concern Ukwa la Ngwa.

“There is no gainsaying that the next Governor of Abia will not be determined by a few elders from Ukwa la Ngwa.

In fact, as it is now, no cabal in Abia can lay claim to having the powers to exclusively determine who becomes the next Governor of Abia state. A third force has emerged in the Abia political landscape !

“The undemocratic actions of officials and agents of Abia state government in the past weeks have further vindicated those who rejected the idea of a state police.

“The belief that law enforcement agencies can be used to intimidate the opposition in our democracy is primitive and undemocratic. The professionalism of the federal security and intelligence agencies must be commended.

“Lastly, instead of the boring endorsement of any governorship candidate by Ukwa la Ngwa elders, many Abians would love to read the position paper of the Ukwa la Ngwa elders on the performance of the present government of Abia state led by an Ukwa la Ngwa son.

“A sector-by-sector analysis would elevate the conversation about governance beyond parochial considerations.

Revolutionary Abians shall resist any attempt to be confused by a few elders “who try to say Emi Lo Kan in Ngwa dialect”.

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Steve Oko, Publisher/C.E.O, WaWa News Global. For more information on advert placement and news coverage, contact us on: 08038725600, or via email stevemanofgod2000@yahoo.com; wawanewsglobal@gmail.com Always read WaWa News Global - Your most dependable online news platform for the latest breaking news in Nigeria.