Ebonyi APC jittery over Odii’s emergence-PDP

From Chinedu Nwafor, Abakaliki

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ebonyi State says the ruling All Progressives Congress in the State, is jittery over the emergence of Mr Ifeanyi Odii as its governorship candidate.

Mr Osita Kalu, a member of PDP state Presidential/Governorship Media Committee, made the claim on Monday while reacting to a statement credited to the Chairman of APC in the State, Mr Stanley Okoro Emegha.

Mr Emegha was quoted in the media as saying that Mr Odii’s emergence only succeeded in burying the PDP in Ebonyi state, as voters in the state will vote based on the principle of equity and credibility. 

“How can intelligent and ever conscious Ebonyi people allow a man who hails from almost the same local government area with the present Governor,  David Nweze Umahi, succeed him in office? The people are wiser now”, Mr Emegha said.

But Mr Kalu on his part said Mr Emegha’s statement has exposed his myopic understanding of rudimentary politics.

He stated that the Supreme Court judgement that affirmed Mr Odii as the Ebonyi PDP governorship candidate  had become the greatest nightmare of the ruling APC in the state.

“Since the news broke, the leadership of APC in the state has been running from pillar to pole making statements principally aimed at consoling their very few salaried followers.

“One of such statements was made by Stanley Okoro Emegha, APC State Chairman, while briefing journalists in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State capital city, where he said that the emergence of our PDP Governorship Candidate, Dr Ifeanyi Chukwuma Odii is against equity and credibility.

“He is now crying over the internal affairs of the PDP, which shows his myopic understanding of the rudimentary politics of the state which now yearns for a change of the status quo, for a government with human face”, he said.

Mr Kalu further described Mr Emegha’s statement as an act of an utterly confused person who was knocked off balance by the said Supreme Court judgment, saying, he won’t be surprised if the APC now decides to employ the greatest form of violence and thuggery to scare away voters as they know that their end has finally come upon them.

He argued that zoning doesn’t equate competence and a people oriented leadership.

“Zoning also doesn’t connote the enthronement of a mediocre and violence driven candidate, one that will annihilate the people upon grabbing power.

“Zoning is about equity and when the equities are equal, the first in time prevails. All zones in Ebonyi State have had a short at the number one office, so only an illiterate will be shouting zoning, equity etc

“It is ultimately the voters who will make their preferred choice on who they want as the next Governor of Ebonyi State and APC is not even within the imaginary scale of their consideration”, he said .

Mr Kalu listed the sins of APC led government in Ebonyi to include poverty on the people with their multi taxation, non-payment of worker’s standard minimum wages, non payment of retires gratuity and pensions and undemocratic ways of governance.

Others include: “zero recruitment into the State civil service, zero promotion in the state civil service, family driven government without human face and successfully placing Ebonyi as the poorest state in the South East with over 76% poverty rate.”

Mr Kalu noted that “these are the real issue that will influence the people during the 2023 election and not zoning adding that unfortunately, the APC and it’s candidate does not even understand any of these issues and thus incapable of addressing any.

“PDP remains the people’s party in Ebonyi State and has been voted for massively by the people since the return of democracy in 1999. 

“The affirmation of Dr Ifeanyi Chukwuma Odii as the PDP gubernatorial candidate for Ebonyi State is a sign of hope to the ordinary Ebonyi person who has been battered and shattered by the ruling party APC in the state.

“It’s indeed the turn of Ebonyi people to vote for capacity, capability and competence which they have already found in the PDP, Ebonyi State.”