Abia 2019: Why Ikpeazu won with a landslide

The March 9 vote of the governors took place in Abia, and since then the population has moved on to the atmosphere and post-election activities. Since then, they have also resumed their usual activities after the rigors of the intense election campaign period for some and simply for the popularity of others.

The final result announced by the National Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) is as follows: PDP: 261,127; APC: 99,574; APGA: 64,366

The good news about the election of governors in Abia is that, while other states are still there, struggling with unnecessary and violent deaths that harm few Nigerians from the moment the campaigns were announced last year, the Abia behavior recorded no violence.

The free, fair, transparent, credible and non-violent conduct of elections in the state of Abia can be attributed to the peaceful and courteous nature of the governor, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu, who does not consider any election as an affair. to "do or die". but simply the exercise of the right of the people freely to choose its leaders. In spite of all the schemes of his adversaries, the bitterness of their campaigns, their factual adjustments to correspond to their distorted narratives, their belligerent postures, etc., the governor never answered in this way. He was rather busy telling people what he had done and the need to re-elect him to continue taking Abia on the road to irreversible prosperity.

The Abians are peace-loving people. That is why the state remained one of the most peaceful states in Nigeria under Ikpeazu, and this was the case during the elections. Thus, no matter the quality of his manifesto, the bellicose posture discourages them. After their horrific experiences in the past, it was impossible for the Abians to elect someone of a belligerent nature to lead them and create bitter divisions between them based on partisan or tribal divisions, rooting for crime and the crime and make the state fertile ground for thugs. So it was natural for them to line up behind Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu, who managed to restore Abia to a state of peace that the Abians desperately needed before the outgoing president came.

It is interesting to note at this point that, in an Open Society Initiative (OSIWA) report on election-related killings from 16 November 2018 to 10 March 2019, neighboring states such as Imo, Enugu, Anambra, Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Ebonyi, recorded 2, 1, 8, 55, 4 and 2, respectively, Abia did not register any casualties.

The mbadive infrastructure development underway in Abia is another factor that has facilitated the re-election of Ikpeazu. With 74 road projects completed and over 90 more of strategic importance to the people and the state, Abians knew they had never been so successful and Ikpeazu's re-election on this basis was obvious.

After having built 4 new model schools, 359 new clbadrooms and renovated about 70 of them in the three senatorial areas of the state, Abia's education sector has enjoyed considerable momentum under the governor. so much so that the state holds the summit proudly. the other states of the WASCE member federation in 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 that are still counting, and can not be dislodged by others, regardless of their resources.

Abia remained the only state in the federation where all primary school students are fed at school every day. While the federal government feeds children from the country's primary schools 1 to 3, Abia feeds its students from primary schools 4 to 6, despite its meager resources, making it the only state in the federation where all its primary school students are fed every day of school.

The result of these mbadive investments continues to show that results are posted annually by the state in the WASCE and other external reviews.

This investment also allowed Abia State University, Uturu (ABSU), a state-owned university, to significantly improve the ranking of the National Universities Commission (NUC), from the 96th position in the world. Ikpeazu at the post of 10.

The revolution in agriculture, where more than 4 million high-yielding Tenera palm plants were distributed to farmers is another factor that has seduced the Abian governor of any status. The cultivation of mushrooms, bunches of poultry and local rice production supported by the government have allowed many Abians to take their destiny into their own hands.

The development of state infrastructure and the peace it enjoys under Ikpeazu also significantly strengthened the governor's goal of attracting foreign investors into the state. The economic city of Enyimba, the governor's main investment building and already dubbed "Dubai of Africa" ​​by global investors, has already attracted considerable foreign direct investment, to the point that the World Bank has ranked Abia the third most preferred destination for investment. foreign investors after Abuja and Lagos in this order, for the last quarter of 2018.

The deliberate policies put in place by the Ikpeazu administration for Ease of Doing Business have also earned it to be ranked fifth among the best states in this field, thus giving the state the best chance of success. necessary benefit over others for investors.

In addition, Dr. Ikpeazu's commitment to the development of SMEs in the state has earned him several awards, including one from the federal government, even though it belongs to a different party than the government. central. He has aggressively led the "Made in Aba" campaign with resounding success as the military and some paramilitary organizations have ordered thousands of pairs of booths from Aba contractors. This is in addition to the fact that the Ikpeazu government has sponsored some 30 Aba shoe manufacturers and leather goods companies in China to strengthen their skills and acquire the modern technological know-how necessary to improve the quality and the quantity of their works. The thirty young entrepreneurs have since returned and are transferring their newly acquired knowledge to others at home. This is all the more true as the governor acquired the advanced shoe-making machines needed for their use.

There have also been revolutions in the health sector where medical facilities are now easily accessible to all citizens of the state, at a number of Dial-a-Initiative initiative. Doc Telehealth. This is particularly beneficial for seniors who may not have the strength to visit a health facility and who are badisted by telephone or mobile state medical staff. These are in addition to the four new general hospitals built by the governor and strategically located in different parts of the state, in addition to those already existing.

There is virtually no sector or population group in Abia State that the governor has not touched directly. It is therefore not surprising that well before the legislative elections of 9 March, Dr. Ikpeazu received an avalanche of support from notable groups, including political blocs, religious groups, traditional leaders, government officials, artisans, merchants, entrepreneurs, professional badociations, students and young people. groups, women's groups, etc.

Of all the candidates, only Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu led a comprehensive and energy-consuming campaign that led him to 17 areas of local government despite his extremely tight schedule as governor. His wife, Deaconess Nkechi Ikpeazu, also took to the streets to campaign vigorously for her husband from one local government to another. While all this worked, the other candidates locked themselves up and got comfortable in the air-conditioned offices of their campaigns without touching the population, even if at least five of the 17 local state governments. Throughout the campaign, a majority of Abiens were unable to reach or interact with them in person. They have isolated themselves from the people and made only weak attempts to reach the electorate through the media and social media to which most of the rural people, who are at the origin of the biggest number of votes, do not even have easy access. While Ikpeazu was busy selling himself, his programs and his projects to people in person, and was even featured several times on all the radio stations of Abia State. in uninterrupted telephone programs, others relied on "federal power" and "red." the eyes "for magic! Tragic!

From the foregoing, no objective political observer would be surprised at Ikpeazu's overwhelming victory in the last election of governors.

His case was even facilitated by the Charter of Trusteeship bequeathed by the founding fathers of Abia, which states that, for reasons of equity and peace, the position of governor of the city of Abia, State of Abia should be replaced by a tour between the three senatorial areas of North Abia, Abia Center and Abia South. . Having played in their turn from 1999 to 2007 (Abia Nord to Orji Uzor Kalu) and from 2007 to 2015 (Abia Central through Senator TA Orji), it was right and just that the inhabitants of Abia Sud, whose Ikpeazu is from , be allowed to complete their own eight years of two terms just like his predecessors. This is even more the case considering the achievements of the holder who have more than justified the Charter.

It was out of the question for the Abiens to reject the Charter simply to satisfy the selfish aspirations of some politicians from the same senatorial areas who had already served as governors in the past. This would have been a recipe for a disaster in the state. To avoid such a political catastrophe, Abians overwhelmingly rejected the other candidates and stuck with Ikpeazu in order to preserve the sanctity of the Charter of Equity, which has been an effective model for the peaceful transition of power from one country to another. one administration to another in the state, therefore, the overwhelming victory of Ikpeazu at the polls has long been predicted by political historians and scientists, and has proceeded as planned on the basis of variables listed above and so much more!

Any attempt by anyone to challenge this population-based election in the courts will provoke public anger against such a person and will reduce the amount of what is left of his image in front of the public.

— [email protected]; Twitter: @stjudendukwe