- Disregard opposition’s assessment -deputy chief of staff
The All Progressives Grand Alliance in Abia State has scored the administration of Governor Okezie Ikpeazu low in the running of the affairs in the state. APGA accused the Ikpeazu-led Peoples Democratic Party administration of setting back the hand of the clock in the progress of the state.
APGA National Vice Chairman (South), Chief Uchenna Okogbuo, stated this in an exclusive interview with The Point on his assessment of the state since May 29, 2015. O k o g b u o maintained that so many things had gone wrong in the administration of the state, since the assumption of office of Governor Ikpeazu.
According to the APGA chieftain, the state had allegedly continued to wallow in illegality, resulting in “quackery.” He said, “Well, it is obvious that if you bring in a professional to do a professional job, you get a professional result and when you bring in a quack, you know the result you get. What we are seeing and experiencing in the state today is as a result of quackery. People that ordinarily are not supposed to be near the seat of power, people that ordinarily do not even understand the workings of government, politics and power have taken charge.
“And the unfortunate thing also is that most of these imbalances are being corrected in several states of the federation, but in Abia State, we are still going deeper and deeper in illegality. But an APGA government, as everybody knows, is government of professionals.”
Okogbuo stressed that the Ikpeazu-led administration in Abia should take a cue from the APGA administrations that have governed another South East state, Anambra, since 2006 by taking steps that would move the state towards the path of progress and development.
He also blamed former Governor Orji Uzor Kalu and his successor, Theodore Orji, for allegedly foisting on the people of the state an allegedly incompetent government.
“The people know Kalu very well. They know him to be a man who eventually did his own bit for the people when he was in office. But he left and gave us Orji, who did not represent whatever vision he had. And Orji also left and brought us somebody who is just like himself.
So, all this structured chain-commands that they gave to the people are still haunting them, because they have not given us what we wanted. It is still the same water that is boiling in the pot,” Okogbuo said.
He, therefore, charged the PDP administration in Abia to chart a new course in the governance of the state. He added, “You see what is happening in Anambra State. Peter Obi did his own bit and left.
Now, a professional, an astute accountant took over as his successor and he is using his experience and that knowledge to manage the affairs and finance of that state. And it is adjudged the best state in the federation.
“One thing is clear, he has been able to constantly pay salaries as at when due; constantly put security where it should be; constantly bringing investors to the state; constantly working on agriculture.
This is because he knows what to do with money and how to generate money.” Saying that had Abia been lucky to have a professional at the helm of affairs, the state would have been competing favourably with others, Okogbuo added, “But today, there is no competition.
It is still the old order. The old method of doing things; that is the only thing they know and they cannot go further than doing it the way they like to do it and not the way the masses and the way professionals think it should be done. It is unfortunate.”
He assured that APGA would win the 2019 election in the state. But in a swift reaction, the Deputy Chief of Staff at Abia’s Government House, Ukpai Agwu Ukpai, described APGA’s assessment of the governor’s performance as untrue.
Ukpai said that the state government would be ready to take the opposition party chieftains on a tour to see things for themselves.
