The Majority Leader of the Abia State House of Assembly and son of a former governor of the state, Hon Chinedum Orji, has said that Governor Okezie Ikpeazu is not under the control of his predecessor’s family.
Orji said this while speaking to our correspondent after inspecting some projects he embarked on in primary schools and health facilities across Umuahia Central State Constituency in Umuahia, the state capital.
He said as a family that had respect for itself and constituted authorities, they would never interfere with the running of the state by the current administration, despite their contributions towards Ikpeazu’s victory at the polls in 2015.
Ikpeazu was elected into office to serve the people of the state and not any individual or group
“Ikpeazu was elected into office to serve the people of the state and not any individual or group. Any attempt to interfere with the administration would be detrimental to the people who put him there,” he said.
He appealed to elected office holders in the state to deliver on their campaign promises or be ready to face the consequences, saying politics in the country was now tilting towards individual capacity rather than party popularity.
“The era of confidence and complacency after securing party ticket for election in the state is gone. The electorate is becoming wiser by the day. If you take them for a ride, you will pay dearly for it,” he said.
The lawmaker said beyond the school and health facility projects, which included reroofing of classroom blocks, water boreholes, conveniences, supply of books and desks, he was also undertaking some electrification projects.
“These are beside those I have attracted as a lawmaker. I want to make our primary schools as attractive as the best private schools around the constituency, to make room for conducive learning,” he added.
He condemned the spate of criticisms of leaders and the quantum of petitions that followed elections in the state, saying perpetrators of such acts were not helping the growth of democracy in the state.
“We need to learn how to encourage our leaders to excel. They say Rome was not built in a day. Even when there is the need to criticise them, we should do so constructively,” he said.
Orji used the forum to encourage the people to obtain their Permanent Voter Cards, which he described as a basic tool in determining who represents or governs them democratically.
