PRESS RELEASE
Attention of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Abia State Chapter has been drawn to the senseless and baseless press statement released by the Abia State Government through the Commissioner for Information, Eze Chikamnayo wherein the State government failed to address multiple and weighty issues of bad governance and poor standard of living among the teeming populace of Abia State under the P.D.P led Government in the State as was raised by APGA in her press conference of 11/11/21.
APGA wishes to state that it is very unfortunate, shameful and ridiculous that instead of addressing the issues of non-payment of workers’ salaries, including pensioners and the poor and dilapidated infrastructures in the state, Eze Chikanmaya, a kettle that calls a pot ‘’black’’ chose to attack the persons of Rev. Augustine Ehiemere and Hon. Obinna Ichita, the APGA State Chairman and the Hon. Member representing Aba South State Constituency respectively.
Eze Chikamnayo by his actions has put his own character in issue and at the appropriate time, APGA as a political party will tell the Abia State Government and the entire Abians that a man who lacks moral rectitude like Eze Chikamnayo can never be the image maker of the State and it remains an incontrovertible fact that Chikamnayo has the proclivity for promoting immoral and uncultured activities/businesses in Abia State, thus he is a man with evil and corrupt mind who is not worthy to speak on behalf of Abia State (God’s Own State).
APGA reiterates the fact that conscience remains an open wound and it is only truth that can heal it, thus no matter the efforts of the P.D.P led Abia State Government in their attempt to hoodwink and deceive the citizens of Abia State, the people have grown in knowledge and wisdom and need no prophet to tell them that the P.D.P led government has failed Abians by putting the citizens in perpetual poverty, endless cries and underdevelopment for the past 22 years now.
Abians should recall that sometime in 2019, the current Commissioner for information, Eze Chikamnayo made a press release which he posted on his Facebook page where he categorically stated thus ‘’My decision to join my voice in asking Dr. Ikpeazu and Rt. Hon. Chinedum Orji to listen to the voice of reason and pay workers has been a source of serious challenge to me.’’ In the said press release, Chikamnayo castigated the Abia State Government under Okezie Ikpeazu for not listening to the cries of Abia workers and pensioners regarding the none payment of salaries and pensions in the State. Eze Chikamnayo equally accused the State Government of sharing and appropriating among officials of the State Government, Abia State Government landed property.
APGA therefore wish to ask Mr. Commissioner ‘’whether there has been any meaningful and or truthful compliance by the Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu’s led government in paying the salaries of Abia workers from 2019 till date as observed by Chikamnayo in 2019? Put differently, has the system of administration in Abia State changed from 2019 when he chose to honestly criticize the State Government till date? Again, APGA further queries the Commissioner if his revelation in 2019 that the State Government has shared and appropriated among officials of the State Abia State Government landed property has turned to false? These questions Mr. Commissioner has to answer before the entire citizens of Abia State, to prove his moral soundness and integrity before Abians as the Commissioner for information.
We are very much aware that Eze Chikamnayo, the information commissioner have always looked for his stomach infrastructure and in his desperate moves to achieve same, he adopt his style of blackmail to attract recognition from the State government, thus his current appointment as the information commissioner in the State, even when he is grossly incompetent and morally bankrupt to be the image maker of the State. Eze Chikamnayo should know that APGA has his malodourous and stinking dossier which the party shall release to the public upon any further provocation by Mr. Commissioner for information by not conducting himself in a manner that is compatible with the status of the office he occupy presently.
APGA therefore calls for the immediate removal and or resignation of Eze Chikamnayo as the image maker of Abia State based on his immoral and unholy disposition which can only build additional rejection of the current administration by Abia Citizens if he remain as the information commissioner in the State.
In reaction to the statement by the commissioner for information that APGA is factionalized and dead, we wish to state here that APGA which is currently embraced by all as party ‘’NDI IGBO’’ remains formidable in Abia State with Rev. Augustine Ehiemere as the State Chairman and APGA remains one and has no faction either in the state or in the National.
APGA further wonders why Abia elites, religious organizations and professional bodies like the Nigeria Bar Association have refused and failed to lay credence to the voice of the opposition party (APGA) in Abia State in condemning the bad governance style of the PDP led government in Abia State who mingles deceit and lies with democracy in Abia State, thereby impoverishing the entire Abians.
APGA therefore reiterates emphatically that it remains the only generally accepted platform for the enthronement of good governance in Abia State and the entire South East in general come 2023. We therefore encourage and enjoin all progressive minded Abians and lovers of good governance to form a formidable alliance and common front with APGA for a change of baton in Abia State come 2023 for the betterment of Ndi Igbo.
For the avoidance of any doubt, APGA remains an independent political party free from any internal or external control, thus any person or group of persons claiming and or parading themselves as owners of APGA in Abia State or who are deceiving the general public that APGA, Abia State is in their pockets and or that APGA has been sold to them or that they have bought the governorship ticket of APGA for the 2023 election are deceiving themselves and must be seen and regarded as political merchants and such persons are doing so at their own risk as the party is very much ready to take disciplinary actions against such persons, as the party remains supreme at all times.
We further commend the National Chairman of APGA, Ozomkpu Victor Ike Oye for his transparency and resolve to ensure that there is fairness and diligent observance of internal democracy in choosing the party’s candidate in the Anambra Election and his further resolve to follow same for the selection of APGA candidates at all levels come 2023.
Therefore, any person interested in vying for any elective position in APGA is advised to join the party now for the interest and growth of the party as the party is ever open for all Abians. As the party firmly promise to run an open door policy for all members while assuring all and insisting that internal democracy must be observed and followed in selecting the candidates of the party for the 2023 elections.
There is no sacred cow in APGA, thus the party in the State shall not condone any of such, no matter how highly placed the person may be, as the overall interest of the party and that of all Abians supersedes every individual personal ambition or interest. The party further encourage prospective members to visit her mega New/Current APGA State Secretariat at Plot 128 Aguiyi Ironsi Layout, Umuahia, Abia State.
APGA wish to use this medium to announce formally that 4 governorship aspirants have indicated interest to use APGA as a platform to run for the 2023 elections in Abia State and while 2 of the aspirants are from the major political parties in Abia State, the other 2 are technocrats from the Diaspora. We hope to receive other major aspirants as the day unfolds.
Rev. Augustine Ehiemere
APGA State Chairman