“….The Old Bende comprise of Umuahia, up, from what they are telling us. The Old Aba Zone from the Umunneato –Ngwa, down; the 9 local government areas that make up Ukwa and Ngwa. That’s the Old Aba Zone.
… No Governor Has ruled Abia Under Charter Of Equity
A Chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Abia State, Pastor Dike Nwankwo, has said that since the inception of democratic system of governance in the state, no governor has ruled under the Charter of Equity.
The Chieftain stated this while featuring on ‘Focal Point’ an AFTELEVISON programme with focus on the 2023 gubernatorial race, Abia Charter of Equity, infrastructure, etc on Tuesday, February 1, 2022.
“I think some people want to hold Abia to ransom. Abia Charter of Equity have been given all kinds of interpretation which means there are certain things we don’t know about.
“….But the point is, no governor that has ruled Abia , ruled Abia under Abia Charter of Equity, not one person.”
Nwankwo described power rotation in the State as circumstantial and not based on Charter, adding that former governor Orji Uzor Kalu did not hand over power to Senator T.A Orji in 2007 while considering the charter of equity.
According to him, Kalu transmitted power to Orji because ‘he found him fit at that time to be the one to succeed him’.
“In 1999, when his Excellency, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu wanted to run for governorship, he ran with Vincent Ogbulafor; strong contest, and then he won. What if Vincent won? Where did they sit down and say it’s going to be like this; after North, Central, after Central, South? There was no such discussion.
In 2003, that’s when you hear the popular Otu Onu of Enyinna Abaribe from South. Where was the Charter there? And you move again to 2007 where you had T.A and Onyema Ugochukwu. 2011, Sir Chris Akomas ran. So people have been running. I can say that it is a circumstantial thing that somehow, someone from Abia North got it”.
“His Excellency Dr. Orji Uzor kalu did not give it to T.A because he is from Abia Central; I don’t think so. He gave it to him because he found him fit at that time to be the one to succeed him. It wasn’t because of any charter. It was after him; that when his Excellency, T.A wanted to leave, that was when he accentuated the issue of the charter because of a lot of people who were running then”.
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Proffering solution to the Abia Charter of Equity narratives, Pastor Nwankwo said the government should send the Charter as a bill to the State House of Assembly to deliberate and pass it into law.
“My idea is this, if the government wants to institutionalize rotation of governorship election in Abia state, send it to the State Assembly let it pass as a law that in Abia State, the governorship rotates in either zone A or B, or Senatorial District A or Senatorial District B, and it is passed as a law- all these will not be happening. Then when it’s the turn for this particular people, the whole attention will go there because there is no Zone or Senatorial District that doesn’t have an array of personalities, quality men who can run the State. In fact, there is no local government that does not have people who can rule the state. If that is done, we won’t be having all this thing”.
Speaking on the Old Aba and Old Bende Division which he described as a worrisome argument , he said;
“….The Old Bende comprise of Umuahia, up, from what they are telling us. The Old Aba Zone from the Umunneato –Ngwa, down; the 9 local government areas that make up Ukwa and Ngwa. That’s the Old Aba Zone.
The Old Aba Zone by the Grace of God, are the ones in the circle ride now, completing their 8 years and there is an agitation for it to continue, for them to complete 16 years. That argument if it’s valid, the question is which people make up the Old Aba Zone?
The Old Aba Zone is made up of the Ngwas, and the Ukwas. These are two distinct nations. They are not the same people. We are brothers in one political bloc, culturally and historically, we are not the same people.
Ukwa is distinct. If Ngwa is doing 8 years, is it not fair and natural that if the Aba Zone is agitating for another 8 years the Ukwa people should have it”
According to him, it is not the turn of the Umunneato to take over power. He said since Ngwa has taken their shot, it should go to Ukwa.
He refuted suggestion that Ukwa People have not been making strong case on the matter like their counterparts;
“Sometime last year, stakeholders met in Ukwa and resolved that it is the turn of Ukwa to produce the governor in line with the agitation of an extension of another 8 years for Old Aba Zone. They made their plea, signed by stakeholders ” he added.
On the kind of personality he would love to take over the governorship baton from Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu;
“right now, Abia is in a state of emergency regardless of anything anybody wants to say. State of emergency in governance, education, entire facet of Abia economy. We want a personality that is selfless, that understands governance and leadership’ Nwankwo said.
He added that the state needs someone who isn’t party conscious but is bent on developing Abia.
“Abia has huge potentials that an informed technocrat leading Abia under one or two years, people will start saying a different story.”
When asked if there are no areas governor Ikpeazu has done well, the Chieftain said there is no way anybody will occupy a position for over a year without doing something. However, the expectation and projections of where the State is supposed to be have not been met.
According to Nwankwo all the challenges the APC is facing, still exist in other political parties. He noted that a lot is being done especially by the reconciliation committee to address issues.
