The Chairman, African Democratic Congress (ADC), Abia state, Obinna Don Norman, have expressed confidence that the party will take over power from the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2023.
Don Norman said this while featuring on an AFTELEVISION programme ‘Focal Point’ on Tuesday, February 8, 2022.
Reacting to assertions that the ADC is not a party to be worried about in the state, Norman, a veteran journalist said the PDP have focused on ADC forgetting other opposition parties because “they know that a man who has good governance as one of his priority in Abia state is the chairman.”
“ADC became a problem to the PDP and a topic of discussion today because a certain Obinna Don Norman, whose ideology is good governance has come to be the party chairman. They know that the man who is likely going to present the next governor of Abia state has come to take over” he said.
According to the opposition party chairman, the PDP should not think about presenting a candidate in 2023 but prepare their hand over note.
“I’ve always maintained that PDP shouldn’t even form part of our discussion in politics in Abia state because if you discuss a failure, you simply give the failure room to be heard. For me PDP, if they have any atom of shame in them, they shouldn’t even be talking about 2023 and who they want to present as candidate to govern Abia state because PDP has become a cancerous alleles and the only solution to this cancerous alleles is ADC.
ADC has come to stay in Abia state. ADC did not Come to do things the way the Peoples Democratic Party have done it in the last 24 years. We came to establish an Abia that will be the pride of everybody.”
“The PDP should quietly prepare their handover note. The ADC will take over government by May 29, 2023 and that is a promise”
Don Norman described the ADC as the 3rd force (PDP, APC,ADC) in the state which other political parties will have to reckon with, ruling out the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).
Explaining why he ruled out APGA as a political force to reckon with in Abia state, Norman said the party collapsed after the 2015 election and seem to be rising, owing to the recently concluded election in Anambra state where an APGA candidate won.
“We want a person in Abia who will not sabotage the efforts of the masses. We want a party who will work in tangent with the aspiration of the people. we want a party who will not go tomorrow and conspire with the ruling party that have destroyed us for a very long time, collect money from them and sell the party to the PDP and by so doing sabotage the efforts of the people.”
He cited 2015 election where lawmakers in the Abia State House of Assembly who won under the APGA defected to the PDP.
The ADC Chairman assured that his party which according to him, has no godfather, will ensure that pensioners and teachers are settled as at when due.
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“We don’t have a godfather anywhere; we don’t have to impose any candidate on Abia people. We will ensure that the wishes of the electorates fall in line with our own plans. Its not going to be business as usual.
“We are going to present to Abians a government that will take care of their welfare”
On if ADC will adopt the Abia charter of equity and zoning in choosing a candidate for 2023 Gubernatorial election, Don Norman said;
“In the first place, there is nothing like Abia charter of equity. Abia charter of equity was a document by our founding fathers. The purpose of Abia charter of equity was to prepare Abia state. That document was never recognized or signed into law by the Abia state House of Assembly at any given time. So discussing an illegal charter of equity is even an insult to our psyche as a people.”
He noted that the ADC will not consider zoning, but will present a technocrat candidate who will give Abians good governance .
Giving his personal assessment on the state governor, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu’s government, Norman opined that the governor have not done a project in Abia State.
In his own words;
“The gospel truth is that Okezie Ikpeazu’s government is a disaster that shouldn’t have happened. The reason I will always say that Okezie Ikpeazu’s government failed Abians is simple. When the last administration left, they did not leave one naira for Okezie Ikpeazu to operate with. They owed 6 months salary arrears, so Okezie Ikpeazu inherited 6 months salary arrears, no money and he also inherited N39b.
The past administration of Senator T.A Orji left a debt of N39b for Okezi Ikpeazu’s administration. From 2015 June to December 31, 2020, Okezie ikpeazu’s government has increased that debt from N39B to N128.8b, in other words, his administration borrowed additional N89.2b.”
According to him, no project ongoing in the state is worth one billion naira even when the administration has ‘received N528b in revenues’ within the cited period.
Meanwhile, the Abia state government recently launched ‘Rebuilder 365’ project where governor Okezie Ikpeazu’s projects in the state are being displayed for public assessment.
