The Abia State Government has reiterated that the State Governor, Dr Okezie Ikpeazu is not interested in joining the All Progressives Congres.s (APC).

Stating this yesterday in Umuahia in a press release by the State’s Commissioner for Information, Chief John Okiyi Kalu, the Abia State Government declared that “the Governor will rather be a conductor in a moving vehicle than the driver of stationary and rickety vehicle conveying decayed politicians whose past the and current activities are focused only on stunting the development of our dear state”.

The State Government made the declaration in response to an earlier statement credited to a chieftain of the APC in the State, Chief Benjamin Apugo, wherein he said he would want all governors to Join the APC except Ikpeazu.

Our attention has been drawn to a Sun newspaper interview granted by Chief Benjamin Apugo wherein he stated, among other things, that he wants “all the PDP Governors to join APC except Governor Okezie Ikpeazu” and wish to assure him that the Governor will rather be a conductor in a moving vehicle than the driver of stationary and rickety vehicle conveying decayed politicians whose past the and current activities are focused only on stunting the development of our dear state.

For the avoidance of doubt, we have enormous respect for the person of Chief Apugo as one of the senior citizens of our state, hence, our reluctance to publicly join issues with him. However, it must be made clear that people see what they want to see especially when fixated on partisan politics as against contributing to the development of the state and her people.

Chief Apugo based the fulcrum of his comments on Governor Ikpeazu on the following statement: “I am from Umuahia, the state capital, since I have not seen six inches block going up as a structure since he became governor”. We however wish to state that such a statement cannot stand any unbiased scrutiny on the surface unless there are other issues under reference.

Aside from completing ASUBEB Headquarters and the International Conference Center projects in Umuahia, the Ikpeazu administration has commissioned many other projects in Umuahia municipality including Abia Investment House in Ogurube Layout, Abia State Independent Electoral Commission (ABSIEC) Headquarters, Abia State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission ASOPADEC) Headquarters, Amuzukwu relief market, among others. The administration has also constructed key roads in the municipality including Aba Road, Ukaegbu Estate Road, Trinity College Road, Ossah-Umuagu Isingwu Road, Roads 2 and 8 of World Bank Housing Estate, Eze I. O. Kanu Road, mediated against gully erosion that threatened Umuagu Isingwu community with 5 clusters of roads reconstructed within the area, re-asphalted 16 roads and is currently working on Agbama Ring Road, Umuopara Ring Road, Empire Kanu Road and Mgbarakuma roads, among others.

It is also on record that it is the Ikpeazu administration that successfully relocated the law and agriculture faculties of Abia State University to Umuahia as well as delivered a new model school in Ossah Ibeku and more than 30 new classroom blocks to schools in Umuahia municipality.

If for whatever reason Chief Apugo has not seen these projects we have no reason to disparage our elder statesman who might be home-bound on account of his glorious age. Our assurance to him is that while we have done a lot of work to improve our state capital we are ready and are actually doing even more including completing the new Government House prUmuahia before ration of our tenure in 2023.

We also wish to urge Chief Apugo to meaningfully contribute to the development of Umuahia by not standing in the way of private and public acquisition of lands by investors many of whom have reported that his activities which constitute unnecessary impediments are the reasons they find it difficult to acquire prime land for investment and development purposes in the capital city.

On Governor Ikpeazu only visiting him once, at night, we assure Chief Apugo that the Governor has enormous respect for him as an elder statesmen and will visit him any day he is available within the state for such visit.