“It is not a misnomer that Abia State is referred to as God’s own state”
As I write this piece, the families and people of Abia state are mourning the sudden death of Prof. Uche Eleazar Ikonne, the PDP gubernatorial candidate, a dazzling family man, teacher and astute civil servant. Prior to the campaign, Mr. Uche Ikonne was confirmed hale and hearty which prompted the choice of his party as a credible candidate for the 2023 guber elections. Unfortunately and painfully though, he could not live to see the victory anticipated. Suddenly, all the confirmed oppositional infighting has come to an abrupt end albeit temporarily as messages of condolence and sympathy continues to flood in from all angles. Mazi Uche Ikonne is gone (May God grant his soul eternal rest) as the battle for the soul of Abia state and her people rages.
As the 8th year tenure of the Okezie Ikpeazu led PDP government draws to a close culminating to a whooping 24 years of a set of people taking turns in subjecting entire population of Abians to emotional torment and economic impoverishment, the entire populace of Abians became apprehensive and decided to do something unimaginable but spiritually viable.
In line is another credible candidate of APGA named Prof. Greg Ibe, whom it is alleged is bedridden since he was last seen in the public. Before now Prof. Greg has been visiting hospitals for what he described as his routine medical checkup in the United States but his last public appearance was not convincing as he had to be supported by aides to enable him stand upright and address the public.
The sight of the heavily built Greg Ibe appearing that weak and helpless send fears and evoked serious concern to many of his supporters who immediately after that sordid sight allegedly change their mind on him. In addition Greg Ibe’s unsavory legal battle to prove his academic credentials at the law court has not met any soft landing as Sir Chikwe Udensi, a major contender to the same guber-ticket intensify his challenge to the credential status of his rival.
In another development, another candidate to note is YPP’s Engr. Enyinnaya Chima Nwafor, a good looking young man with a tall ambition, hale and hearty and sometimes boisterous.
In one of his recent campaign tour to the city of Aba, it was alleged the youths he claim to represent verbally attacked him leading to a confrontation when he dared to address them at Azuka Road, Aba.
Nwafor Chima has been battling with a load of baggage in his alliance with the Okezie Ikpeazu led PDP government. It is alleged that he enjoyed larger part of the proceeds of corruption of the Okezie Ikpeazu led government as many of the over inflated and poorly executed infrastructure projects in the city of Aba were handled by his company, perhaps deliberately for profits while others are regrettably abandoned after money has been released.
Chima needs the votes of people of Abia state because he believes he has the capacity to be another governor in line with Okezie Ikpeazu and the likes. The young men at Aba had challenged him to his face to answer for his reckless behavior with the public trust when ordinary public projects of interest he could not execute and now he seeks to be governor of Abia state.
Till date, Chima Nwafor has been grossly engaged in unsolicited charities across the state and distributing a lot of gifts and money to whomever that cares for it, perhaps it could endear him to the people of Abia state they claim to love so much – especially during elections.
These are the frontline candidates in the Abia state 2023 gubernatorial elections therefore I will limit the story along this line of interest.
“Now among the 4 major contestants to the Abia guber race, one candidate to watch is down. It is unfortunate and painful we lost the fatherly figure Uche Eleazar Ikonne to the cold hands of death, it could have been avoided but what can mortals do. Will the APGA conflicting candidates make peace and address their deificiencies, Will Chima Nwafor appease the irate citizens he has destroyed their roads with poor shoddy jobs with enough cash and gift of charities in order to win their votes, what about the APC multiple candidate of Uche Ogah and Ikechi Emenike.”
Next in line will be Dr. Alex Otti. He has been on frontline of Abia state politics since 2015, an acclaimed thorn in the flesh of the ruling party in Abia state, his presence at every elections has always left the ruling political elites in Abia jittery, defensive and sometimes outright diabolical and violent but Alex Otti has remained undaunted in his challenges against the failures of the government and bad leadership that has been groomed into a culture in Abia state bringing entire state and its people down to their knees in shame, emotional torture and in prayers.
The kind of prayers the people of Abia state has prayed over the years, especially the women group, the traditional worshippers and selected groups of clerics has necessitated this story I am about to tell you.
THE DANGEROUS PRAYERS
…And God said; If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and answer…2Cor. 7:14
When it appears that Alex Otti has been a lone fighter of the crass neglect in government and calling the leadership to their responsibilities, It appears divine forces decided to intervene.
All of a sudden, attention beyond political participation has been drawn to the candidates, their competence, character and capacity to manage the challenges in governance rather than a political party featuring candidates with questionable credentials, character deficiencies, incompetent and visionless which always bring untold hardship and poverty to the people if elected.
More so, only the people who prayed knew what they had said in those prayers, as up till this moment, the confusions, intrigues and internal battles within the candidates, their parties and the voters has not abated,
Necessity of the kind of prayers that ensued
Sometimes ago between 2015 and 2017 after the infamous Obingwa electoral heist led by the PDP government of Abia state in favour of their selected stooge that certainly posses and has exhibited a measured weakness in obedience to his benefactors, the PDP political elites still jittery in the successful robbery of the people’s votes could not sleep for a single day until a certain diminutive figure well versed in the art of treachery and witchcrafts came up with a strange idea of a Machiavellian media propaganda, character assassination and calumny, perhaps it could divert the growing attention on a man that has exhibited the willpower, capacity and competence of rescuing the state from myopic grip of a few circle of men of weak morals, deficient in leadership characters and knowledge of economic development that has propelled Abia state and its people to an accelerated daily decline virtually in all sectors of governance till date.
Selected group of paid pipers and journalists were hired as mercenaries in media propaganda with the sole intent to discredit and rubbish the character of Alex Otti perhaps it would discourage and bar the people from ever making any attempt to either listen or follow him.
Throughout the year 2022, all over Abia State and almost every indigene of Abia State were in Prayers, cursing and invoking the powers of heaven to descend upon the state and its political elites.
It is our duty to pray and has God answered, it is within his discretion to chose how he will answer.
In a swift, the people of Abia state woke up one morning to read headline news of Alex Otti portrayed in a very bad spotlight, how he defrauded Diamond bank, the same diamond bank he led to an enviable growth, how he connived with T.A Orji to steal Abia state money, even when it was obvious he has never served in any government or joined politics at any level. The media calumny was such a huge success that it gave the Abia State led PDP government and its allies enough rooms to deceive and wreck havoc on the state economy so much that civil servants including health workers will be owed for over 36 months and counting without scruples. It was that bad and the media mercenaries were handsomely rewarded for such great diversion
“The Labour party candidate Dr. Alex Otti said; let’s create wealth by building industry that will engage the people, let’s stop the waste of state resources and be disciplined towards the People’s welfare. It is obvious, of the remaining frontline candidates for the guber race, Alex Otti in Labour Party has remained consistent, focused and undaunted with an increasing support by the people of Abia State – this is the answered prayer!”
Yet Alex Otti remains undaunted and resolute on his will to unseat the criminal elements holding homeland hostage.
As the 8th year tenure of the Okezie Ikpeazu led PDP government draws to a close culminating to a whooping 24 years of a set of people taking turns in subjecting entire population of Abians to emotional torment and economic impoverishment, the entire populace of Abians became apprehensive and decided to do something unimaginable but spiritually viable.
They chose the very unconventional way to rebel and wrestle themselves out of the vices of the wicked that has held their entire state hostage so much that the region has been brought so low to become one of the least developed State in the South East with the weakest and worse kind of leadership – it was that bad.
What did the people do; they chose to pray, unconventionally so, they chose to invoke the deities of the land; they chose to perform some rare rituals in broad day light for the soul of the state. By this time things has become so bad that health workers were owed over 36 months, pensioners owed for over 42 months, schools shut down and their accreditation withdrawn, teachers owed over 24 months, virtually entire workforce in Abia state were owed except members of the privileged circle.
Sycophancy and hero cult worship of politicians became a readymade employment for a meal ticket in Abia.
“The entire state governmental architecture was erroneously submitted to diabolism and the political elites began to commit the worse kinds of sorcery, idolatry and corruption so much that by August 2022 the people could not take the torment anymore. And they prayed a dangerous prayer.”
6th September 2022, a group of women adorned in a famous religious wrapper had converged at a junction in Umuahia, they lay down flat on the road in a circle across the junction and prayed fervently under the hot sun.
In another scenario a group of men referred to as the Elders garbed in the outfit of Jewish priests had converged somewhere along the Okpara square and began to make serious incantations in broad daylight invoking the powers of heaven, one of the men leading the prayers had raised up a clay pot containing some substance to the sky in the manner of the biblical prophets, said some more prayers and smashed the pot on the ground and declared “Abia is free from today” then they all went into another series of trance, praying one after the other.
While that was ongoing another group named Abia Christian Community (ACC) has been engaged organizing outdoor prayer meetings and political consciousness interchangeably, captioned “Opening the Gates of Abia.”
On the 4th December 2022, another women group had converged at the infamous Port Harcourt Road Junction on a wild prayer session but were prevailed upon by thugs alleged to be working for the PDP led government of Abia State, the women were dispersed angrily, everyone running for safety.
Beyond these visible religious activities, other traditional groups had gathered in their neighborhood and poured libations, broken kolanuts and invoked the spirit of the ancestors upon the land of Abia leaving God the creator and the supernatural to decide the fate of the state and their chosen leaders.
One would have expected the leadership of Abia state and its allies to call these praying groups to a mutual understanding of how they could be of help to redirect the state from its wrong choices but it was too late.
Throughout the year 2022, all over Abia State and almost every indigene of Abia State were in Prayers, cursing and invoking the powers of heaven to descend upon the state and its political elites. It is our duty to pray and has God answered, it is within his discretion to chose how he will answer.
By late May 26th 2022, Alex Otti has emerged again, this time with a relatively unknown Labour Party, on sighting him, the political elites became jittery and send out the mercenaries again, this time it never worked out as in previous times as some of the mercenaries by now had merely pursued a fruitless cause as Alex Otti never gave up the fight, as the man the people of Abia have continually chosen to lead them to answer true to its name as God’s own state where there will be peace and prosperity for all.
Now among the 4 major contestants to the Abia guber race, one candidate to watch is down. It is unfortunate and painful we lost the fatherly figure Uche Eleazar Ikonne to the cold hands of death, it could have been avoided but what can mortal do. Will the APGA conflicting candidates make peace and address their deificiencies, Will Chima Nwafor appease the irate citizens he has destroyed their roads with poor shoddy jobs with enough cash and gift of charities in order to win their votes, what about the APC multiple candidate of Uche Ogah and Ikechi Emenike.
The Labour party candidate Dr. Alex Otti said; let’s create wealth by building industry that will engage the people, let’s stop the waste of state resources and be disciplined towards the People’s welfare. It is obvious, of the remaining frontline candidates for the guber race, Alex Otti in Labour Party has remained consistent, focused and undaunted with an increasing support by the people of Abia State – this is the answered prayer!
Njoku SaintJerry A is the Abia State Publicity Secretary of Labour Party
