From: David Onwuchekwa, Nnewi
The Imo State indigenes in Nnewi, Anambra State, under the auspice of Imo General Assembly (IGA) said they would henceforth give their votes to any of the Anambra State governorship candidates who is ready to recognise and appreciate them. They claimed they were being marginalised in the scheme of things in the state.
President-General of IGA, Chief Chinedu Igwe, said this, on Thursday, during an interaction with journalists in his office.
Igwe noted that the Imo people living in the industrial town of Nnewi are fully prepared to take active role in the Anambra gubernatorial election, saying that the over 7, 000 members of the association have taken advantage of the Voters Continuous Registration embarked on by INEC to transfer their registration to Anambra State since Imo will not be going for such elections for now.
He said the need to speak up now has become imperative because the teeming Imo people in Nnewi are marginalized noting that as a cosmopolitan and urban city he expected non-indigenes to be taken into reckoning while making decisions as it is done in other climes.
The IGA leader also urged politicians to provide good and qualitative leadership once they have been elected into office. He, however, noted that he was averse to the idea of sharing money meant for the commonwealth among a few privileged ones.
Igwe said that his people would only give their mandate to any of the candidates jostling for Anambra State plum job that is ready to take non-indigenes into reckoning particularly those from the neighboring Imo State.
He also charged the election umpires to be impartial, fair and transparent in the conduct of the gubernatorial polls.