From Magnus Eze, Enugu
Speaker after speaker at the campaign flag-off of All Progressives Congress (APC) for the Ohaozara/Onicha/ Ivo (OHANIVO) Federal Constituency of Ebonyi State in the February 25 polls, said the constituency belongs to the party.
This is as the House of Representatives candidate of APC for the area, Felix Igboke, has pledged not to disappoint his people if voted into office.
Director General of the Divine Mandate Campaign Council of the APC in the state, Chief Austin Umahi, Chairman of Onicha local government council, Chief Chidiebere Uzor (Obosi) and his Ivo counterpart, Ajah Emmanuel Ogbonna, said the federal constituency was the home of APC, being the home base of the state governor, Chief David Umahi.
Igboke, who promised the people effective representation blamed truancy and inability to relate with constituents as the bane of some previous occupants of the seat.
Addressing a mammoth crowd at the flag-off of his campaign at Isu, headquarters of Onicha Local Government, the former council chairman noted that several people who seek elective positions see them as business ventures where they must recoup their investments and make profits.
He said: “As I go to Abuja, I will not disappoint you; my dear constituents, I won’t say that I will tar roads and build bridges but I assure you of effective representation. We will pay priority to getting our people federal opportunities. We will look out for agricultural grants for our farmers; that’s the kind of empowerment that will affect large number of our people.”
Like Igboke, other speakers at the event including former Deputy Governor of Ebonyi State, Prof. Chigozie Ogbu, and former Chairman, Ivo LGA, Chief Aroh Nweke, urged party members to work assiduously for the victory of the APC at all levels.
Ogbu noted that the APC in the state recognised equity, justice and fairness in choice of its candidates for the various elective positions across the state.
“Onicha has always produced the highest votes, but I urge all of our people not to be violent during the forthcoming elections. Onicha people are not known as violent people, so, let’s go out and vote peacefully and return to our homes.
“Remember that any violence would lead to cancellation of votes in that affected polling unit and the electoral law is clearly against violence,” he stated.
Chairman of the party’s campaign council in Ohaozara LGA, Chief Chaka Nweze, warned that there would not be room for rigging during the forthcoming polls, so, the party must work for the votes.
Nweze said: “Votes are going to count, so, if the votes will count, our strategy now should be how we are going to harvest the votes. What it means is that we have to reach out to the people who have the votes, the electorate.”