‘We have 9-point development agenda that will revitalise, reposition Imo’

Some people are still confused as to who is the gubernatorial candidate of PDP in Imo. May we hear from you on that? When you look at history, PDP always come comes better after the crisis. So, for the present crisis in Imo, we would come out better, even though, I do not see any crisis in Imo PDP. There is no crisis in PDP. We have one person that has the governorship ticket. And that person is Hon. Emeka lhedioha. There are no two governorship candidates for the PDP in Imo – only one person. Yes, there may be court cases for us, we know those court cases will translate into success because the ticket has already been given to Emeka lhedioha. He is our candidate.

What is your agenda for Imo people, if elected into office? My principal and PDP governorship candidate, Hon. Emeka lhedioha and I (his deputy governor candidate) have 9-point agenda that will revitalise and reposition Imo State. We have a lot of plans for the people. Our agenda would revitalise and reposition Imo State to what it used to be. We are going to showcase our plan in the area of education that would make every Imo child proud that he or she has had a good and qualitative education. Imo State used to be in the first to fourth position in education, but now we are at the 34th position out of 36 states.

Nobody should pull a wool over our eyes with the claim that he is giving free education and is using that to blackmail all of us. We are saying never again will such a man come our way. Of course, you remember that I represented the Njaba state constituency for eight solid years, and as the deputy speaker at the Imo State House of Assembly. So, I know what education used to be in this state I know what we did then to place education on a strong footing. But now, see what we have – free education with dropping standards. And that is why we want to defeat such a man at the governorship polls and send him packing from the Government House.

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The PDP has been at the apex for the last 14 years, and has put so many things on the ground to prove that they have been there; mentioned them- road infrastructure, rehabilitation of schools, employment, empowerment, transformation and so many things. That is why you see people talking about PDP. But the Rochas Okorocha administration is seen by some people as performing, and they can point to a plethora of projects. What about that? Most of the things the incumbent governor is doing are cosmetic projects. Very impressionistic things! He would site a general hospital along the express road; he sites a university on the express road.

Okorocha doesn’t seem to have a master plan before he does anything. That is why we in PDP feel that most of the things Okorocha is doing are impressionistic. He wants to impress people. How can he close 19 General Hospitals that were built by the people under the Town Union arrangement, through their contributions? He closed 19 General Hospitals, and he is now building 27 general hospitals. What is the economic sense in that? Besides, I am not sure there are plans on how he would equip these general hospitals. He built them along the road so that people will see the blocks of something he is putting up and clap for him! No PDP government will do that. They have put so many things on the ground. PDP has been there at the apex for the past 14 years and has laid a solid foundation for what is known as today’s Imo State. Besides, he (Rochas Okorocha) cannot say PDP has not performed. Rochas himself was a PDP member.

All the people who are camping in APC today were once PDP members. Is it Rotimi Amaechi (of Rivers State); is Rabiu Kwankwaso (of Kano State); is it Barnabas Gemade (of Benue State); mention all of them, they are all PDP products. So, if PDP was all that bad, why were they good today over there in APC? So, it is funny. PDP has been the party that has achieved so much: both at the national level and the state level.
How do you foresee the voting pattern in Imo on April 11? I advise the electorate to vote wisely and vote for the party they know. I urge them not to vote for the party that will take Imolites a century back. They should not vote for a party that will Islamize us. Let them not vote for a party that will impoverish us. They shouldn’t vote for a party that will dehumanise us. Imolites shouldn’t vote for a party that will take our money and will not show us what they have done with it. But they should vote for a PDP that is accountable and has laid a foundation for a modern-day Imo State.