Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia
A group known as Abia Reformation Movement, has urged voters in the state to reject any political party that violated zoning arrangement as enshrined in the Abia Charter of Equity in its choice of governorship candidate in the March governorship election.
Abia Reformation Movement, according to its Founder, Comrade Ibeabuchi Kalu, “is a group of patriotic Abia youths who can no longer stay by the sides and watch selfish leaders under various proclivities to continue to destroy our ancient landmarks and heritage in the name of politics of divide and rule and in the process tend to revise and rewrite history.”
The group maintained that in keeping with the prevailing power arrangement in the state, it will be the turn of Abia North to produce the Governor in 2023.
Addressing a press conference Thursday in Umuaha, Kalu explained that while Abia North held power for eight years from 1999 before passing it unto Abia Central in 2007, and Abia South in 2015, it would be only natural for power to rotate back to the North in 2023 in the spirit of equity and justice.
He said that any political party that violated zoning arrangement during its primary by choosing a governorship flag bearer from outside Abia North, should get ready for the consequences of its action at the poll.
The group vowed to mobilise voters across the state to vote against any party that disregarded the Abia Charter of Equity put in place by the founding fathers of the state.
Abia Reformation Movement accused the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, of conniving with some other political parties to “destroy power rotation and ensure that power is retained by Ukwa la Ngwa beyond 2023,” in gross violation of the charter of equity put in place by the founding fathers of the state.
Kalu who read from a written speech said: “The conspiracy between the incumbent government of the PDP and some other political parties, like LP, YPP, et al, in collaboration with some revisionist groups like Ukwa la Ngwa and their cohorts to keep power from rotating back to Abia North is selfish, divisive, clannish, retrogressive, dishonorable, wicked and unacceptable to the generality of Abians of all divides and across political spectrum.
“This, if allowed will enthrone anarchy, chaos, tribal hatred, divisiveness and under-develop the state. This must be resisted by all patriotic Abians.
“We can no longer watch as revisionist group like Ukwa la Ngwa and their cohorts who enjoy State sponsorship take up the task of re-drawing and re-writing history leading to re-partitioning our ancient landmarks to give unearned and unsolicited dominance to a section of the Abia geopolitical entity. This must stop.
“We are therefore calling on all Abians of good conscience to resist the PDP clannish rule that has cast the Abia Charter of Equity under the moving bus by massively voting against the PDP and other political parties that fielded governorship candidates not from Abia North extraction.
“The tendency to foist another Ngwa man to continue after Okezie Victor Ikpeazu is unacceptable. Proactive steps must be taken to return the state back to the template created by our founding fathers who fought for the creation of Abia State.”
“We are calling Abians to come together irrespective of political parties and join us to return the government back to Abia North through the Abia Charter of Equity already negotiated for us by our founding fathers.
“Abians of all divide must say no to PDP and the other political parties together with their collaborators with whom they are today trying to destroy the fabrics of peaceful coexistence in the State. Abia State does not belong to the PDP. Enough is Enough.
“We are calling on Abians of good conscience to join hands with ARM to preserve, protect, and defend the pristine principles of Abia Charter of Equity for good governance in our state.”
Kalu hinted that consultations were going on among governorship candidates from Abia North for the emergence of a consensus candidate among them.
He called on Abians not to allow politicians violate the charter of equity which according to him is in the best interest of the state as it guarantees mutual trust and peaceful coexistence.
