From ADIELE GOSPEL, Umuahia
FOLLOWING the crisis in Abia State over a Federal High Court ruling against Governor Okezie Ikpeazu, a group under the aegis of Abia Youths Progressive Ambassadors (AYPA), has advised the Judiciary to be cautious in its decision in order not threaten the already existing peace in the State.
The National Coordinator of the group, Uba Anyanwu, who disclosed this to National Daily, said that the present relative peace in the State may be disrupted considering the tension and anxiety the ruling from the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja is presently generating in the State.
He described the emergency of Governor Okezie Ikpeazu as a result of the political arrangement among the three senatorial zones of the State while he recalled that under the applied zoning formula, the Abia North and Abia Central have all taken their fair share of the political agreement under the Abia State Charter of Equity.
The National Coordinator of the group further reasoned that any further attempt to disrupt the political arrangement may be seen as a big denial of the Abia South turn to produce a governor for the State. He described Governor Okezie Ikpeazu as the epitome of Equity, Justice and Fair play in the State under the State Charter of Equity while maintained that the Abia South Senatorial Zone has not produced a governor for the State since its creation.
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Anyanwu regretted that the opportunity for the zone to produce a governor was during the tenure of former governor Orji Uzor Kalu, , sometime in the past , former Governor Orji Uzor Kalu disappointed the Ukwa- Ngwa’s, he came to us with a game, he told us that he was going to handover to an Ngwa man, but he ended up using so many of our brothers as Deputy governor.
“But in the case of Senator Theodore Orji, the people of Ukwa Ngwa realized this opportunity, it was case of fair play, equity and justice, Senator Theodore Orji was fair in the whole process,” he said.
“On the presumption that Governor Ikpeazu may have demonstrated sentiments in leadership in the past one year of his administration in the State, he replied “The governor is not a tribal person, he is a very free person, and he is somebody who is not there for some set of people but for the whole of Abians”.
The AYPA National Coordinator while accessing the one year in office of Governor Ikpeazu maintained that despite the financial challenges facing the Country, the State governor has been able to sustain security, development and ensuring that salaries of workers are gradually being paid.
“Based on the mono-economy which is the Country’s present economic problem, it is high time for States to diversify their revenue, this is the area which Governor Ikpeazu and his economic team find it worthy immediately he assumed office as the governor of the State in making sure that the economic base of the State were restored and this is one of the reasons Abia State has been rated among the twelve richest and viable States in the Country.