The senator representing Anambra South senatorial district, Senator Ifeanyi Ubah, said he would empower about 20,000 persons in a month’s time to prove his capacity to defeat Governor Chukwuma Soludo in next year’s governorship election in the state.
He told newsmen in his Nnewi country home that Anambra state has not witnessed the desired governance since the past 18 years starting with Peter Obi, Willie Obiano respectively, and in even in current Soludo’s two years, and, declared that he has divine inspiration to take over the reins of governance in the state in 2025.
Ubah said four critical areas need to be addressed for the state to have a solid and sustainable development trajectory.
He said they are, insecurity, democratisation of the local government system, creation of a solid base for the commercial and industrial sector, and a viable healthcare sector.
He said Soludo and his predecessors have got the peoples’ vote by making unfulfilled promises.
The senator however assured that 80 percent of his blueprint to govern the state would not have been implemented by past and present governments.
“People always emerged (Governor) through tricky means by making mouth-coated promises, over-bloated personal status, and, our people believed these people, and, this has not yielded us any desired results, and, we, as a state have remained in the same circle or radar.
“But it is high time now we change the narrative. So, we have to do real campaign, and to have a bond with our people.
“For me, the key desire for me to contest (for the Governorship) is not because I don’t have a very good political portfolio now, or, that I am not contended; it is, however, because I strongly believe that if we continue to allow the status quo to remain it means that the development that we all deserve for Anambra state will never materialise.
“I am going into the contest, and, I am more prepared than anybody that will come into the contest because I have made enormous sacrifices, and, I am spiritually prepared to change the narrative for our children and our future generations”, Ubah stated.
The APC chieftain said he was conscious of the rotational principle which has zoned the governorship position to the Anambra Central Senatorial District.
Ubah, who is from Anambra South Senatorial District which currently occupies the position, said he would serve as governor for only one tenure.
He said his desire is to serve the second tenure which the incumbent governor ought to have served coming from the same Anambra South Senatorial District with him.
Ubah said he would consult and sign a bond with various critical stakeholders, especially the churches, women groups, traders, professional bodies, youths, about his governorship ambition.
He pledged that his key assets be confiscated if he reneged on his agreement to serve only one tenure.
He declared that four years was enough for him to deliver on the key areas his administration would focus on to transform the state and put it on a path of sustainable development.
He said “I am going to consult widely in other to champion this cause that I have just told you (to govern for only one tenure); I am going to have pact with the religious leaders, youth, critical stakeholders and different organizations, and, I am going to pledge my key-assets and sign as part of my consequences” that they would be confiscated.
Ubah, who stated that he would embark on a tour of the seven local government areas that make up his constituency in a month’s time, said that he would provide 20,000 persons sustainable empowerment facilities and that the names and phone numbers of the beneficiaries would be published in at least three national dailies for verification.
Ubah criticised the Anambra State government for denigrating the traditional institution by dethroning the traditional ruler of Neni community, Igwe Damian Ezeani, suspending two others: traditional ruler of Aguluezechukwu community and his Ojoto community counterpart, Igwe Felix Ebelendu and Igwe Gerald Mbamalu respectively.
He also faulted the disbanding of the state traditional rulers council simply because the traditional rulers conferred chieftaincy titles on him.
He described the action as “petty”, noting that some of the traditional rulers had been in their thrones for more than 20 years before the incumbent governor was sworn in.