In my article of Monday, January 19, 2015, I wrote that "Abia is the unluckiest state in Nigeria. From 1999, when Orji Uzo Kalu and his mother turned it into their private property, the state has moved from one looting hand to another. I hope that jinx would be broken this year". Today, I make so bold as to say that the jinx has been broken with the election of Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu. What manner of a man is Okezie Ikpeazu, in that he has started so well, and has exceeded all of our expectations and imagination? Many Abians didn't give Okezie Ikpeazu any chance of excelling, as many saw him, prior to the election, as one of those before him. But, here today, he has infact achieved more than his two predecessors combined, within the space of two months. During the primaries, I discerned then that Okezie Ikpeazu has the right stuff to put Abia State on a pedestal (he's the stuff that heroes are made of). But still, I never knew that he would perform so well in such a short time. In my article of Thursday, May 7, 2015 (just after his election), I wrote: "Abia State has been missing qualitative leadership since its creation. It will look no further anymore; Dr. Ikpeazu is coming with the requisite leadership skill. Okezie Ikpeazu, as a paragon of intelligence, with his enviable academic record, will make Abia a pride and joy state for all. The fortunes of the state will definitely change for the better, right from the time the governor-elect takes over. You can bet on that! Before now, Abia State has been having only rulers, but, in three weeks' time, a leader, Dr. Ikpeazu, will take control, and the positive difference will be clear. God has given us a "king" to lead Abia State - God's Own State. The Kingdom of Satan will no longer prevail there. As there are dread and competing evil forces in Abia State, The Book of Romans 16:20 is telling Okezie Ikpeazu that "The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you". Dr. Ikpeazu knows that God has given him leadership ability; he will take the responsibility seriously. No doubt, God has raised up a leader from among us, and the person is Dr. Okezie Victor Ikpeazu, we should endeavor to support him. I ask you, Dr. Ikpeazu, not to limit your challenges, rather, you should challenge your limits, and I assure you, in the words of Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882), that "once you make a decision, the universe conspires to make it happen".
After his election, Okezie Ikpeazu visited the former Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Professor Chukwuma Soludo, in his house in Enugu. When Soludo said that the Abia State Governor-elect, Dr Okezie Ikpeazu, has the capacity and all it takes to reposition Abia and make Igboland great again, many of us thought that he, Soludo, said what his guest, Okezie Ikpeazu, wanted to hear, not knowing that Soludo knows the stuff Ikpeazu is made of, and his capability to achieve success. Prof Soludo meant it when he described Ikpeazu as a man with clarity of vision, who has done thorough diagnosis of Abia problems, stressing that he is not in doubt that Ikpeazu will reposition Abia. We are seeing the result now. Soludo noted that "Abia is surely at the heart of rescuing Igboland and it will be my pleasure to always brainstorm with you to ensure this happens. I've seen the potentials and I will do anything you want me to do to help you succeed in Abia. Aba is a very important town to every Ndi Igbo, because there is no Igbo family that does not have link to Aba. I commend you".
Dr. Ikpeazu is loaded with governance skills, and he has started offloading selfless services and good governance the state hasn't seen before. It can't be better than this, in such a short time. Infact, to be sincere, many didn't see Okezie Ikpeazu standing a chance of success, taking into consideration who his political father was, but, you can't tell a book by its cover. Abians are happy to have Okezie Ikpeazu as their governor today, and most of those who opposed his candidacy at first, are now singing a new tune, and are now supporting him, because of what he has done so far. Answering Ikechi Gbenimach's questions, I can boldly say that although Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu was falsely labelled the stooge of T.A Orji and that label alone nearly cost him the election, but, he has shown that he's his own man. Many people believed, during the campaign, that Okezie Ikpeazu cannot act independently, but, he has proved all his doubters wrong by what he has said and done so far. If Abians knew on the Election Day, what they know now, the election would have been a walk over for Okezie Ikpeazu, as they would have voted for him en masse, and then, there would have been no need for the re-run. Dr. Alex Otti should thank his lucky stars that Abians didn't know Okezie Ikpeazu this much prior to the election; otherwise, he would have suffered a worse and more ignoble defeat. Okezie Ikpeazu is proving that there's a difference between being an economic guru or a successful businessman, and being a leader of the people. While a businessman is only interested in figures, a leader cares more about the welfare or the wellbeing of his people. What the civil servants want is a leader who can help them keep their jobs and be able to pay them, not someone who will do right-sizing or down-sizing and retrench them at the end of the day, points reiterated by Ikpeazu during the campaign to highlight the difference between him and his major opponent.
I wrote it before, and I want to repeat it again, that those challenging Okezie Ikpeazu's victory in court should go and withdraw their case in court, otherwise they will be disappointed. Even if the Election Tribunal cancels the Abia State's gubernatorial election, which I doubt, Okezie Ikpeazu will still win again, if a new election holds. Infact, people such as Dr. Alex Otti will not be able to win even a quarter of the votes he won during the last election, because, some of those who voted for him didn't know the stuff Okezie Ikpeazu is made of. Now that they have seen him as a man of action, they will abandon Alex Otti, and will then vote for Okezie Ikpeazu, so that he can continue the good work he has just started. Even as of now, the Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Umuahia has just dismissed the Petition filed by the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the last election, Chinenye Nyerere Anyim, against the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party and governor of Abia state, Dr Okezie Ikpeazu, for negligence in prosecution on the part of the petitioners, as neither the petitioner nor their counsels were in court, even as there was no letter from either explaining their absence. They've gotten cold feet because of Ikpeazu's intimidating achievements in such a short period of time. I wrote this after Okezie Ikpeazu was declared the winner of the election: "I learnt that Dr. Alex Otti has decided to waste more of his money by going to the Tribunal to challenge his defeat. He will meet Dr. Ikpeazu in court. Even if the election is held ten times, Dr. Ikpeazu will also defeat Dr. Otti ten times, because, he has divine mandate; even "syzygy" supports this Ikpeazu's victory, so, no one can change it. Dr. Ikpeazu will not be daunted by adversaries".
Okezie Ikpeazu is one the best new governors, if not the best so far. His countenance, utterances and actions have set him apart from others. He's riding tantivy. Abia State has never had it so good; the state is seeing, within two months, the progress it didn't see in sixteen years. Abians should thank God for this. Okezie Ikpeazu hit the ground running from the first day in office. That's the difference between Okezie Ikpeazu and some of those who contested against him; those who were like visitors, as they do not know the problems of Abia State, because, they never made the state a home. Some of those who contested against Ikpeazu just ran to Abia State to be the governor, from their abode outside the state, just for their selfish and pecuniary gain, without any plan on how to tackle the state's numerous problems. But, Ikpeazu, working and living in the state all the while, knows what the problems of the state are, as he took the time to discern the problems of the state, and to sort out the solutions to them. That's why it was easy for him to start tackling the state's numerous problems from Day One. I wrote this during the campaign: "Alex Otti is like a visitor in Abia State; he doesn't know much of the state's problems, as he has stayed away from there for too long. Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu is the only major governorship candidate, who is at home in the state. As a son of the soil, who lives in the state, he will not disappoint, and if he does, we know where to get him, unlike all those who will run to Lagos or Abuja, if they fail as governor. Ikpeazu has even acknowledged it that he will have no excuse to give Ndi Abia, if he failed to fix Aba, and we will hold him to his words. Okezie Ikpeazu has identified with the people; he knows their problems, and the solutions".
Dr. Okezie has proved so far that the secret to getting ahead is getting started!
Abia State Governor, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu, projects inspections pictures
Abia state Governor, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu addressing the mammoth crowd during the flag-of of road construction in Aba.
Abia state Governor, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu test running one of the equipments to flag-of some roads for construction in Aba.
Abia state Governor, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu (3rd left) with his deputy Rt.Hon. Udeh Okochukwu during the flag-of of Road construction in Aba, with a mammoth crowd following him! (Courtesy of GPnews)
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