By Dr Austin Uganwa
\nIn apparent continuation of his campaign tour to the local council areas,
\nthe People\u2019s Democratic Party(PDP) governorship candidate in Imo state,
\nRt. Hon Emeka Ihedioha\u2019s campaign train berthed amazingly in Ngor Okpala
\nand Aboh Mbaise local governments Monday, 2nd of February, 2015. Indeed,
\ncontent and action, it was evidently homecoming for the Indefagatable
\nDeputy Speaker, House of Representatives.
\nFor the twelve years Hon Ihedioha has been holding sway in the National
\nAssembly like a colossus, he has been representing Aboh Mbaise \/Ngor
\nOkpala federal constituency. He hails from Aboh Mbaise while his maternal
\nhome is Ngor Okpala, emphasizing the uniqueness and symbolic nature of the
\nvisit.
\nThese realities reflected palpably and unmistakably as his entourage
\nconnected Ulakwo en route to Nguru , straight down to Umuneke, Ngor
\nOkpala local council headquarters on campaign voyage for PDP\u2019s
\nconsolidating efforts towards reclaiming Imo state. Vehicular
\ntraffic built exceedingly, stretching over three kilometers as more and
\nmore Ngor Okpala sons and daughters ecstatically joined the entourage half
\nway into Umuneke
\nThe crowd at old county council, venue of the event was unprecedented. All
\nthe canopies were filled to the brim and many other people surged to the
\ncentre circle. The youths had a field day with their solidarity songs and
\nvictory dance steps
\nNgor Okpala political leaders, royal fathers, entrepreneurs came out in
\ntheir large numbers to welcome their own and to show solidarity. The roll
\ncall is lengthen but includes; Okenze Ngor Okpala, Sylvester Obinna, PDP
\ncaucus and campaign leader in the local council; Chief Emmanuel Nwaorgu
\nFederal Commissioner, National Population Commission; Canaon Onyeso
\nNwachukwu, member Eastern Region Parilament; and C.C Nwigwe, Chairman PDP
\nof the local council.
\nOthers were; Barrister Soronnadi Njoku, former Attorney General and Imo
\nstate Commissioner of Justice; Professor Jude Njoku, former Federal
\nUniversity of Technology Owerri Vice Chancellor and Imo guber aspirant;
\nBarrister Kingsley Nzemechi, Special Assistant to Deputy Speaker, House of
\nRepresentatives, Chief Goddy Onyebuenyi and a host of others
\nThe situation was similar in Primary School Orie Opara, Nguru venue of
\nthe Aboh Mbaise event. Cheerily but astonishingly large crowd waited
\npatiently from 10 am till 6 pm when Hon Ihedioha arrived the place from
\nNgor Okpala and after paying courtesy visit to the traditional rulers.
\nThe Youths who could no longer control their passion and emotional
\nattachment to the PDP guber candidate surged as the coaster bus that
\nbrought him and other dignitaries screeched to a halt.
\nIn hordes, they moved apparently to embrace him, chanting solidarity
\nsongs. They formed ring around, followed him as he acknowledged cheers and
\nwalked briskly to the well-laid-out podium. Manifestly euphoric Ihedioha
\ndanced hilariously to the soothingly inviting high life music that rent
\nthe air that delightful evening.
\nAs the cheers and solidarity songs continued to soar unabated, Ihedioha
\nchanged his dance steps to that of victory to the admiration of many.
\nOther dignitaries on the podium including Senator, representing Owerri
\nzone, Chris Anyanwu; PDP Women Leader, Dr Kema Chikwe and the state
\nchairman of the party, ebullient Nnamdi Anyaehie joined and even tried to
\noutdo the Right Honourable, reinforcing the reality that success beckons
\nto Ihedioha.
\nApart from the remarkable reception, electrified environment,
\npassion-laden and jubilant crowd at Ngor Okpala and Aboh Mbaise events,
\nthe cream of personalities on the entourage is instructive of Ihedioha\u2019s
\nsure-footedness. Virtually all the known and relevant political leaders
\nacross the three zones of the state have bought into the project. Hordes
\nof them were on the campaign train to Aboh Mbaise and Ngor Okpala and
\nother local councils
\nThe list includes all the former civilian Governors of the state who are
\nliving- Achike Udenwa; Ikedi Ohakim- their deputies; Ebere Udeagu and
\nAda Okwonu; all the former speakers of Imo state House of Assembly and
\ntheir deputies; all the current members of the House and Senate from the
\nstate; all the PDP national working committee members and Board of Trustee
\nmember, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu and so on.
\nTo drive the point home that Ihedioha was really on homecoming and the
\npeople are exceedingly happy for it, Ngor Okpala women gave him special
\ngifts. These include; oil, garri and plantain. Overtly, he expressed
\nappreciation over the gifts
\nUnderstandably, Ngor Okpala and Aboh Mbaise people have every reason to
\ncelebrate Ihedioha and to be extremely overjoyed on his homecoming,
\ngovernorship ticket and campaign train. Ihedioha\u2019s twelve years
\nrepresentation of the federal constituency turned the place around in many
\nways particularly infrastructural development and empowerment programmes
\nIn fact, the record of Hon Ihedioha\u2019s road infrastructure, electricity
\nprojects, education facilities, water projects, hospital facilities is
\nsignificant and verifiable. For instance, Ihedioha got NDDC to award
\ncontract for OKpala-Igwuruta Road, linking Imo to Rivers with the first
\nphase costing N4.2b; facilitated award of contract for the dualization of
\nOwerri-Elele (Omayelu) 35-kilometre road at N23b. He also attracted
\ncontract for the design of the famous 63-kilometre Mbaise Ring Road
\ncutting across three local councils at the initial cost of N1bn.
\nBesides, Ihedioha facilitated the award of N5bn contract for the award of
\nconstruction of roundabout at Ahiara junction along Owerri-Umuahia Road
\nwith two spurs and got the Federal Government to take over the
\nconstruction of Airport Junction, Umuohiagu-Uvuru Road. He also initiated
\nthe process of constructing N1b jetty at Imo River and construction of a
\ngiant size 133x333KVA substation at Mbaise located between Nguru and Ibeku
\nwith initial contract cost of N2.2b.
\nSpecifically, other projects the Deputy Speaker has attracted to Mbaise
\ninclude; 15MVA substation 1xMVA-33\/11 KV and completion of electricity at
\nMbutu, Mbaise; reactivation and rehabilitation of Uvuru Amawo water
\nproject, Aboh Mbaise; construction of Nigerian Immigration Service in
\nMbaise; Rehabilitation of Chikoneze-Mbutu-Logara Road, Mbaise;
\nRehabilitation of Umuopara-Ibeku-Umuhu-Uvuru Road , Aboh Mbaise and
\nseveral others.
\nIn Ngor Okpala, he has in addition embarked on over 40 projects including;
\nfive-kilometre road that links Umuowa and Nguru, which Governor Okorocha
\nabandoned. Others are; Umuneke-Obike Road and erosion control project;
\nconstruction of power injection sub-station in Umuneke with 15MVA 33\/11
\ncapacity; construction of Okpala-Obokwu-Alulu Road; electrification of
\nUmuekwune community and so on. These are just a tip of an ice berg as
\nDeputy Speaker has attracted many other projects to his federal
\nconstituency and to Imo
\nThese legacies explain why Ihedioha told the crowd in Aboh Mbaise and Ngor
\nOkpala that he did not come to campaign but on homecoming as his great
\naccomplishments would speak for him. He is right. It is indeed
\nunmistakable that Ihedioha would too certainly replicate in the state,
\neven in greater proportion, what he has done in his constituency<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
By Dr Austin Uganwa In apparent continuation of his campaign tour to the local council areas, the People\u2019s Democratic Party(PDP) governorship candidate in Imo state, Rt. Hon Emeka Ihedioha\u2019s campaign…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":22079,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-35891","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles-opinions"],"yoast_head":"\n