Why next governor of Abia North extraction should come from Isuikwuato

THE Director General of Prof. Gregory Ibe Governorship Campaign Council, Dr. Longman Nwachukwu, has said for the sake of equity and justice, the next Abia State governor of Abia North Zone extraction ought to be selected from old Isuikwuato/ Umunneochi Council.

Nwachukwu stressed that by so doing, it would follow prescription of the Abia Charter of Equity, which ensures that the office of governor be rotated among Aba, Bende, Isuikwuato and Afikpo divisions from which the state derived it’s name, ABIA, on creation.

He noted that among these, only Isuikwuato is yet to produce governor, going by the fact that old Afikpo division, now in Ebonyi State, produced the pioneer state governor in the person of Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, Bende produced Dr. Orji Kalu, while Aba division produced Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu, leaving Isuikwuato, which is the ‘ I’ in the ABIA acronym, waiting to take its turn.

His reaction followed the question posed to him that Abia North had endorsed the governorship candidate of the African Democratic Congress ( ADC), Bishop Sunday Onuoha, as the zone’s consensus governorship candidate for 2023 general elections.

He denied Onuoha’s endorsement, stressing that the zone took no such decision, explaining that for such to happen, a proper assembly of who is who in the zone, which include traditional and community leaders, as well as notable politicians, would be convened.

According to Nwachukwu, in taking that decision, the fact that Isuikwuato Council, which has not produced the governor of Abia North extraction, ought to be considered on merit. He added that in this regard, his principal, Prof. Gregory Ibe, the All Progressives Grand Alliance ( APGA) governorship candidate, who is also of from Isuikwuato, should be the choice for governor of the state.