By MATTHEW KALU, Umuahia

Abia state is underdeveloped because it has been left in the hands of leaders who were unable to think outside the box.

The Governorship Candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state, High Chief Ikechi Emenike, who made the assertion while addressing stakeholders in Ikwuano local government area, noted that perpetuation of leaders with small mindset in running the affairs of Abia over the years has confined the state to abysmal level of development.

Emenike added that Abia has been so unfortunate to have been left in the hands of leaders that lack vision and the capacity to think outside the box.

According to him, Abia has a government that “thinks little and does nothing”, hence the state has been running on low budgets that could not lift it above ground zero where it has remained.

“A governor envisions a huge state,” he said, adding that in a situation where “the chief executive of the state cannot think and dream big and lacks the creativity to generate funds at local and international levels, development would remain afar.”

“I will deploy financial engineering to attract funds with which to develop Abia,” he assured the teeming party faithful, adding that if APC gets the mandate in 2023 “we will serve the people of Abia from day one.”

The governorship hopeful, who was at Ikwuano in conclusion of his tour of the 17 Abia local governments, galvanised stakeholders at each stop of his tour in readiness for the 2023 rescue mission.

He said that given the lamentable state of infrastructure and government service delivery in the state, the electorate should reject the ruling Peoples Democratic Party in Abia at next year’s poll.

In her remarks, the Deputy Governorship Candidate of APC, Rev Gloria Akara, said that the governorship candidate has given Abia women a pride of place by choosing a woman as running mate.

“This is going to be our government and we must support and give our votes to APC. The government of Emenike has reached us (womenfolk) and will remain with us,” she said.

The Minister of State for Science, Technology and Innovation, Chief Henry Ikoh, who hosted the meeting of stakeholders at his Ahuwa Oboro country home, assured the Abia APC leadership that the party was firmly rooted in Ikwuano.

His assurances was further corroborated by two ex-servicemen, Maj. Gen Jack Nwogbo and Maj. Gen Charles Ogbonna Okoro, who were among the stakeholders combining forces in Abia APC to birth the envisaged change in Abia.

The Minister said that the people of Ikwuano have discovered APC as the dependable party that has the capacity and commitment to satisfy their yearnings for development and inclusiveness in the Abia project.

He predicted that Ikwuano local government and the entire Abia State would reap bountiful dividends of democracy with Emenike as governor come 2023, adding: “I have brought blessings to you today” with the presence of Emenike at the Ikwuano meeting.

“Things will be better in Abia. We want progress, we want development and this would be made possible under APC government in 2023,” Ikoh said.

He urged the stakeholders and the entire APC faithful “to become fishers of men” and bring other people to join the main opposition party in its quest to rescue and develop Abia.

Both the Abia APC chairman, Dr Kingsley Ononogbu, and the Director-General of the Emenike Campaign Organisation, High Chief Uche Ogboso, urged Ikwuano people to remain steadfast and demonstrate their loyalty at the poll.