The All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for the Okigwe zonal rerun election into the upper chamber of the National Assembly and former Speaker of the Imo State House of Assembly, Hon. Benjamin Uwajumogu, has re-assured the people of the senatorial district of his total commitment and readiness to offer first-class service at the national level, if given the opportunity to represent the people at the Senate.

Uwajumogu made the appeal yesterday at his electoral ward, Umuihi, during a well-attended rally to further sensitise the people of the area on the need to vote massively in support of the APC in the forthcoming rerun scheduled for February 20. He noted that his aspiration was propelled by the needed change and quality leadership people of the zone had been clamouring for, adding that the time to introduce the desirable change was now.

He asserted that he has fulfilled all the promises he made to his people during the 2011 election campaign and promised to set a standard for federal representation in the zone.

The former speaker stressed that the essence of representation is to positively impact on the lives of the people, as against the negative concept of sharing rice and money to buy peoples’ votes, only to abandon them and the development challenges facing the zone, after the elections. He said that he would use his office as a senator to correct such wrong notions and work for the people.

His words: “It is however, irrefutable to state that there is an earnest desire among our people for change. This change is further translated in their ability to freely choose over who will oversee their affairs and not the kind of manipulative kites some persons have been flying around by sharing money and rice. With the stark economic and infrastructural reality of the present Okigwe zone vis-à-vis dwindling price of crude oil in the world market, how to develop our region should be upmost in our minds. Okigwe zonal development comes before politics of sharing rice, money, personal and partisan sentiments. We must remember what will happen to our children in the nearest future, for they will ask us questions. We must secure a bright future for the next generation by rejecting their 10 cups of rice and money, we’ll concentrate on politics of development that will tackle the infrastructural needs of the zone and improve the general wellbeing of our people.

“Politics will come and go, men will come and go, but our zone must be developed for our generation and the next generation of Okigwe people to enjoy. Let us discourage politics of ignorance and shortsightedness, in order to address those problems that retarded the progress of Ndi Igbo and Okigwe zone, over the years. We can belong to either APC, PDP, APGA or any other party, but we must see ourselves as Ndi Okigwe and develop our zone.’’

•Photo shows Hon. Benjamin Uwajumogu.