Buhari has performed well in South-East, says Oshiomhole

Oshiomhole said this at a rally in Umuahia to formally handover the party’s flag to the governorship candidate of the party in Abia, Chief Uche Ogah, as well as the state and National Assembly candidates.

He said that Buhari’s developmental strides in the zone in less than four years of his administration was enough to prove his critics wrong.

He listed the reconstruction of Enugu-Onitsha and Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressways, the construction of the Second Niger Bridge and completion of Late Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe’s mausoleum in Onitsha, as some of the president’s achievements in the area.

The party’s national chairman therefore urged the people of the zone to vote massively for Buhari’s re-election.

He admonished them not to repeat the mistake they made in 2015, when they allegedly voted against APC.

He further charged them to vote for Ogah and other APC candidates in the polls to ensure the rapid transformation of the state.

He described Ogah as a product of self effort, industry, creativity and enterprise.

He said, “Ogah is self-made. He is not coming into government to steal your money.

“I’m happy that in Abia we had a direct primary that produced him. It was transparent. I’m proud of him.”

Also, former Gov. Orji Kalu, who is the Abia North Senatorial candidate of APC, said that Abia would give Buhari 70 per cent vote in the Feb. 16 election.

He berated the Gov. Okezie Ikpeazu led-administration for allegedly failing to utilise the state’s resources to transform the state.

Orji decried the poor state of infrastructure in the state, saying that Abia had not witnessed any meaningful development since he left office in 2007.

He expressed the hope that Ogah as a businessman would replicate his success story in his private business in governance, if elected.

In his speech, Ogah, an oil merchant, promised to make the people of Abia happy when elected.

“Abia rejoice! Your light has come and the glory of God has risen upon you,” he said, amidst loud ovations from his teeming supporters at the Umuahia Township Stadium, venue of the rally.

Ealier, Chief Donatus Nwamkpa, the state Chairman of the party, said that APC painstakingly chose credible candidates for all the elective offices in the state.

Nwamkpa assured the people that an APC government would put an end to the sufferings of the people and salvage the state from many years of economic underdevelopment.

News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that other candidates that received the party’s flags at the event included Kalu, Mrs Nkechi Nwaogu (Abia Central) and Marc Wabara (Abia South).

The rally was attended by the Ministers of Labour and Employment, Science and Technology, Dr. Chris Ngige and Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, respectively, amongst others.

NAN reports that Ogah’s running mate, Mr Martins Azubuike, along with most of the governorship aspirants, who lost at the party primary, were absent at the rally.

They included former Deputy Gov. Chris Akomas, Mr. Friday Nwosu and former Nigeria’s Consular-General to South Africa, Amb. Okey Emuche.