The governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Enugu State, Barr. Okey Ezea, on Tuesday accused Governor Sullivan Chime of running down the State’s economy.
Ezea, who unveiled his manifesto in Enugu maintained that the State had a robust economy, but that it was grounded by the PDP-led government.
The APC guber candidate equally presented Mrs. Juliet Ibekaku, a female lawyer, as his running mate.
In a 6-point agenda, he promised to harness the huge economic potentials of the State for the benefit of the people, assuring that the APC government would implement its programmes without over taxing residents.
Lamenting the plight of the people of the State, he said, “the poverty level in Enugu State is debilitating with 57 percent of the citizens of Enugu State rated as poor. There is infrastructural poverty through the lack of the most basic amenities- portable water, electricity and shelter.
“There is poverty of the pocket that translates to the growing incidence of hunger as a result of lack of employment opportunities and economic growth. Pensioners drop dead in long queues while waiting for meagre hand-outs that never come”.
“All these have laid the foundation for a greater evil- the poverty of morals. As men’s souls are put in crucible, social norms and ethics become luxuries only a few can afford.
“In seeking your mandate to govern Enugu State, we firmly and sincerely acknowledge that poverty in our land has assumed such human disaster proportions that only radical economic and political actions can redeem the situation.
“The situation, therefore, calls for men and women of conscience, with original ideas and solutions for recreating the Enugu State of our dreams.
“The power we seek is the power to salvage our State from a self-imposed destiny that is poverty ridden and poverty prone. We believe that by your mandate and the special grace of God, our people shall be free from poverty, illiteracy and disease”, he further stated.
Speaking on the Enugu State economy, Ezea accused Governor Chime of plundering the State into huge debts, vowing that “we are going to audit all these debt- where and when they were taken and what they were taken for. We can’t pay debts for money used to buy cars for friends.
“As at today, this government has plunged this State into over N30 billion debt despite receiving over N500 billion in the last seven years from the Federal Allocation; this is outside the internally generated revenue, this is outside VAT, this is excess crude as well as ecological fund”.
While vowing to defeat the PDP candidate in the election, he called on the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to disqualify the PDP from participating in the election since it had failed to produce a single candidate.
He noted that “what we are saying is that they must define their candidate; they have been doing this in Anambra State; while we are doing one rally, they are doing three; it must now stop, otherwise we must create our own candidates and there will be anarchy. If the PDP is not capable of providing a candidate, INEC should disqualify it; the electoral act is clear”.
DAILY POST reports that while Ezea is from Enugu North Senatorial zone, his running mate hails from the same zone with incumbent Governor Chime, Enugu West.
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