By Chief Uzo Chukwu
The Coalition For Abia Unity (CAU) has uncovered a clandestine plot by the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) led administration in Abia State to appoint thousands of political aides secretly to enable them to deliver Abia South Senatorial Zone to their candidate and also use the same thousands for governorship elections.
Our discovery was made after a painstaking investigation into the activities of the state government of late which has proven to be an obvious copycatting of some political strategies of their Rivers State counterpart who recently has said he would increase the appointment of Special Advisers, Special Assistants and Liaison Officers to a whopping 100,000 people.
Well, we are not from Rivers State and we wish him well after all they are not in the same predicament as Abia.
In Rivers State, they pay salaries, they don’t owe doctors, they don’t owe teachers, their pensioners are not dying, their schools are not losing accreditation like ours, they have motorable roads and many other good things, so they can afford to play politics as they want.
What is however unacceptable is for us is for “the rat to join the lizard to play under the rain” knowing fully well that while the water dries on the lizard’s body easily, it will never be the same for the rat because it will surely die of cold considering its hair.
Let us remind Abians that some days ago, the Governor, Dr Okezie Ikpeazu relieved all Senior Special Assistants/Special Assistants of their appointments. Let nobody get it twisted, he has the right to dismiss his appointees. After all, he appointed them.
However, the undercover plot to appoint several thousand people with a similar portfolio to those dismissed and pay them with Abia money to win the election for the PDP is unacceptable.
Our investigation revealed that following the obvious failure and arrogance that comes with it, the current Abia government has concluded plans to recruit hordes of aides albeit secretly in all the 17 local councils of the state, intending to use them to prosecute the forthcoming general elections.
Let it be made clear that these secret political aides that will not be announced to the general public as we have discovered, are not really aides in its reality but polling henchmen who they have given the name “Third Force” because they will serve as a different organ to the party campaign team and the candidates’ campaign team.
We want Abians to be alert and see why this government having realized that it has failed, comfortably accepted their failure in-house despite their public space denial but has decided to get power through the backyard by using money they hoarded, which could have improved the welfare of our suffering teachers and doctors to recruit aides to win elections.
While our hospitals have only mortuaries functional, while our teachers are now hawking petty goods on the streets, while our doctors are now roadside sellers of all manner of things, the Abia government want to hire thousands of aides to pay them between N60,000-N80,000 as salaries to help them win election.
Of course, we will not allow it which is why we’re exposing them earlier now. We’ll never allow the common patrimony of the people of Abia state to be used to maintain and sponsor some unproductive political hirelings to subvert the will of the people at the polls.
We’re constrained to alert the good people of Abia on this evil plan to deploy the resources of the state for the achievement of the desperate ambitions of some political elements who already know that they have failed woefully and do not have any political relevance.
Take note that we’re telling you now that these so-called Assistants, whose appointments may not be made public, will be drawn from all parts of the state’s LGA with the majority of them however coming from the Abia south senatorial district.
Someone may ask why Abia South? The answer is simple; if the Governor loses his Senatorial ambition, the PDP will suffer massively in the governorship election and State Assembly elections so, all plans are geared towards delivering Abia South or burst!
So, we want to alert Abians that the major assignment of these appointees, who we have equally learnt will form the nucleus, of what will be known as a “Third Force” will be to ensure the victory of the PDP senatorial candidate in Abia South.
We’re also aware that their activities have been scheduled to be coordinated by one of the influential members of the current Abia State cabinet who will marshal the thousands of polling henchmen who must deliver or watch their political dynasty crumble and fall like the Tower of Babel
We are also aware of a recent meeting in Aba where some top members of the current cabinet were instructed on the kind of people to recruit into the “Third Force” and were also given the orientation that the failure to achieve this senatorial ambition in Abia South will have a negative multiplier effect on the gubernatorial contest in the state.
So, the good people of Abia State must realize that they’re desperate. They’re coming with Greek Gifts. They’ll appoint your brother, your sister, your cousin and your nephew to help them win the election.
These appointees will play different roles. Some will come as blessings to your family (temporary). Some will tell you of promises made if victory is gotten. Some will come with evangelism while the last resort will be the lowest cadre of field agents for elections.
Mind you, if we all this to happen, they’ve already secured thousands of votes with such appointments because they’ll never appoint anyone who cannot vote. It is an indirect and expensive system of vote buying which they’re willing to do to pay for their failure which is visible to the blind and audible to the deaf.
Abians, shall continue to sell our votes hoping that God will send us a Messiah someday? How many of us will look at our teachers, our doctors, our schools and our suffering pensioners and say no to these Greek Gifts?
For the people of Abia South, how many of you can boldly look at the Ariaria International Market, Ahia-Ohuru, Ohanku road, Obohia road, Port Harcourt road, Uratta road Omuma road Faulks road, Old Express road, Ozuomba road, Cemetery road, Amaukwu road, Azumini-Aba road, Obehie-Azumini road, Obehie-Owaza road and the laughable pipe dream and land grabbing project called Enyimba Economic City and say enough is enough?
What could be more evil, wicked and inhuman than hoarding money meant for payment of salaries, pensions, infrastructural development and other necessities to win the election when good governance and sincere service to the people could have won the election in the first place?
Let us make it very clear to all those plotting this acrimonious stratagem that copycatting Rivers State Governor’s political theories when you’re actually not working or putting in place dividends of democracy for your people as he has done for his people is tantamount to self-destruction.
Chief Uzo Chukwu is the Chairman, CAU
