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Among all the political parties positioning for the Imo State governorship seat in the 2019 election, the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) has been said to be best positioned to govern the state.
Chidi Okoro, a governorship aspirant on the APGA platform, said the party’s array of competent and credible aspirants to the governorship seat gives it the edge over the other parties.
Okoro, a University of Nigeria, Nsukka-trained pharmacist and immediate past managing director/chief executive officer of UAC Foods Ltd, said Imo State was at a tipping point and needed APGA to rescue it from total collapse.
“If you do a research in Imo, the people want something new, they want something fresh, they want total, positive change from the past. APGA has that and we do have a lot of credible candidates that come with freshness,” Okoro said.
“So, the first thing APGA is trying to do is get the best candidate that understands the problems and has the solutions to the problems, and then we can rally Imo people to come with us,” he said.
Recalling that it was through APGA that Governor Rochas Okorocha won the governorship election in 2011 before joining the All Progressives Congress (APC), Okoro said APGA has grown even stronger, making it the party to beat in the 2019 elections in Imo.
“The other parties are struggling to put their acts together, and elections are nine months away, I do not see them coming together. But even they do, APGA has the best agenda for Imo, has the best set of candidates, and I think Imo people are looking at who APGA presents. If we present the right candidate that Imo will accept, we will beat the other parties,” he said.
On the zoning argument in the state, Okoro, who is from Okigwe zone of the state, said it was good to respect the zoning structure in order to maintain equity and justice. He added, however, that it was also important to understand that the state was at a point where it needed the most prepared candidate with understanding of the issues and who can design the solutions to the issues.
“What we are also trying to sell is: Who is most prepared? Who understands the issues? I am not being immodest; there are few people that understand the issues as much as I do. I spent two years studying Imo, trying to understand the issues. As I said, we are at a point where we have to make the right choice. And I think our party will make the right choice, and I think Imo people will make the right choice,” he said.
He also emphasised the need to ensure a transparent primary election as well as build harmony such that whoever emerges at the end of the primaries would have the backing of all other aspirants.
Chuks Oluigbo
