The House of Assembly candidate of African Action Congress (AAC) for Isiala Ngwa South State Constituency, Abia State, Finecountry Iyioku, has pledged to work with other lawmakers, if elected, to ensure purposeful, responsive and responsible legislation in the state.
According to Iyioku, Abia State is in dire need of good leadership in all the arms of government for good governance in the interest of indigenes and residents of the state.
He also promised to give quality representation for his constituency, adding that he is in the race for the common good of his people.
“Everybody in Abia has realised that the state seriously needs urgent help in terms of leadership. When you talk about the quality of leadership, we are lagging behind in the state. I am contesting to represent my constituency in the House of Assembly to contribute my quota towards proper legislation in the state.
“My people have over the years lacked proper representation and I want to go there to change that ugly narrative,” he said.
Iyioku, who spoke with BusinessDay said: “I am running on ‘mandate of clarity’. My constituency needs competent representation, a person of integrity; credible and legislative finesse.”
The candidate, who is a member of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), African Bar Association (ABA), and Amnesty International (AI), said that this time around, “the joke is over.” He also said: “I am in this for the common good.”
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Urging people from his constituency to vote with their conscience, Iyioke said that the mistakes of the past years must be avoided.
“I want to use this opportunity to plead with my people to vote with their good conscience this time around. The cost of voting in wrong candidates is so much; the consequences are also dire. Over the years, lots of mistakes had been made in the choice of representatives; this time around, such mistakes must be avoided. I assure my people that the future is bright with me being their representative in the Assembly. It is about us all; it is for our common good,” he said.
Iyioku, who said that 2023 election was not about political party platform, but about “competent individuals wherever they are found,” is throwing his weight behind Alex Otti, governorship candidate of the Labour Party in Abia State.
He strongly believes that Otti possesses the capacity, character and competence needed to deliver Abia, which he said had been badly run since 1999.
According to him, “Good governance can best be achieved by timely deployment of experiences acquired from holding challenging positions in the past. Let’s be reminded that governance challenges confronting Abia State are myriad and variegated in nature. This is why Dr. Alex Otti properly fits into the bill to address the governance challenge. It remains a universal truism that ‘good is not enough where best is possible,’” he said.
He urged every citizen of Nigeria to give peace a chance this time around to ensure that the elections are conducted seamlessly.
“I am very optimistic that everything will go on well as planned despite some of the signs we are seeing now. I want to advise every citizen of our dear country to give peace a chance this time around. We must all cooperate with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct a credible, free and fair election. That will be in our collective interest,” he said.
