The former Commissioner for finance in Abia State, Obinna Oriaku says his ambition to rule Abia State is to take the State to where it should be in leadership and transformation.
Oriaku stated this at Owerrinta, his home town while declaring for Abia 2023 governorship contest, using APC platform.
This he said, necessitated his decision to join the All Progressive Congress, from where according to him, he hopes to win the 2023 polls and transform Abia.
Oriaku said that having been a special Adviser and Finance Commissioner to Governor Okezie Ikpeazu-led administration, he was in the best position to solve the State’s economic challenges, having studied the State well.
Responding to Oriaku’s declaration and promises to Abians, a group of pensioners who spoke to News Echo in Umuahia, advised the former Commissioner to jettison his ambition of ruling Abia.
Some of the pensioners who gave their names as Elder Mmeziuwa Raymond and another pensioner who simply gave his name as Mr Okorie, said their criticism of Oriaku’s governorship interest was not borne out of malice but anchored on his alleged poor treatment of pensioners in Abia as finance Commissioner.
The senior citizens claimed that during the period of Oriaku’s stay in office as finance Commissioner, they were not well treated.
Mr Mmeziuwa said the pensioners in Abia received poor treatment from officials of ministry of finance who allegedly carried out uncountable biometric capturing exercises, which were still unhelpful to their plight after every biometric capturing.
“Anybody is entitled to contest for any political position of his or her choice just like the man who just announced his intention. But anybody coming to rule a people is expected to have served the people well in his previous positions.”
Elder Mmeziuwa who decried the conditions of pensioners in Abia State, said issues of non payment of pensions, gratuities dated back to previous administrations in Abia but allegedly increased after 2015.
He called for improved treatment of retirees by Governor Okezie Ikpeazu’s administration, to save retirees from dying of hunger and sicknesses.
