The governorship candidate of APGA in the November 11 2023 election in Imo State, Sir Tony Ejiogu, says he will leave no stone unturned in revamping the local government system in the state through period democratic election so the people who produce the wealth of the state would freely and directly benefit from government.
Ejiogu disclosed this cheering tidings during a rally at Aboh Mbaise and Ezinihitte Mbaise LGAs recently.
Promising to conduct free, fair and credible local government election on assumption of office, Ejiogu said he has the interest of the people at his heart hence he would not disappoint them.
He regretted that successive governors in the state had failed to conduct elections at the local level, thereby eroding democratic governance, promising to reverse the trend.
“Frequently overlooked, Nigeria’s local governments are disproportionately important. If they function well, they would be best positioned to meet people’s basic needs and to build their resilience to cope with everyday challenges. Across the grassroots, health services are inadequate, there is limited potable water, primary education is comatose, teachers are either not available or underpaid and there is a general absence of public infrastructure which should not be so”, he said.
Ejiigu stressed that local government autonomy has been one of the campaign promises of APGA as he stated in his speech during his campaign flag-off in August, saying his administration would embark on various government reforms, which are key to achieving his five points agenda.
“We will plan and conduct free, fair and credible local government elections. Then we can improve the government’s transparency and accountability and drive social justice and equality”, adding that this would help to fill significant socio-economic gaps.
He posited that due to years of inefficiency and general lack of inactivity, Imo people have lost hope that the third tier of government can provide any sort of democratic dividends to them, but if voted as governor, this will change.
Speaking on his plans for security, Ejiogu gave an assurance that Imo would bounce back again, as his administration would create an enabling environment that is safe and secure for business and investment to flourish while workers and pensioners get paid as and when due.
Commending Ejiogu’s people-oriented policy agenda, the Imo APGA Woman Leader, Mrs. Nkasi Tessy Obi, appealed to Imo women to troop to their various communities and embark on aggressive grassroots mobilisation to secure victory for the party.
