The Abia State All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) gubernatorial candidate in the 2023 general elections and Chancellor of Gregory University, Uturu, Professor Gregory Ibe, has appealed to Abia Statesmen and political stakeholders, especially those not happy with the outcome of the governorship elections, to sheath their swords and opt for peaceful, out-of-court settlement of their grievances.
Professor Ibe made the appeal in an open letter to Abia Statesmen, made available to the media, the full text of which is published hereunder:
Umunnem Ndi Abia,
Ka Chukwu Okike Abiama Gozie Unu!
Few days to the crucial inauguration of a new government in our dear state and country, I am constrained by recent worrisome developments in the socio-political sphere to again wave the flag of peace and passionately appeal to all political gladiators and activists to please forebear, ceasefire and let Abia breath.
You will recall that in my last two letters I fervently pleaded with all aggrieved parties in the 2023 Abia Governorship contest to sheath their swords of war and join forces with the Governor-elect in the interest of the good people of God’s Own State. Let me again offer maximum respect and salutation to those who heeded my call and chose to toe the path of peace, in spite of the genuineness of their respective cases.
Suffice it say that you are all winners!
One may rightly wonder at my reason for taking this trajectory even when everyone knows that the Abia guber election of 18 March wasn’t flawless. But despite knowing that the outcome of that election is not a true reflection of my personal performance at the polls, especially in the face of glaring operational bungles by INEC, I have decided to move on and champion this campaign for peace just for the good of our dear state, especially after her 24 years horrific ordeal in the wilderness of underdevelopment.
It is therefore in the spirit of the Igbo adage which discourages delivery by the mother goat on tethers in the presence of an elder, that I want to use this medium to enjoin our highly respected Ezes and revered league of Abia Statesmen to rise to the occassion and prevail upon a group of apparently anti progressive elements of PDP and APC, who as killjoy specialists are hell bent on asphyxiating Abians at the sunrise of their jubilation.
I believe there is no better time than now to invite tested non-partisan Ndi Eze Abia and impartial Statesmen to intervene by calling for the kind of truce that will lead to peaceful out of court settlement of all legal encumbrances threatening and mitigating against the in coming administration.
Having suffered the disastrous effects of 22 legal cases that spanned the whole gamut of the judicial cycle, from Magistrate, High, Appeal to Supreme Court, I am aware of the enormous political, social and economic consequences of the impending litigations imposingly challenging the Governor-elect, and once again call for restrain, just for the sake of Abians who for long have been forced to hold the short end of the stick.
I know that some people have argued that the Governor-elect should be given a taste of his own medicine since he legally challenged the incumbent in 2015 and 2019 respectively.
My answer has always been that two wrongs do not make a right. In view of the fact that proliferation of court cases during the tenure of the incumbent continue to reverberate as one of the reasons for the level of performance or lack of it, all well meaning Abians must join the crusade for peaceful out of court resolution of all outstanding election matters while fervently interceding for divine assistance for the in coming administration.
Eme ngwangwa, emeghara odachi!
Umunnem, Ozoemena!
Long Live Abia!
Long Live Nigeria!!
Prof Gregory Ibe, PhD, OFR (Enyi Abia, Erim Ndigbo),
Abia APGA Governorship Candidate
