APGA flags off campaign in grand style

•Obi reels out achievements
The All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), yesterday flagged off it governorship campaign in Anambra State in grand style amid mammoth crowd that filled the expansive Ekwueme Sqaure, Awka.Filled to full capacity, with even more people outside the square, Governor. Peter Obi presented the APGA candidates, Dr. Willie Obiano and Dr. Nkem Okeke to the National Chairman of the Party, Chief Victor Umeh, who, in turn, presented them to the people of the state. Both were accompanied by their wives. Their impressive academic qualification and experiences were read as justification that they are worthy to be entrusted with the fate of a state.
Speaking at the rally, Umeh, who welcomed many people that joined APGA, including Anayo Obiakor, chairman of Democratic Peoples Party; Ifeatu Obi Okoye, former chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and former director, mobilisation of Ifeany Uba Campaign; Chief Arthur  Obi Nwandu, former governorship candidate of the PDP; former House members, Echezona Okechi and Obiajulu Okeke, among many others, who came  with their teeming members said the major attraction of people into APGA was because Governor Obi had delivered more than any governor in Nigeria.
They described APGA as a great party in which Dim Chukwumeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu found fulfillment serving his people.
Describing Obi as the most faithful APGA member, who had remained committed to APGA and was instrumental towards its growth, he said after  eight  years of governing Anambra State and setting records in the development of all sectors, it was time to replace him with another person as good as himself, who would continue with his policies.
“In Willie and Nkem, we found those with the pedigree to replicate Obi’s magic in Anambra State,” Umeh said, adding: “Governor Obi is an exceptional governor. He did many monumental things in the state. In education, he returned school to the churches and is supporting them, to rebuild the returned schools. In health, he accredited many health institutions. In road, he has built over 800 kilometers of roads that his predecessor claims some as his. In all sectors, it is the same story”
In his own speech, Governor Obi said the important thing in the state today was that Anambra people elects a good person that will continue to build on the achievements of the past. Insisting that he was convinced that Obiano and Okeke were the people, he called on the people of the state to vote them in and ignore those prancing about without managing their lives believing they will manage that of a state.
Obi, who said he had reviewed what those that wanted to become governors of Anambra State were promising to do, said it was what his government had either done or is doing.
“Before I became governor, Anambra worked with militias. Today, we are working with recognised state security agencies. In Anambra, a governor was kidnapped, yet he is promising to stop kidnapping. In Anambra, we had no accredited hospitals. Today, it is different. We had no foreign investment, but today three South African companies are in the state, two of them fortune 500 companies.   Our schools lacked basic infrastructure. Today it is different. One can go on and on,” Obi said.
On the issue of housing, Obi said after the completion of Ngozika Phase 1 and 2 he would flag-off the first phase of mass housing in the next four days, for civil servant and medium income earners.
On airport issue, he said plan for the Anambra airport had been approved by necessary bodies and that his successor would commence and complete it.
Obi also spoke on local government election, assuring that it would definitely hold on December 14 and that there would be no going back.
He also promised the continued attention to sports in the state. “Everybody is aware that Anambra has no mini-stadium when I was elected, but today, we have completed two at Onitsha and have flagged-off the one at Awka, which is on-going. We are also partnering with organisations that are into sports for which we are rehabilitating the Rojenny and Chuba Ikpeazu stadia.  We have also resuscitated school sports and have invested half a million in all the secondary schools in the state for sports development and have promised within the next fortnight to give additional N750,000 to all the schools for the same purpose.”
Expressing satisfaction with the progress in agriculture, Obi said under his government, farmers, for the first time, received loans running into billions. To guarantee food security, he said his government had rehabilitated the Omor Rice Mill and was working hard towards the rehabilitation of the Nkwelle Ezunaka farm
Speaking one after the other, all those that led their members to join APGA said it was because APGA was the party of the people.
They all referred to what they called the wonderful work Governor Obi is doing in the state.
In his words,  Ifeatu Obi Okoye said  in Labour Party, there were euphoria, but no vision and character, as is clear in APGA.
The crowd was addressed by  high-ranking party officials, some of who are Dr. Tim Menakaya,  Dr. Okey Udeh and Emeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu II, among others.