The Imo state governorship top contender, Sir Okey Ezeh today visited the National Secretariat of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, in Abuja and obtained the nomination and expression of interest forms of the party for the 2019 Imo gubernatorial race.

The consummate technocrat was accompanied by some senior functionaries of the Imo Rebirth Movement as well as other illustrious citizens of Imo State.

Speaking to newsmen briefly after obtaining the forms, Ezeh thanked the entire members of the National Working Committee of the party as well as the party's leadership in Imo State for their tireless efforts in repositioning APGA and infusing the party with internal democracy which has made it the most attractive political party in Nigeria.

His words, "Today, we begin this historic movement. It's our journey to greatness. It's our drive to usher in the rebirth of Imo state – to make it a prosperous land for our people. The dreams of our forebears have given way to cynicism, even despair. For long, we have settled for the less. We have tolerated the misrule of those who abort our collective vision and abbreviate our dreams.

"Jobs have been lost; our schools have failed; businesses have shuttered; our lands yield no more; our industries are neglected; infrastructure has decayed; and there is a sapping of confidence amongst our people, a nagging fear that we are fated to our woes.

"But the time has come to pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off and begin to make the future we seek. No matter what we think of the past, we must never be prisoners to it. Together, we can make Imo great again," he assured.

Ezeh added that APGA is like the proverbial phoenix, and said when people think APGA is dead that is when the party shows its greatest strength.

According to him, "APGA is now the beautiful bride. Our party will grow from strength to strength. My abiding faithfulness to our great party has been peerless and will forever remain so. I have never known nor tested nor lusted after nor aspired to be anything in any other political party. APGA is my only political identity. Whatever it will take us to win this race, to redeem our people and to reinvent our land, you can always count on me."

He continued, "The Imo Marshal Plan (I-MAP), which is the economic roadmap I have drawn with a team of development experts for Imo’s social regeneration and economic rebirth, will address insecurity and curb crime by first intervening and eliminating those factors that hamper security and breed crime. It is a soft security initiative that doesn't view crime as a simple identity, a discreet element, rather a reality that stems from certain negative social conditions.

"When there is no unemployment and extreme poverty, the idea of theft would likely not arise. It is obviously cheaper to train people and engage them than to buy guns and build prisons. When people find a pathway out of poverty, they are not likely to resort to crime. To this end, the I-MAP intends to engage the private sector in the revitalization of all neglected industries in the state and in the establishment of new ones.

"Our agricultural policy will make Imo self-sufficient in food production, generate employment and wealth, and earn the state foreign exchange. The policy will create and expand job opportunities by intervening and facilitating job and wealth creation through the entire agricultural value chain.

"Production of the local raw materials for the industrial sector shall be pursued with the vigor and urgency that it requires. Seed multiplication farms - livestock and fish breeding centers - will be established under Public Private Partnership (PPP) to facilitate access to high-yielding and disease-resistant inputs. Urban agriculture shall be an integral part of this policy to train service providers and utilize fallow land in urban areas.

"The major area for rural development would be to improve village-level infrastructure - in terms of roads, potable water, education, health, supply chain, electricity and ICT and linkage to agro markets. Improvement of the livelihoods of the host communities through access to micro-credit scheme and other Local Economic Development (LED) programs shall be effectuated. Setting up of processing facilities, tractors, in-farm housing units in each of the three senatorial districts shall be realized. Creation of special unit for packaging for export in order to earn foreign exchange shall be achieved.

"Imo shall have an integrated Rural Development Program designed to be complemented by auxiliary small-scale businesses with high job creation capacity. We shall provide agricultural extension services to farmers in the state. Imo shall set up by law an Agricultural Investment Promotion Agency that would serve as a link between the farmers and the market place to ensure regular flow of income through ready patronage and stabilization of commodity prices," Ezeh vowed.

The accomplished banker further promised that his stewardship will be defined by competence and credibility, and enjoined the party faithful in Imo state to nominate him as the party's flag bearer so as to bring an end to the mass misery in the state.

http://www.akelicious.net/2018/09/imo-election-okey-ezeh-obtains-apga.html