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A governorship aspirant in Abia State on the platform of All Progressive Grand Alliance, APGA Sir Chikwe Udensi has hailed the resilience of workers in the state at the 2022 Workers' Day, expressing dissatisfaction with the poor welfare package available to them, ABN TV reports.

While acknowledging their contributions and hard work in the state, he said the state of their welfare is pathetic and unacceptable.

In a felicitation message on Sunday, he gave thumbs down on the state and federal government for not doing enough to ensure that workers are treated with dignity.

The Interpol Systems Consultant said instead of celebration, today is a day for sober reflection over the plight of workers in Abia and nation at large.

While praying for good welfare package for Abia workers, he insisted that they elect a leadership that will care for them, which he said he represents.

The Minister of State Mines and steel development chief Uche Ogah, has declared his intentions to contest the 2023 governorship election in Abia state with an assurance that he will deploy his experience in private and public sector to bring meaningful changes in the lives of Abians, ABN TV reports.

He is seeking election to the top job in Abia on the platform of All Progressive Congress APC.

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Speaking on Friday at the public declaration of his intention to lead the state next year at the APC state Secretariat, Azikwe road in Umuahia, Ogah stated that he is in the race to offer a visionary and purposeful leadership to the state.

According to the Minister, if elected as governor of Abia, he will pay due attention to transforming its economy through private sector driven initiatives to generate employment to the teeming masses.

He said "Nigeria is blessed with many natural resources that if we harness them less emphasis will be placed in the oil sector and our country will not play a second fiddle in the world.

"I will bring my experience in the private and public sector to bring valuable changes in lives of Abia people.

"My adminstration will be anochered on faith in God and social transformation in governance which will transform the economic, agricultural, educational, security and health sector of the state.

"I want to reinvent the dreams of our founding fathers of Abia where the rule of law shall thrive and we will reintroduce the agricultural revolution of the former Eastner region that made the economy of that region one of the fastest growing economy in world.

Chief Whip of the Senate, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu has said he is still in the race for Presidency of Nigeria ahead of the 2023 general elections.

According to the former Abia governor, contrary to news reports, he did not drop his aspiration to lead the country but insists that his party, the APC and the opposition PDP should zone their tickets to South East in the spirit of fairness, equity and justice.

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Speaking in his Igbere Bende local government area country home in Abia State on Tuesday, he said aspirants from South South and South West seeking for office of the President in 2023 are not being fair to the South East that has not produced the country's President.

"I did not drop, I will never drop. My advise was for our brothers from South South and South West to support South East. They came out in large numbers to contest for President which is not right.

"If there must be equity, the equity is South East. So I don't want to see people from South South and South West talking about equity.

"Former President Goodluck Jonathan was vice president for five years and president for six years.

"Chief Olusegun Obasanjo was president for eight years and now Osinbajo is going to be vice president for six years.

"So if there is any name at all called equity and justice, the name is South East. Unless that equity is done to us, every other person can run for President including people from Buhari’s village in Daura".

He called on aspirants from South South and South West to support South East in producing the next president of the country otherwise the race be thrown open for any interested candidate from anywhere in the country.

A chieftain of All Progressive Grand Alliance, APGA in Abia State, Sir Chikwe Udensi has taken a swipe at at the state governor, Okezie Ikpeazu for choosing to support the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike for the presidential ticket of the PDP.

Udensi a governorship aspirant in Abia wondered why Gov. Ikpeazu will decide to abandon all Igbo aspirants for office of the President on the platform of the PDP to support Gov. Wike, a South Southerner.

Speaking on a radio programme, Open Parliament on Love FM Umuahia and ABN TV on Wednesday, the Interpol Systems Consultant noted that Wike has severally demonstrated that he does not like Ndigbo.

Udensi said Wike had in the past openly confessed that he is not Igbo despite that some persons from South South answer Igbo names.

While noting that Wike is not being forced to become Igbo, the APGA chieftain said it is wrong for Igbo to support Wike when it is turn of the South-East to lead the country.

While admitting that Wike has done well in terms of developmental activities in Rivers, the governorship hopeful maintained that 2023 is time for Igbo to lead the country as President.

Sir Udensi further recollected that after the civil war, it's only in Rivers State that Igbo were denied access to their property while in the North, South West and Middle Belt, no property belonging to Igbo was tampered with.

"After the Civil War, Igbos who were in the North gained back their properties, even in Yoruba land, Lagos and Ibadan, their houses were safe.

"Those who were even in the Middle Belt, Benin nobody's property was tampered with. It was only in Rivers State that people lost their properties.

"Up till today, they are clamouring. No form of compensation or restitution was offered, we lost our property and Wike continues to adhere to these tenets of stopping our people from accessing their hard earned wealth from our neighbours, Rivers State," he said.

Udensi further noted that when a presentation was made to Gov. Wike to stop efforts to entirely delete Igbo, especially names of places like Rumuola, Rumuigbo, Rumuibekwe and others from Rivers State, he reacted to it negatively.

While further stating that Gov. Wike kicked against Rivers representation in Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Udensi insisted that Wike does not deserve the support of Ndigbo.

Senator representing Abia North, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu has said he is determined to facilitate no fewer than 100 roads across the Senatorial district before the end of 2022.

ABN TV reports that this comes as the Senate Chief Whip insists that his target is to leave his people happier than he met them in 2019 as their representative in the Senate, stating that he has so far facilitated 60 rural roads.

He spoke on Sunday in a chat with leaders of Umunneochi local government area of the state who came to pay him a thank you visit at his Igbere home.

He used the opportunity to announce the construction of nine additional rural road projects for Umunneochi council area.

According to the former Abia governor, his desire is to facilitate people-oriented projects to the district in the areas of education, health and other key infrastructural development.

He said, "In 2022, we facilitated the construction of 1km Ogwumabiri road, construction of 1km rural road, Umuaku, construction of 1km rural road, Aroikpa, provision and installation of solar street lights in selected communities in Umunneochi LGA, construction of 1km rural road, Lekwesi, construction of 1km rural road, Ubahu, construction of 1km rural road, Amauba Obulo, construction of 1km rural road, Umueze to Umudim and construction of 1km Obilorji road."

Chief Whip of the Senate, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu has called on Nigerians to vote for a President in 2023 who has what it takes to revive the economy and restore security across the country, noting that these should be the two major focal points, ABN TV reports.

According to the former Abia governor, the office of the Nigerian President is about individuals who have the capacity to effectively manage human and material resources and all spheres of individuals.

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Fielding questions from newsmen at the National Assembly complex on the state of the nation, the Abia North Senator insisted that capacity and competence should be the yardstick to measure the next president who will take over the affairs of the country in 2023.

"The president should be a president that should be able to work for the Nigerian people. There are two major things a president should look at, the economy and security.

"These are two major areas to focus on, to bring back our economy to path of prosperity.

"The President should be about openness, ability to manage you journalists, ability to manage mechanics, ability to manage professors, manage the legislators with their public experience and capacity to build and bring back the pride of Nigerians to be able to carry the Nigerian passport," he said.

Senator representing Abia North, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu has said he is in peace with his conscience having served the people of Abia State as their governor between 1999-2007 to the best of his ability.

The Senate Chief Whip who is marking his 62nd birthday on Thursday says Abians are in love with him because he gave the state what it needed wholeheartedly.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with ABN TV from his Igbere country home, Bende local government area of Abia State on Thursday, the Senate Chief Whip added that he is repeating as a senator what he did as governor by giving his constituents massive infrastructure and empowerment.

"What I'm doing as a Senator is not a fluke. It is a product of what I did as governor. My commitment is to the people, I work for the people. I don't have a bank account, I don't really bank funds for myself. Everything I have is for the people.

"I will continue to live that life for the people of our constituency and people of our state.

"I praise all sectors of government both in our state and at the Federal level. I believe and I have said it times without number I cannot talk about our governor (Okezie Ikpeazu) outside without talking to him personally" he said.

A leading governorship aspirant in Abia State on the platform of the All Progressive Grand Alliance, APGA, Sir Chikwe Udensi has said there was need to dislodge godfatherism in Abia politics, if the state would go beyond it’s present level of development.

Speaking in Umuahia, Udensi emphasized the need to change what he called the trajectory of bad governance in Abia State which he said was occasioned by godfatherism.

Udensi said his party, the APGA is open to welcoming new members, noting that the more the membership of the party, the better.

He noted that he is not perturbed by the presence of anyone in the party, urging that as many Abians as possible should join to help in salvaging the state.

He assured that irrespective of who emerges as the candidate of APGA during the primary election, all other aspirants will join forces with him to ensure victory for the party at the Polls.

While expressing optimism that he will win as candidate of the party and at the general election, Sir Udensi urged those who want to join the party to do so without hesitation so that the defeat of the incumbent PDP will be much easier.

He denied rumours that he was planning to dump the party for Youth Progressive Party, YPP describing it as a criminal falsehood.

He also vowed to sue the online news platform that published the false information, noting that time has come to take decisive steps against fake news.

He expressed anger over what he called mischievous lie against him, insisting that he has no knowledge of what YPP is about let alone joining it.

A front line governorship aspirant in Abia State on the platform of the All Progressive Grand Alliance, APGA in 2023 election, Sir Chikwe Udensi has denied rumours that he is planning to dump the party for Youth Progressive Party, YPP describing it as a criminal falsehood.

He also vowed to sue the online news platform (not ABN TV) that published the false information, noting that time has come to take decisive steps against fake news.

Speaking with ABN TV on Monday, Sir Udensi, an Interpol Systems Consultant expressed anger over what he called mischievous lie against him, insisting that he has no knowledge of what YPP is about let alone joining.

He called the people behind the rumour criminal minded fellows, stating that he has commenced legal action against them.

Sir Udensi also emphasized that if elected as governor, he will sanitise the online media and initiate a legal framework to deal with the spread of falsehood.

He expressed displeasure that many people have lost their lives because of false information peddled against them because of their inability to cope with the trauma.

"Some were called witches and lynched. Many have died because of trauma from fake news. We cannot allow this to happen in Abia. We must initiate laws against criminal falsehood and this is the time. This is one of my target" he said.

The Governor of Abia State, Okezie Ikpeazu has warned people he described as recalcitrant street traders to immediately vacate anywhere around Osisioma flyover immediately or be arrested and their wares confiscated permanently.

ABN TV reports that the governor noted with dismay that the attitude of the street traders are defacing the infrastructure which he said is a flagship project of his administration.

The governor in a release signed by his chief press secretary, Onyebuchi Ememanka said the space under and around the Osisioma Flyover is not a market and must not be used as such, stating that the area is the gateway to Aba.

"The Osisioma Flyover is not just flagship infrastructural project of this administration, it is a major gateway into Aba and government will not allow the areas surrounding the edifice to be defaced by recalcitrant street traders.

"Consequently, the Governor has ordered all those involved in any form of trading under and around the Flyover to move out of the area immediately. No form of trading there will be tolerated henceforth.

"The Governor has ordered Commissioners in charge of the Ministries of Trade and Investment, Transport and Works to immediately set up a Joint Task Force, and work in conjunction with Osisioma Ngwa LGA and the relevant security agencies to carry out this directive.

"Effective Monday, the 11th day of April, 2022 any person found involved in any kind of trading under and around the Osisioma Flyover, at any time of the day, shall be promptly arrested and his wares permanently confiscated," the governor cautioned.

A leading aspirant for Abia State governorship position ahead of the 2023 general elections, Sir Chikwe Udensi on Tuesday picked his nomination and expression interest forms to at the national secretariat of the party in Abuja, ABN TV reports.

He was accompanied by loyalists and supporters to the secretariat.

Speaking with newsmen shortly after obtaining the forms, the Interpol Systems Consultant expressed readiness to face other contestants at the primary election of the party coming soon.

While noting that people of Abia are yearning for visionary leadership, he expressed readiness to dislodge to PDP government in the state, accusing the party of short-changing the people for a long time.

He, therefore, called on the delegates to support him to emerge as the flag bearer of the APGA, expressing optimism that he will become the next governor of Abia State.

An Abia State High Court sitting in Osisioma Ngwa judicial Division on Tuesday restrained the People’s Democratic Party, PDP in the state from conducting primary election for the nomination of its governorship candidate ahead of the 2023 general election, ABN TV reports.

One Moses Nwaeze had approached the court seeking an order to retrain the party from zoning its governorship candidate to any zone, ABN TV gathered.

He wants the governorship ticket thrown open to interested contestants.

The court presided over by Justice L.T.C. Eruba also adjourned the case to April 13 for further hearing.