Nkechinyere Ewa
The 2023 governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and 2027 hopeful, Chief Ifeanyi Chukwuma Odii, popularly known as Anyichuks, has said he is contesting again for the Ebonyi State governorship because there has been no significant improvement in the lives of the people and the economy of the state.
Chief Odii spoke to journalists after submitting his nomination forms and successfully undergoing screening by the PDP screening panel at the Legacy House, Abuja.
According to him, Ebonyi State currently requires purposeful leadership capable of addressing the growing economic hardship and insecurity facing the people.
“At this critical time, Ebonyi State requires leadership,” he stated.
Chief Odii lamented that since the 2023 general election, poverty has continued to worsen in Ebonyi State despite the huge federal allocations accruing to the state government.
He noted that the state urgently needs someone with the capacity for economic and human capital development.
According to him, “poverty and insecurity have continued to increase in Ebonyi State,” adding that this informed the decision to “get it right this time.”
Speaking further, Chief Odii stressed the importance of opposition in a democratic society, insisting that constructive opposition remains necessary for democracy to thrive.
“Any opposition with constructive ideas is welcome. Any government or society that says there should be no opposition is a dictatorship, and we will not allow dictatorship in Ebonyi State, so we have come today to let the whole world know that Anyichuks is now running to be the governor of Ebonyi State,” he said.
The business mogul also dismissed clannish sentiments in the politics of Ebonyi State, insisting that governance should not be based on sectional considerations.
“When they are talking about ‘you are not from North, you are not from Izzi,’ and all that, I am from Ebonyi State before Izzi, before Onicha Local Government. The day I was born, I was born as somebody from Ebonyi State. Ebonyi State is not going to be governed on the basis of clannish politics,” he declared.
Chief Odii reiterated that through his foundation, he has reached out to people across the nooks and crannies of Ebonyi State without discrimination.
He maintained that poverty in the state cuts across all clans and communities, adding that his humanitarian interventions have never been restricted by ethnic or sectional boundaries.
Chief Odii expressed confidence that he would secure the PDP governorship ticket and emerge victorious in the 2027 general election.
“Our mandate will not be stolen again in 2027,” he declared, assuring party supporters that he remains optimistic about victory both at the PDP primary election and the governorship poll.