There’s no doubt that the God of God’s own State – Abia State – is about to do a new thing for long-suffering Abians. Their cry has reached the ears of a merciful God. With the new breed of politicians aspiring to govern Abia State, and the way they are going about it, one can only say that there is hope.

Issues – based Politicking, novel ways of marketing aspirants, heavy involvement of social media, passionate involvement of Abia Christian Community, are some of what we see these days in the Abia State political space.

One remarkable aspirant, Dr Ukpai Iro Ukpai, who I’d like to address as Your Preferred Guber Aspirant (YPGA), the Founder of Ebube Abia Organisation, has taken Guber Aspiration to another higher level.

I have had the privilege of knowing that Dr Ukpai, as a way to find solutions to Abia’s ‘wicked problems’, as far back as 2020, set up for research committees to study Abia’s problems and find sustainable solutions to them. The Committees who have already completed their assignments, have members (experts, intellectuals, technocrats) carefully selected from Abia State and beyond. Dr Ukpai has promised that their work will inform his manifesto.

Another approach the Ebube Abia Organisation leader has chosen is that he conducted a survey recently, giving Abians the opportunity to make their input on the 7 most critical challenges they want the next Abia State Governor to tackle and 3 challenges they want tackled quickly in their LGAs. I learned that survey participants were drawn including gender, politicians, non-politicians, activists, LGA of origin, age, Diasporan, level of education, retired or active in service, etc. I know many of you reading me participated in the survey. When I asked YPGA – Dr Ukpai – what the outcome of the exercise looks like, he said:

“Examining the data, the pattern of data already suggests that Abians across board know what they need, the solution to be profferred must necessarily be far – reaching, substantive – sustainable, and yet transformative. The survey, like our research committees’ work, is relevant as input to my manifesto”.

It’s a new dawn for Abia politics! In this 2022-23 election season, political parties will have the opportunity to use their party primaries to place the best they’ve got on the ballot so Abians can make the final selection. I am convinced that delegates in Dr Ukpai’s political party, APC, are taking notice of his pedigree. Abians are taking very careful note.

It is looking interesting with the new wave of Politicking in Abia State, and the crop of aspirants we have. Abians must get it right in 2023 when they file out in their numbers in March 2023 to decide Dr Okezie Ikpeazu’s replacement!

Chief Olugu Kalu Udonsi
20 February, 2022

Chief Olugu Kalu Udonsi, a public commentator on political matters, lives in Portharcourt.