By Ikechukwu Nmerengwa
Okey Ahiwe is the gubernatorial candidate of the PDP for governor of Abia State in the 11 March 2023 elections. Ahiwe emerged following a clear majority of votes and after six candidates stepped down for him in the interest of party unity.
What is the message of Okey Ahiwe? What is he bringing to the Governor’s Office? How would he stand apart from Dr Okezie Ikpeazu, who he served as Chief of Staff?
This last question is critical given the public perception that Ikpeazu’s government was less than stellar. It also comes against the backdrop that between November 2022 and 4 February 2023, when Professor Eleazar Uchenna Ikonne, the PDP candidate passed on, the party’s campaign had flagged.
The race for the governorship of Abia State in March 2023 at the end translates to a contest between continuity and new paradigms. Okey Ahiwe, for the PDP, represents continuity in government. His significant contenders are from the LP (Dr Alex Otti), APGA (Prof Greg Ibe), YPP (Nana Nwafor) and APC (Chief Ikechi Emenike). Given the public perception of the performance of the PDP over 23 years in Abia State, the opposition has framed continuity with the garb of negativity. The LP candidate builds on the traction of the Labour Party’s presidential candidate Mr Peter Obi nationally to position himself as the candidate of change. Okey’s frame of continuity represents new paradigms that acknowledge the mistakes of the past and marches to the future with experience to beat that past.
“My experience is an advantage,” Ahiwe said in an interview. “My participation in government places me ahead of other candidates.
“There is so much to do that there is too little time to learn how to do them. Government processes, the needs of people across the State, and their management, require who knows what to do.”
Ahiwe said Abians should expect a new impetus and some quick wins once he assumes office as the person who knows where all the bodies are buried.
“I will clear the arrears of salaries and pensions. Do not believe in any quick fixes.
“Our government will then tackle critical infrastructure notably the Port Harcourt Road in Aba and the Umuahia to Ikot Ekpene Road.
“We will work with the developer, Nigeria Customs Service, and the NPA to ensure completion of the inland dry port planned for Abia State for so long”.
Ahiwe asked Abians to expect a new Abia that would benefit from his service in government.
A political science graduate of the Univesity of Lagos, Ahiwe trained in building technology at the Ahiara Technical School. He is a successful entrepreneur, experienced in logistics and oil and gas services.
