By Leonard Okachie
Umuahia, Jan. 17, 2023
The PDP candidate for Abia Central Senatorial District, Col. Austin Akobundu (rtd.), has unveiled his five-point manifesto, entitled “People-first agenda.”
Akobundu performed the unveiling before newsmen and a large crowd of party chieftains and supporters in Umuahia on Tuesday.
He said that the document “should serve as a direct statement, vision, aspiration, desire and collective hope of my dear people”.
He said that the essence of documenting his programme was for the constituents to interrogate and hold him accountable to his promises, when given the mandate.
He described his candidacy as “a people-oriented project”, adding that he was convinced that they had resolved to actualise it on February 25 through him.
Akobundu said that upon the call by his people to present himself for the Senate, he embarked on an intensive consultation with major stakeholders and groups in the 62 Wards and six Local Government Areas that make up the district.
“By the grace of God, I commit to ensure the wellbeing, prosperity and happiness of my constituents by hitting the ground running upon election to the Senate.
“It is a collective mandate, and we must not fail the people,” he said.
According to him, foremost in the manifesto is to provide quality representation, promote democratic norms, freedom, justice and fairness.
Akobundu also promised to attract the dividends of democracy, pursue policies and programmes for prosperity, human capital development and empowerment of the constituents.
He promised to make sure that the constituency received its fair share from the Federal Government by ensuring that critical needs of the constituency were captured in every budget.
He said that he would specifically “target legacy rural and urban projects in electricity, road, healthcare, education, water resources and agriculture,” amongst others.
The candidate also promised to ensure legislations and rigorous oversights on security issues that would guarantee security in his constituency, Abia and the country at large.
He promised to pursue an open-door policy, ensure inclusiveness of the constituents and ensure accountability, transparency and accessibility to the people.
Akobundu assured the people that he would empower at least 150 youths in different vocations, trades and businesses annually.
He said that his emergence as candidate followed an understanding that Ikwuano axis of Abia Central should produce the senatorial candidate, while the governorship candidate was ceded to the Ngwa axis.
He spoke against the background that the incumbent, Sen. Theodore Orji, whom he intends to succeed, hails from Umuahia/Ikwuano.
“Equity and fairness played a major role in my emergence because nobody from Ikwuano has gone to the Senate.
“The agreement was also to ensure that our people on the other side of the district (Ngwa) take the slot to produce the governorship candidate,” Akobundu said.
Government functionaries and party chieftains at the event, including the Secretary to the State Government, Chief Chris Ezem, Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Chief Eze Chikamnayo, PDP Deputy Chairman, Chief Obinna Nwachukwu, amongst others, described the choice of Akobundu as infallible.
They described him in glowing terms, saying that he had the competence, capacity, integrity, discipline, vision, contacts and intellectual endowments to effectively represent and bring honour to his constituency.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Akobundu, a retired army Colonel, was the Minister of State for Defence under President Goodluck Jonathan.
He is a former National Organising Secretary of PDP and hails from Azuiyi Oloko in Ikwuano.
