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Raymond Ozoji, Awka
It was a gathering of sort yesterday at Umudiabor village Ndiowu Orumba-North local government area of Anambra state as executives of commercial motorcycle operators, known as Okada in local parlance, came to the country home of the former council chairman and currently the candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) for Orumba-North assembly elections Chief Emeka Aforka to pledge total and unflinching support for his candidacy.
The State Public Relations Officer of Motorcycle Transport Union of Nigeria Anambra State branch Mr. Uchenna Anoliefo who spoke on behalf of his colleagues said they would mobilize their members in the entire Orumba-North as well as canvass support for Chief Emeka Aforka from the grassroots to ensure they met their targets of ten thousand votes for him.
Anoliefo explained that the former council chairman was one with kind and humane personality such that his office was accessible to them when he was the local government chairman of Orumba-North .
Although he regretted that some unscrupulous elements hide under the cover of Okada riders to commit crime, he said the real commercial motorcycle operators do not indulge in crime and criminality even as he disclosed that the state governor Chief Willie Obiano approached Okada riders during his re-election bid and they did work for him to ensure he won the election.
According to the PRO, all Okada riders of Orumba-North axis will leave no stone unturned to ensure landslide victory for the Orumba-North APGA assembly candidate.
The APGA chairman of Orumba-North local government area Barr. Obinna Ikwueto however tasked the Okada riders to ensure that their patron Chief Emeka Aforka won the election in Orumba-North state constituency. He said the benefits they would derive if he was elected into office would be enormous, adding that as a member of the State House of Assembly, he would attract soft loans for commercial motorcycle operators to help them transit from mere Okada riders to vehicle owners.
The Orumba-North APGA assembly candidate while addressing the executives of the motorcycle operators recalled the primary elections which he described as a healthy contest where he emerged as the winner and other contestants embraced the outcome in the spirit of sportsmanship.
Aforka stated that there was no rancour of any kind regarding the conduct of the primary elections. At the moment, he pointed out that they were 17 candidates of different political parties jostling for the same Orumba-North state constituency seat but stated that he was optimistic that the election would end in his favour to enable them to get effective representation at the state assembly.
