Raymond Ozoji, Awka
Emeka Vincent Igwe, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for Awka-South 1 Constituency for Anambra State House of Assembly election next year, has said that the incumbent lawmaker representing the constituency in the 6th legislature has failed woefully in his stewardship.
He said the incumbent representative had in the last three years represented himself at the state assembly thereby culminating in developmental gaps and retardation in Awka-South 1 state constituency.
Igwe who spoke with journalists at his country home Umuogbu Awka-South local government area of Anambra state at the weekend, explained further that if the incumbent lawmaker had performed better at the state assembly, he would not be contesting against him.
The PDP assembly candidate therefore challenged the incumbent lawmaker to show a list of his constituency achievements in the last three years, if he has any.
He said, “The incumbent has not done anything. If there is one thing he has done let him say it. I have been here for a couple of years and I have asked questions and there is absolutely nothing that he has done. His predecessor Kenechukwu Chukwuemeka did far better than him. So he has not done anything for Awka-South 1 constituency. He has accepted failure.”
The oil and gas magnate however stated that if elected in 2019 to represent Awka-South 1 state constituency at the 7th Anambra State House of Assembly, he would drastically improve on the welfare and well-being of the people of Awka-South 1 state constituency even though he observed that development in Awka capital territory had been abysmally low.
Although he admitted that Governor Willie Obiano’s Operation Light-Up Anambra State had taken root in the state capital Awka as well as the presence of three gigantic fly-over bridges, he expressed discontentment saying that those were not enough to qualify Awka as a state capital.
He said his primary concerns were people in the villages and remote communities of Awka-South 1 state constituency, pointing out that infrastructure was too poor in the villages and that the cost of living in the rural communities was also high but he emphasized that if elected into office, he would find out if there was any law in place that mandated government to invest a certain portion of the state revenue for the development of the state capital and if there was none, he intends to sponsor one. He stressed that Awka is the capital and it’s worth it .
Igwe further noted that part of his priority as a legislator would be to prevail on the Nigeria Erosion and Watershed Management Programme (NEWMAP) to tackle erosion devastation in his constituency as well as harness ecological funds from the federal government to address environmental degradation.
Another salient issue that formed the scope of his constituency project areas were micro-finance that would be earmarked for rural market women from constituency funds without interest rates which will also be rotational in the constituency in order to empower women and children together with numerous other developmental projects already in the pipeline intended to enhance and improve the living conditions of the people of Awka-South 1 state constituency.