David-Chyddy Eleke in Awka
The Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, has said the government of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) under former Governor, Peter Obi, and the incumbent Governor, Willie Obiano, which amounts to over 10 years has not equalled his 34-month achievements in the state as governor.
He stated this at his Alor home in Idemili South Local Government Area of the state.
Ngige, who was the governor of the state before he was sacked by the Court of Appeal on March 15, 2006, said the Obi and Obiano administrations had not measured up to expectation.
According to him, “APC will be in serious contention for the office of the governor next year because we are determined to take over the Government House because we will do better.
“However, it is too early to begin to talk about whether one will contest or not since the election is coming up next year.
“By the constitution of Nigeria and the Electoral Act, the governorship election will take place perhaps by December next year.
“Before then, the marshal plan APC has for Nigeria would have been on ground properly as we believe that that will help us during the campaigns.
“For now, anybody who is saying he is campaigning for the governorship is only wasting his time as there is still enough time for that.”
He added that with his performance as a governor between 2003 and 2006, his party would be in good stead for the race.
Ngige stated that former Governor, Peter Obi, and his successor, Obiano, put together could not equal his performance in 34 months in office with their 10-year reign.
Stating that he had an unbeatable record as governor, Ngige said: “Even when they tried to do multiplicity of roads, their roads have collapsed, while the ones I did are still in perfect conditions.
“Even the handover of schools they are priding themselves about was initiated by me because I was the person who signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with religious leaders in the state and handed over 37 schools on paper before we left office.
“If they had followed my agricultural road map, the state would have been feeding the whole South-east with rice by now.
“If I were to be governor today, I won’t be going to Abuja for money because our state would have been self-sufficient.
“I will get the required licence and begin mining of some minerals in the state,” he stated.
Ngige contested against the former governor of the state, Obi, for the office in 2010 and against the incumbent governor, Obiano, in 2013.
He was a senator from 2011 to 2015 before he was appointed a minister by President Muhammadu Buhari.
