Owerri, Imo State – Sir Tony Ejiogu, the Governorship candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) for the November 2023 Governorship Election in Imo State, officially launched his campaign in Owerri on Thursday, emphasizing security and the economy as the top priorities of his administration after the election. Ejiogu made a commitment to rebuilding Imo by addressing insecurity and revitalizing the state’s economy.
Speaking at the campaign event, Ejiogu expressed concern over the decline in Imo’s status over the past three years, stating that the state had transitioned from the “Eastern heartland” to the “Eastern wasteland.” He reiterated his pledge to tackle the security challenges through a comprehensive approach, including strengthening law enforcement and investing significantly in community engagement to identify the root causes of conflicts.
Ejiogu stressed the critical decision facing Imo residents, saying, “In spite of our past triumphs and legacies, this is a time of great tension between good and evil, progress and retrogression, and a time to choose whether to continue on the path of destruction or begin the process of rebuilding our dear Imo.”
He added, “My first charge in the rebuilding agenda is to make our communities liveable again. From August 2020 to July 2023, our dear Imo State has experienced 209 violent attacks. No fewer than 289 people have lost their lives to those attacks, while about 100 people have been kidnapped and mostly unaccounted for subsequently. These are not just numbers. They are our sons, daughters, fathers and mothers, cousins and uncles.”
Ejiogu also addressed the issue of youth unemployment in Imo, despite the state’s high literacy rate. He pledged to implement strategic economic reforms and initiatives to create an enabling environment for private enterprises to thrive, generating much-needed jobs, and increasing internally generated revenue (IGR) by 50% within three years.
As a strong contender in the race to the Imo government house in the November election, Ejiogu promised to ensure that Imo workers receive a livable minimum wage of at least 80,000 naira per month and that pension and gratuities are settled promptly.
Ejiogu’s economic agenda also includes aggressive reforms in the agricultural sector to address food insecurity by harnessing the sector’s potential through his “One-Community-One-Product (OCOP)” initiative, which aims to develop specialty products based on each community’s comparative advantage.
In his concluding remarks, Ejiogu called on the people of Imo to unite, putting aside their differences and choosing the right leadership for the state in the upcoming Governorship election. He pledged to lead with a focus on serving the people and delivering social justice, good governance, economic prosperity, and protection for all residents.
Ejiogu further committed to full devolution of powers and the restoration of the local government system, promising to conduct free, fair, and credible local government elections and grant local governments complete financial and operational independence upon assuming office.