The Ebonyi State Labour Party (LP) gubernatorial candidate, Chief Splendour Oko-Eze, has vowed to focus on industrializing the state rather than building hotels and filling stations, which he says provide minimal employment opportunities for the teeming unemployed youths. He made this pledge on Thursday, promising to prioritize community policing and introduce electronic equipment to monitor movement in the state if elected governor in the 2027 general election.
Commitment to Security and Community Policing
Oko-Eze expressed strong support for state policing, stating, "I will also make sure that I bring equipment, electronic equipment that can at least monitor the coming in and going out of people into the state, because not everybody enters the state with good intention." He emphasized the importance of community policing, saying, "I told someone, I said, I must make sure that community policing is returned in Ebonyi, because those people who are in communities, they know the people who come in and the people who go out. With this, the issue of insecurity, community clashes, will be reduced."
Economic Transformation Plans
Addressing journalists in Abakaliki, the gubernatorial hopeful lamented the suffering and hardship faced by the people of Ebonyi State. He vowed to transform the state's economy and make it the economic hub of the Southeast if elected. Oko-Eze criticized the Vanco Flyover and Tunnel project initiated by the administration of Governor Nwifuru Francis, arguing that it would not be completed even if the government were given an additional three years. He attributed the lack of performance by the current administration to what he termed "wicked politicians" surrounding the governor.
Critique of Current Administration
Oko-Eze recalled that he did not challenge Nwifuru's election in 2023 when the Labour Party substituted his name with that of Architect Edward Okereke, because he believed the governor, being a youth, would fix the state. However, he expressed disappointment, stating, "I can proudly tell you that we are yet to see any completed project commissioned in the state for more than three years now. We are running closer to four years, which means one full-blown calendar of governance has wound up." He highlighted the high cost of living in Abakaliki, noting that a comfortable three-bedroom flat now costs around one million naira in rent.
Decentralization and Infrastructure
If elected, Oko-Eze plans to step down development to the hinterland to discourage rural-urban migration, allowing residents to apply for opportunities from their rural areas to urban centers. He also assured the people of Ebonyi that he would address the exorbitant bills from the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC), which he said has made life unbearable for residents.
Addressing Utility and Water Scarcity
Oko-Eze criticized the estimated billing system, comparing it to other areas where prepaid meters are used. He questioned how a civil servant earning 30,000 naira could afford a 15,000 naira electricity bill, along with school fees and other needs. He also promised to tackle water scarcity in Abakaliki, noting that a bag of pure water sells for 700 naira. "I will make sure that I do everything humanly possible to reticulate water in the state so that whoever is in Abakaliki will have water at his or her doorstep at a reduced cost," he said.
He concluded by emphasizing the need to address the impoverishment of Ebonyi residents, stating that his government would cover many areas to improve their quality of life. "This is just a little tip of the iceberg that I've given to you," he said.
