Sen. Enyinnaya Abaribe 


by Our Correspondent, Umuahia


The Senate Minority Leader, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe Wednesday alleged that the Abia State Government is planning to pay delegates to the governorship primary with the sum of N2 million/delegate to coerce them vote for their 'anointed' candidate

Sen. Abaribe, representing Abia South Senatorial district and a governorship aspirant on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, made the allegations during his consultation tour to Bende LGA.

''The Abia Government is planning to pay delegates N2 million each and there are 1,700  delegates, which makes it a total of N3.4 billion which they have budgeted for buying of the governorship ticket," he alleged

  The outspoken Senate leader passionately appealed to the delegates to the primary to vote according to their conscience and not by swayed by the monetary inducement.

"If you delegates make a mistake in the choice of our governorship candidate, all of us have made a mistake. If you take the N2m and vote according to their dictates, then know now that once that person is elected, he will become a puppet in their hands - the first thing  they will do is to demand repayment of the N3.4billion they invested in his election.

"Its not any system that is going to decide our governorship candidate, its not Abuja, its you delegates, vote according to your conscience", he counseled them

"Its time to rise up and save Abia. The era of imposition has ended, the era of system has ended,  the era of Abuja has ended. We will not allow them to continue passing our fate from hand to  hand

"For PDP to win, let us not make the mistake of the past. You delegates must decide the b way forward, you willl vote in secret, vote according to your conscience, the power is in in you hands, If they give  you money, take it, it is your money in the first place, it is the money they should have  used for development of Abia, they have stockpiled to buy your conscience. Vote according your conscience, do not be afraid whatever  they have made you swear to, it will not work", he argued.

Abaribe who maintained that he has always stood for justice, argued that they planned to  zone him out because of his stance. "I support zoning, but it is zoning to capability, it  is zoning to capacity, it is zoning to integrity that I support", he affirmed

He urged the delegates to vote for him as Abia PDP guber candidate and promised to work to restore Abia as number one State in the Federation and the bride of Igboland.