PDP Is the Best Development for Abia State, Says Kelechi Anosike

As the 2027 governorship election campaign gains momentum in Abia State, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate Kelechi Anosike argues that his party has laid the groundwork for the state’s development and remains the best thing that has happened to Abia. He also outlines his plans if elected. Charles Ajunwa brings the excerpts:

“Aggrieved Abia PDP stakeholders described your emergence as the party’s governorship candidate as a rude shock to them. What’s your take?”

“Maybe because they have not been following my growth and trajectory in the party. I joined PDP in 2005 and worked closely with former President Olusegun Obasanjo. I authored a three‑part biography titled ‘Olusegun Obasanjo, The Man, The Message, The Movement.’ In 2006 I served as Chairman of the National Assembly’s Screening Committee sent to Plateau State. In 2007 and 2009, the late President Yar’Adua appointed me to presidential committees, including one reviewing insurance law, which I worked on with late Professor Joe Irukwu and Professor Osipitan. I’ve been involved at every level of the PDP, from the Nkwoegwu Ward office where I paid the rent for years, to national roles. In 2011 I ran for House of Representatives but was denied the ticket, which went to Oluchi Ibechi. In 2008 I contested a seat on the National Working Committee when I sought the office of Deputy National Financial Secretary, a convention that also saw the late Sir Vincent Ogbulafor. When I read a report calling my emergence the ‘eighth wonder of the world,’ I laughed. I am a strong PDP member from the ward to the national level, and I understand the dynamics. I am a party man at heart and in spirit, which made it easy for me to secure the ticket.”

“But your emergence seems to have divided the party. Are there efforts to pacify those that lost out?”

“It’s important to say that PDP is not divided; it is one united family. In every competition there must be a winner, and those who did not get the ticket will naturally be unhappy. I have reached out to them, and the party has also reached out. We are building cohesion so that we go into the election as one united family. In my acceptance speech I extended an olive branch, urging us to come together. One person must win, but we have a collective mission: to reposition our party and reclaim the Government House from the Labour Party.”

“Did you also reach out to other aspirants that lost out in the party’s primary election?”

“Yes. I have spoken to most of them, though I have not formally invited them yet. I plan to do so during stakeholder engagement sessions where party members will interface and bring everyone together to reposition the party.”

“Years of PDP in Abia still remain a subject of controversy. How do you intend to convince Abians to vote for the party again?”

“There are many misconceptions. PDP remains the best thing that has happened to Abia, and that is the truth. Our leaders are working hard to reposition the party. I am presenting a new direction and mindset. Past PDP governments suffered from limited funds, whereas the current Labour government benefits from subsidy removal under President Bola Tinubu’s economic policy. The monthly inflow to Abia now is comparable to what the last PDP government received over four years. There is more money available to do more work. We have records of roads built by PDP that far outnumber current projects. However, social media sometimes exaggerates what is done, and projects like the 2024 Smart Schools have not materialised on the ground. When the campaign starts, we will provide evidence that PDP remains the best for the state.”

“Analysts have attributed the PDP’s loss to Labour Party in 2023 to poor performance. Do you agree, and what has changed?”

“I don’t know what they meant by poor performance. Performance is measured by the resources available. With limited resources, the PDP maintained rice belts from Ubani to Isikwuato, operated two rice mills, and supported Osikapa Abia’s home‑grown rice. Those initiatives have fizzled. The past governments also set up an oil palm belt from Ukwa axis, which has since lapsed. The current government focuses on a few road projects while neglecting other governance aspects. I do not see this as poor performance.”

“In your acceptance speech you promised to focus on agriculture and industrialisation. Can you throw more light on this?”

“I advocate a welfare philosophy. The next Abia government will be welfare‑based, prioritising every citizen in need. We will build infrastructure and livelihoods so that no Abian goes to bed hungry. Economic welfare will focus on prosperity, SME financing, skills acquisition, entrepreneurship grants, industrialisation, market expansion, and agricultural exports. Social protection will safeguard widows, the elderly, persons with disabilities, orphans, and poor households. Healthcare welfare will provide affordable care, free maternal services, rural clinics, health insurance, drug subsidies, and mobile hospitals. Educational welfare will develop human capital through scholarships, teacher welfare, school rehabilitation, digital learning, and skills training. Youth welfare will create opportunities through startup funding, tech hubs, sports development, and employment programmes, keeping youths in Abia rather than moving to Lagos, Abuja, or Port Harcourt. Women’s welfare will include enterprise funds, maternal health, political inclusion, and cooperatives. Workers’ welfare will ensure timely salaries above minimum wage, pension reforms, housing support, and health coverage. Rural welfare will improve roads, electricity, water supply, and market expansion, facilitating agricultural distribution. Agricultural welfare will revive the back‑to‑farm policy, Operation Feed Abia, with farm grants, extension services, subsidised fertiliser, and mechanised farming. Digitalising farm settlements will attract youth to agriculture while providing access to the wider world.”

“We have the housing welfare. I’m a mortgage expert, I have a PhD in housing and mortgages.”

“Most civil servants contribute to the National Housing Fund (NHF). When they retire, they worry about pension deductions, yet the NHF contributions are often overlooked. My PhD research revealed that these contributions should enable retirees to obtain a house and mortgage. Over 90% of civil servants retire without accessing their NHF benefits, losing government funds. I will ensure that Abia civil servants who contribute to the NHF can access those funds, supplement them with Federal Mortgage Bank resources, and obtain affordable housing and slum upgrading.”

Justice and security are also priorities. Many awaiting‑trial persons (ATPs) are innocent, detained after the crime scene. Within 100 days in office, a panel headed by a retired justice will review ATPs, releasing those who were randomly detained while retaining those who committed crimes. Community policing, judicial reforms, and legal aid will provide free representation to indigent citizens. Infrastructure will be humanised: roads to farms, hospitals before monuments, schools before prestige projects, all aimed at improving human well‑being. These are the programmes the next government will pursue.

“Who is your political godfather?”

“My political godfather is all Abians. Welfare appeals to everyone, and when I preach welfare to delegates and the electorate, they become the kingmakers.”