Leading House of Representatives aspirant for Arochukwu/Ohafia federal constituency in Abia state, Chief Mrs Mary Ikoku, has appealed to the All Progressives Congress (APC) delegates to vote for her at the party primaries scheduled to hold on Friday May 27, 2022.
Mary, a media guru and notable social advocate spoke in a press statement through her campaign organisation on Thursday.
The House of Representatives frontline APC aspirant who has been known for her philanthropic gestures over the years within Arochukwu and Ohafia communities and beyond reminded delegates of the need for them to collectively make pronounced decision that would take their domain out of persistent hardship.
Part of her statement titled, “The Dawn of Transparency and Accountability”, reads, “These are two vital attributes that have, historically, been found to be deficit in the Nigerian polity transparency and accountability. This deficit in transparency and accountability has caused us a lot in good governance, development and progress.
“The failure to hold our elected office holders and representatives responsible and accountable for their actions and inactions have given them the confidence to act insensitively to our needs and to brazenly misuse public funds for selfish reasons.”
Mary, who was recently singled out and honoured with a rare Chieftaincy title of “Nwanyi bu Ihe” in Ohafia said, “The Arochukwu and Ohafia communities have not only been neglected but also taken for granted. We have representatives at the corridors of power and yet it appears we have no one. Every four years, we come out to entrust our mandate into the hands of people whom we assume will ably represent us where it matters.
“But alas! we always get disappointed…time and time again. Look at our youth! Look at our women! Imagine our roads turning to death traps. All around us, we see decaying and degenerating infrastructure from schools to hospitals and even housing.
“Yet, we have people we dutifully elected to ably represent us to ensure that our problems are fixed for us to live better lives. Dear Delegates, the decision to continue with this sad reality or to make a decisive change for a better future is in your hands. Make a determination to vote your conscience so that you can birth a new dawn in Arochukwu-Ohafia community.
“It’s time for change! Today, I present myself to you as that candidate who will represent you transparently and accountably.
“I present myself to you with all humility, deep sense of responsibility and understanding of the seriousness of this moment and the challenges ahead of us as a people and a constituency. You have been made promises in the past and disappointed, but today is different.
“The urgency of the moment and the depth of the developmental challenges before us calls us to responsibility and solemnity. My fathers and mothers, my brothers and sisters, my leaders and elders, my name is Mary Ikoku.
“I have served you and this community with compelling commitment as a private citizen over the last two decades. Today, I stand before you with the weight of history, the knowledge of the pains of our people, the needs of our community and an abiding hope in your capacity to make that bold and courageous choice that will signal the beginning of a new kind of politics of performance and service.
“My antecedents speak eloquently of service and transformative leadership. I come fully prepared to take up the office of House of Representatives from day one and begin to deliver tangible and meaningful results.
“I have served successfully in the public sector, organised private sector and NGO sector and I stand ready to take up this higher calling. So, dear distinguished delegates, as you vote today, I urge you to fairly and wisely assess all the aspirants and ask yourself who is that one person that you are convinced will give you the purposeful, transparent, accountable and high-impact representation that you deserve and seek.”
