One of the foremost gubernatorial aspirants of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Abia State, Prof Uchenna Eleazar Ikonne, has pledged to run an inclusive government that serves all the zones of Abia State if granted the privilege of serving as governor of the state.

Prof Ikonne has public service experience as Vice-Chancellor of Abia State University and Acting Rector of Abia State Polytechnic.

In an interaction with journalists on Wednesday, 6 April 2022, Ikonne stated, “I am committed to serving our people in the best traditions and to peace and development.

“We must eschew rancour and speak the language of Abia as a family.”

The seventh head of Abia State University, Ikonne, pointed to his records in both institutions with a good representation of Abians as proof of the HR principle that past performance is a potential predictor.

“I will work collaboratively with others to develop each part of our State according to its comparative advantage,” Ikonne stated.

“I offer quality leadership that will bring about competencies for high performance in the State.

“Good governance starts with a good relationship between the leader and the led,” said Ikonne.

Born 15 August 1956,
Ikonne is widely reported to be the preferred aspirant of PDP members from the Umunneato section of Abia Central.

He thanked the members for “their support for his aspiration and commended the party for the wisdom of Solomon it displayed in its decision on zoning.”

On the zoning controversy, Ikonne stated: “We must respect the 1981 Abia Charter of Equity provisions that our founding fathers drew up to promote equity, unity, and development. It was a document signed by leaders from Aba and Umuahia Divisions as it then existed”.

With a record of outstanding performance in public service but a newbie in politics, the don added, “By reverting to the implementation of the Charter of Equity, we would allay the fears of domination. It was wisdom for our fathers to spell it out. It is not a law. People grow by making rules that will enable them to live peacefully with each other. Let the two divisions be equal. Sixteen years should equal 16 years,” he said.