A House of Representatives candidate of the Action Alliance (AA) in Imo, Chief Kingsley Uju Chima, says he will unseat Goodluck Opiah, a fedral lawmaker on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Chima, who is a former Deputy Chief of Staff, Operations to the Imo State Government, contested unsuccesfully in the controversial APC primaries in Imo that produced Opia as the candidate of the Ohaji/Egbema, Oguta, Oru West Federal Constituency. He later defected to the AA to achieve his vision.
Opiah, an ex-Speaker of the Imo House of Assembly, is also seeking re-election on the platform of the APC in the constituency.
Chima made the declaration to newsmen in Lagos after a closed door meeting with some Igbo leaders from the constituency living in Lagos.
He said that the APC candidate would be defeated because the people of the constituency yearned for new representation.
According to him, being an incumbent representative is not tantamount to winning, pointing out that the people are wiser now.
He said that despite many years of representation, there was nothing to show in the constituency as projects drawn to the area.
“If elected, I will use my position to draw projects to my constituents and ensure transparency in the use of constituency funds allotted for the areas and sponsor bills that will impact directly and positively on them.
“House of Representatives is the closest to the grassroots. It is an avenue for the people to get their demands across to the Federal Government,” he said.
He said that part of his plans if elected was to ensure that the people were empowered through skill acquisition to ensure their independence and improve their standard of living.
Chima lamented the abject poverty amongst members of the constituency insisting that the people would not have been blaming the Federal and State governments if those representing them had been doing a good job.
“ Part of our challenges as a country is bad representation. Most of the people at the national and state assemblies have no business being there. They do not understand what their expressions entail. They see legislative work as an avenue for self aggrandisement and holding governments to unnecessary ransom.
“I wish that Nigerians will realise the need to vote out lawmakers that have not represented them well.
“Like I always say, the general election should be about personalities not party. People should avoid voting for bad representatives just because of their party,” he said.
He said that his record of providing certain amenities like water and roads for the people of the constituency despite not being in office yet was the main reason the people were giving him their support.
“I have a scholarship fund that has empowered many in the constituency and which I plan to increase if elected,” he said.
He however urged the electorate to protect their votes to make sure that their will prevailed.
