By Anayo Okoli
ACTION Congress of Nigeria, ACN, senatorial candidate for Abia North for the April election, Rev. Jerry Eze, has lamented what he called long neglect of the area.

Eze regretted that though the area had produced notable politicians, it was yet to witness any meaningful development since the end of the civil war.

According to him, the zone deserves to be declared as a disaster zone as a result of infrastructural decay and ecological degradation.

He noted that over 90 per cent of erosion sites in Abia State were located in the area, which he considered strategic to the development of the state.

He said: “This has left thousands of people in the area homeless and we seem to be doing nothing about this.

“Our people seemed to have been left to their fate and it is disheartening that those that claim to be representing the people have not made any meaningful contribution to alleviate the suffering of their people.”

“How could one explain the fact that the entire zone had not had light and pipe borne water for over 5 years.”

In particular, Eze noted that a major road that linked Akwa Ibom and Abia from Elu and Okon in Ohafia council area and the road linking Umunze and Isuochi in Umunneochi had remained death traps as many lives had been lost on them.

He regretted that the people of the ancient city of Arochukwu had been the worst hit as the two major roads linking the area from Ohafia and Ndi Oji Abam had remained impassable for years.

Eze, who is the General Overseer of Christ Mandate International Church, decried the situation where the Mbala-Ngodo road in Isuochi, which is the home of the Senator Uche Chukwumerij currently representing the zone, is also in bad shape.

“The neglect of Abia may be borne out of conspiracy to subjugate the people and make them play second fiddle in the politics of the state.

“There is no justification for this and I am in the race to challenge this injustice perpetrated against my people,” he said, adding that over 10,000 Christians in seven states were already praying for the cause.

“Members of Christ Mandate International church in seven states comprising Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Edo, Lagos, Ogun and Osun have already declared 30 days fasting for this cause”, he said.

Eze pointed out that he was not intimidated by the array of candidates that were gunning for the same position, saying “I have the sympathy of my people for this cause and they have been supportive”.

“It is more pitiable that even when we have had our people as Federal Ministers, federal or National Legislator and Federal Civil and Public Servants, the zone had remained most backward in terms of politics”, Eze noted.