By Max Chuks
The frontrunner governorship candidate and flag bearer of the Young Progressives Party (YPP) in the forthcoming gubernatorial election in Imo State, High Chief Dr. Kemdi Chino Opara has assured Ndi Imo that he has the solution to the unprecedented wave of security crisis that is currently ravaging the State, reiterating that the menace is one of the reasons he is running for governor of the State to fix it.
Chief Opara who gave this reassurance while briefing journalists in Owerri, Imo State , noted that the first approach to solving the Imo security crisis is to find out what is actually causing the problem. Continuing, he added that the insecurity which could have had its roots in political undertone, perhaps orchestrated by individuals aggrieved at how the incumbent governor emerged and vowed to make the State ungovernable; he further opined that this has now become more complex and hydra headed with the prevalence of kidnapping, armed robbery, thievery etc. which pose the challenge of whom to actually place the blame on.
Dr Opara further maintained that the widely held opinion that the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and the unknown gunmen are behind insecurity in Imo Sate are mere speculations that suggest that the Intel or intelligence gathering is not done as best as it should be for proper evaluation.
Determined to put an end to insecurity in Imo State, the YPP standards bearer reiterated that his goal is to get to the Douglas House, the Imo seat of Power, to enable him fix the State to become one of the best in the Country, noting that he will not be derailed by the undemocratic law put in place by Governor Hope Uzodinma’s administration to stop other candidates from freely showcasing themselves and giving the Imolites an opportunity to freely choose who their governor should be.
Explaining, the Founder of Kemdi Chino Opara Foundation (KCOF) and Chairman/CEO of GistAfrica Empowerment Foundation said, “as you could see, if you come to Imo State today, it’s only one candidates’ billboards, the governors’ billboards allover the place. We can’t because of the rule that provides that Guber Candidates must apply with #54m for advert permit first for a permit which is not even assured as most of us could pay that but then after paying that, we must also give him locations and measurement of the billboards wherever we want it and they have to sit on this before approval. This includes billboards, branding of vehicles and everything. I have vehicles that I branded but I have not brought them out. Let me tell you, nobody has monopoly of violence but personally I understand that it is a ploy that if confronted is going to trigger another type of violence so I stayed away from it because my goal is to be in Douglas House and nothing is going to derail that.
Dr. Opara who is renowned for his peaceful disposition but very courageous, focused and unyielding in achieving set goals went on to reveal that he is creatively campaigning and strategically reaching out to the grassroots by organising townhall meetings and holding other forms of meetings in people’s home. Explaining how he tactfully avoids things that could fuel any kind of violence because no election in the State and nation is worth the blood of any Imolite, the YPP governorship candidate maintained that he is concentrating on issue-based campaigns because his goal is to get to Douglas House to enable him fix the State for the greatest good of Ndi Imo.
