Farmer Tells How He Defeated Imo Speaker in Polls

Johnkennedy Uzoma

10 May 2011

Chief Luke Chukwu, an Imo State based farmer, said that he defeated the incumbent speaker of state house of assembly, Hon. Goodluck Opiah, because of what he did when he was chairman of the Ohaji/Egbema local government council.

The member-elect told journalists in Owerri yesterday that he would not have had the financial muscle to match the speaker let alone defeat him, but for the people who decided to speak through the ballot papers.

He also said the people were not happy with the speaker’s inability to respect the agreement that bind Ohaji and Egbema people which states that if an Ohaji man becomes LGA chairman, someone from Egbema should go for House of Assembly.

According to him, the speaker turned the agreement down and decided to return to the house for third term thereby denying Ohaji people their opportunity.

Chukwu, who contested under the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) scored 14,000 votes to defeat the speaker who ran on the platform of the PDP and got 12,000 votes in the April 6th supplementary election in the area.

He said that the closeness he maintained with the people after he left office was the only magic behind his victory at the poll. He said he ventured into politics to salvage the oil rich local government.

Chief chukwu promised to expand his care for the less privileged in the area, especially the payment of school fees for the disabled which he started years back. He also thanked Imo people for voting Owelle Rochas Okorocha as governor.

He described him as a straight forward leader that is determined to change the face of Imo state and salvage the less privileged in the society.

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