The former Deputy President of the Senate and Senator Representing Enugu West Senatorial District, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, has stated that one of his aims of running for governorship in Enugu state is to create a boundless state where there will be opportunity for everyone in the state irrespective of where the person is from.

Ekweremadu made this known during a visit to his Enugu residence by some state executives and LG Coordinators of a group of people known as the Ikeoha Youth Apostles on the 30th of September where he made known some of his plans and reasons which made him decide to run for governorship.

While addressing the apostles, Ekweremadu described how glad he was for the name which they chose to bear, and also reminding them of the implications of the name, stressing on the sufferings of the apostles of Jesus who believed in the philosophy of Christ and took it upon themselves to spread his principles.

“Am aware that some of you here were detained at some point, but didn’t give up the faith. So when you choose the word apostles am happy that you know the implications. Its not going to be easy, but the interesting thing about the apostles in the bible is that years later, some of them are referred as saints and churches named after them, but those who persecuted them, nobody heard about them till today. We must realize the relationship between what we are doing now and what happened in the bible.

“I want to thank you for what you are doing, and what you are determined to do. Going forward I would like you to show that you are true apostles. And just like the apostles of the old, I believe we will get to our destination. Am also happy that most of you are from different parts of enugu state, so its not a one sided thing. What we are trying to do is to ensure equity and justice for everybody in the state, we want to create a new state where no one is oppressed”, he said.

Ekweremadu further told the apostles that he comes from the smallest part of enugu west, but due to his show of justice and equity in his dealings with his people, they trusted him, saying that people will trust you if you treat them equally and fairly. He stated that this is the main problem in the country as the president has failed to treat everyone in the country as being equal.

“We want to create a city state by having boundless opportunities. The first thing you must do in leadership is to be fair to all concerned, and that is what we have used enugu west to experiment. Looking forward is to use enugu state to show that democracy can work. We are going to create more apostles who will spread the gospel of good governance in our state, so that our state will never be the same again forever.

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“I wanted to retire after coming out from senate, but I realized that there is something remaining, and that is to create a state that is of equity and will have opportunity for everybody. A state where government works. I didn’t see myself just as a senator representing enugu west, that’s why I did some of the good works I did all over enugu. We are creating a new society where young men will think differently from those of the old. Am not just changing the landmark, space and environment, but changing our minds. I don’t want a situation where after being a commissioner in the state you go to the village to look for your brother or sister, we have to look for the best people no matter where you can find them in this state”, Ekweremadu added.

He went on to express his joy in working with young men like them, as this will enable him create a mindset that will guide them for the rest of their lives, and also revealing that he doesn’t pay any apostle any penny and that they are all there due to their burning desire to have a working government, and that their reward will be the progress he will bring in the state.

“Finally, what we need to do is to make sure that as state, local government and ward coordinators you go and mobilize more people behind you, and spread the news, that is the work of an apostle. You have to create a strong base, and target by every ward you represent that at least you would be able to get up to 2000 people behind you. That’s the only way what we are doing can work. Its going to be a mass movement, because we don’t have a Godfather, but God have taken us this far by his grace”, he concluded.

Speaking with one of the apostles, Comrade Ame Kenechukwu Wilfred, he stated that Ikeoha youth apostle is a body that comprises of youth from all the seventeen local government in Enugu state and all the wards too in the whole of Enugu state, including that they are a group of people that believe in Ikeoha and believe that God has anointed him to be the next governor of Enugu state.

When asked about what made him believe in Ekweremadu, he said that “Ikeoha is an experienced leader, a diplomatic leader and also a patriotic leader. If you check his track records not only in Aninri or Enugu west senatorial zone but across the entire seventeen local government in Enugu state you will know that he is a leader that worth following.

“He is the only serving senator that I know and I’ve heard of that is a senator from one zone and using his foundation to give scholarship in other local governments. He is the only serving senator that I know that is building roads and training people from other senatorial zones that are not his.

“The executives of ikeoha youth apostles decided to come today to discuss with him and tell him how far we have gone on the mandate that was given to us and the level of progress we have made, and the challenges we are having in order to chart the way forward. The interaction was fruitful, informative and we learnt a lot and he did more than we expected”, he said.

Wilfred wished him good health, long life, God’s grace, and victory at last, promising that him and the other apostles will not stop mobilizing support for him to actualize his divine mandate to become the next governor of enugu state.