Chief Samuel Nwachukwu, an Action Peoples Party (APP) House of Assembly Candidate in Abia, has advised Nigerians to have faith in the Electoral Act 2020.
Nwachukwu, who seeks to represent Umuahia South State Constituency, gave the advice in an interview with our correspondent in his Ogbodiukwu Umuahia country home on Monday.
“We all must have faith in our electoral process because we must get it right.
“The essence of the various electoral reforms, including the Electoral Act 2022 (as amended) is for us to get the process right.
“Nobody else can fix our nation for us. It is our collective responsibility to do it.
“You cannot abandon your vehicle on the road because it is faulty.
“You need to fix it and continue with your journey,” Nwachukwu, a U.S.-based businessman, said.
He expressed regrets that the nation’s political system had shut out the youths from active participation.
He said: “The political space does not provide a platform for the youths to play significant role.
“Our youths have been abandoned but we should not shy away from getting involved in the political process or give up hope.
“Youths must be encouraged to participate because our elders, who have dominated the space today, will one day give way.”
Nwachukwu also said that Nigerians in diaspora were desirous to come home and contribute their quote to nation’s development.
“They want to transform their communities and upgrade the environment to the standard they have abroad,” he said.
The house of assembly hopeful said he joined the race in order to show the people of his constituents that there is hope in the horizon.
“I believe that the house will afford me a platform to enhance and expand my philanthropy, love and care to my people on a large scale.
“I crave to use the platform to give voice to my fellow youths in my constituency.
“As an individual, I can only do but a little because my capacity is limited,” he said.
Nwachukwu further said that he had used his ‘Samuel Chubuike Foundation’ to intervene in the education of the indigent students in his area.
“Some of us are so privileged that we no longer bother about our daily bread.
“But there are hundreds of our brothers and sisters that are not sure where their next meal would come from,” he said.
He promised that, if elected, his first six months salary in the house would be donated to charity.
Nwachukwu said he had the confidence that APP would deliver victory to him, notwithstanding that it was still young in Abia.
“Elections are won by the people. Political parties are truly the vehicles but at the end of the day, it is the people that vote,” he said.
He challenged his opponents to a debate, ahead of the elections, to explain what they did to impact people’s lives.
He expressed concern that representatives of the area had done nothing to address the infrastructure needs of the people, especially roads.
He said that he regularly undertook the grading of the dilapidated road leading into his community from the Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway to make it passable.