The governorship ambition of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate for Abia State in 2027, Dr. Kelechi Anosike, is gathering unprecedented momentum as groups, community leaders and traditional institutions across the state continue to endorse his candidacy.
The wave of endorsements did not come from the blue. Many attribute it to Anosike’s welfarism evangelism which he is taking across the state.
An accomplished motivational speaker, the PDP flag bearer had challenged his supporters to organise groups and give him the opportunity to address them, assuring that he has the capacity to convince anyone who listens to him.
“If they see me, they will like me; if they hear me, they will believe me,” he said, and the magic appears to be working. After listening to his welfarist gospel, hardly any gathering allows Anosike to walk away without declaring support and consummating it with an endorsement.
From Ukwa East (Ndoki) to the heart of Ikwuano, Ibeku and Ohuhu, and from organised artisans to farmers, women groups and urban professionals, the message has been consistent: Abia needs a welfarist leadership that builds both infrastructure and people.
The latest wave began with community leaders. Presidents General of Ikwuano, Ibeku and Ohuhu, alongside Ohuhu traditional rulers and Item traditional rulers, declared support for Anosike, describing him as a son with the capacity, humility and vision to return Abia to inclusive governance.
As a matter of fact, the Ohuhu clan has owned Anosike’s governorship project. The people are pained that after the late Premier of Eastern Nigeria, Dr. Michael Okpara, the clan has yet to produce the governor of Abia, though two of their sons have made unsuccessful attempts. Their resolve, therefore, is to throw in their all into the project.
In Ukwa East, leaders of the Ndoki Development Union said Anosike’s philosophy of Service, Welfare, Progress resonates with the productive spirit of the Ndoki people, who seek a government that will create opportunities for enterprise rather than mere political patronage.
The endorsement by the Artisans Welfare Multipurpose Cooperative Society Ltd., with about 20,000 members across 16 industrial clusters including shoemakers, furniture makers, garment makers, welders, mechanics and spare parts dealers, was perhaps the most telling. The group adopted Anosike as its sole candidate and pledged to mobilise over 20,000 voters across polling units in all 17 local government areas.
For the artisans, the endorsement is not politics as usual. It is a survival pact. They said they see in Anosike a leader who understands that the economy will struggle without the daily toil of those who work with their hands.
Urban-based professionals under the aegis of Urban Men and the Umuahia Political Forum also queued behind the PDP candidate, arguing that Abia’s capital needs a governor who will restore professionalism, urban planning and investor confidence. Also, the Hon. Cross Ananaba-led Abia Men and Women Victory Movement, who stormed Dr Anosike’s campaign office, said their conviction that the PDP candidate would carry the day in the February 6, 2027 governorship contest compelled them to throw their weight behind him, hailing the PDP for presenting the most credible candidate in the race.
Women are not left out. Abia Men and Women and the Abia Progressive Women said Anosike’s welfarist agenda, which emphasises building people and building wealth, specifically his plan to establish a micro-finance bank that would issue collateral-free, interest-free loans, speaks directly to the challenges of market women, farmers and small-scale entrepreneurs.
The All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN) in the state endorsed Anosike, citing his plans for affordable inputs, extension services, processing facilities and market access for poultry, fishery and foodstuff farmers.
Similarly, the Azueke community in Umuahia endorsed him, describing his candidacy as a homecoming of competence and compassion rooted in community values.
Political analysts say the broad-based endorsements reflect a shift in Abia politics from clan-based considerations to competence-based mobilisation, where groups are asking how government policies will translate into better living conditions.
For Anosike, who has continued to preach his mantra of Build Infrastructure, Build People, Build Wealth, the endorsements are both an encouragement and a responsibility to deliver a people-centred government if elected in 2027.
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