'PDP IS ONLY INDUSTRY IN EBONYI'

A governorship aspirant under the platform of Social Democratic Mega Party in Ebonyi State, Dr. Austin Nweze, on Wednesday lamented that the absence of industries in the state has made the Peoples Democratic Party the only functional institution.

Nweze, who spoke with our correspondent in Lagos, said the serious infrastructure decay in the state resulted from lack of visionary leaders who had ruled the state since creation in 1996.

The aspirant alleged that as the most backward state in the South East, past leaders under the platform of the PDP had done nothing to harness the human and material potentials in the state, especially in the area of natural resources.

He said, 'The PDP is the only institution you hear of in the state and the people are not happy about this. The state had been led by various administrations without any clear vision of what they set out to achieve. It is the most backward state in the eastern part of the country, yet it is natural resources endowed.

'Ebonyi is not in the social and economic map of Nigeria, we were only fortunate to have a health minister. The first cement company in the country, Nkalagu Cement Factory is moribund and there are no plans to resuscitate it.

'The PDP has destroyed the psyche of the people of the state to the extent that people can no longer associate with one another freely.'

Nweze stressed that if given the opportunity to lead, he would develop a knowledge-based economy for the state, adding that it was possible to achieve this with the available resources.

He expressed optimism that even with the control of PDP in the state, the division within the ruling party would work against its reemergence during the 2011 general elections.