Alphonsus Nweze
The leadership and members of Anambra State Keke/Motorcycle Drivers’ Stakeholders in the 21 Local Government Areas of the state have vowed to massively cast their votes for all the candidates of All Progressives Grand Alliance, (APGA) in the February 18, State House of Assembly election in the state.
They said their decision was sequel to an existing cordial relationship between the Keke/Motorcycle Drivers’ Stakeholders and Governor Chukwuma Soludo of the State.
The group arrived at the resolution after their Stakeholders’ meeting Monday held at Holiday Resort, Onitsha.
The leader of the stakeholders, Chief Arunsi Igbaniuka, who announced the resolution explained that the decision was aimed at lending their unflinching support to Governor Soludo’s clarion call on Ndi Anambra to vote for APGA House of Assembly candidates who will come into the House to support his programmes and policies in uplifting the state to an enviable status.
Chief Igbaniuka said the reduction of levies payable to state government by the Keke/motorcycle drivers to a minimal level by the government among others were the reasons behind their resolution, adding that this alone has made it imperative that the stakeholders should regard the government as partners in progress.
He said: “the fact that Soludo’s government reduced the monthly revenue for the Keke Drivers from N15,000 to N10,000 monthly payable at N2,500 per week and at the same time reduced that of motorcycle operators from N7,500 to N4,000 monthly payable at N1,000 per week, is enough evidence to show that the state government has their interest at heart.
“I am also impressed that government equally gave such a fabulous waiver to shuttle and commercial bus drivers and it is on this basis that that we have decided to lend our unflinching support to APGA since we are rest assured that whatever benefit we need from the state government will be granted to us without hesitation.”
Igbaniuka lauded his members for being law abiding, since they have never joined in several protests carried out by other tricycle unions in the state against the state government and urged them to remain steadfast.
“In the recently concluded Presidential and National Assembly elections, we worked assiduously for APGA to emerge victorious in some polling units, wards and constituencies to no avail but we are going to take forthcoming exercise more crucial to achieve more victory than the previous ones,” said Igbaniuka.
He said that they would work hard to ensure that APGA wins at least 20 seats in the State House of Assembly, saying that they would carry out their sensitisation activities to different parts of the State like Aguata, Orumba, Awka, Nnewi, Njikoka, Ihiala among others.
The stakeholders also said that they would work for the emergence of Chief Arinze Awogu as the winner of the Ogbaru Federal Constituency Representative, saying that his victory would usher in radical development in the Federal Constituency
