A former Commissioner for Housing and Legal Matters in Abia State, James Okpara, has formally declared his ambition to contest the 2027 Abia State governorship election under the platform of the People’s Democratic Party, unveiling what he described as a bold governance blueprint focused on jobs, infrastructure, housing, security, healthcare, and economic transformation.
Declaring his ambition in Umuahia, Okpara promised to create 25,000 jobs annually if elected governor, arguing that large-scale employment generation would stimulate economic growth, improve household incomes, and significantly reduce poverty across the state.
The PDP governorship hopeful also announced plans to deliver 10,000 affordable housing units within his first two years in office, describing housing as a major pillar of his administration’s development agenda.
According to him, the housing programme would go beyond shelter to include supporting infrastructure such as tarred road networks, potable water, stable electricity, schools, shopping malls, and recreational facilities.
In one of the most striking policy pronouncements of his declaration, Okpara vowed to abolish the controversial security vote, insisting that such a practice lacks constitutional backing.
“There is nothing like security vote in the Constitution of Nigeria and our extant laws. We shall not operate one,” he declared.
He also pledged full respect for local government autonomy, assuring that allocations meant for local councils would remain untouched under his administration.
“We shall not touch a kobo belonging to local governments,” he stated.
On governance, Okpara promised an administration anchored on transparency, accountability, justice, and equitable development, while also assuring that both the judiciary and legislature would enjoy full operational independence.
The former commissioner pledged improved workers’ welfare through salary increases, better conditions of service, prompt payment of salaries, pensions, and gratuities, while ruling out excessive taxation on citizens and businesses.
In the education sector, he promised free education from primary to secondary school level, enhanced remuneration for teachers, and regular retraining programmes aimed at improving standards.
On healthcare, Okpara said his administration would establish and equip quality hospitals, while providing free healthcare services for pregnant women, children, pensioners, and senior citizens.
To tackle insecurity, the PDP aspirant promised to strengthen the state’s security architecture through improved logistics, institutional support for security agencies, and the recruitment of 3,000 additional operatives into the Abia State Vigilante Service.
“We will make Abians sleep with both eyes closed,” he assured.
On agriculture, he pledged to allocate 10 per cent of the annual state budget to food production and mechanised farming, with farmers benefiting from free fertilisers, improved seedlings, subsidised tractors, and other agricultural support systems.
He also promised tax cuts, rebates, and incentives aimed at reducing the cost of doing business in the state, while prioritising indigenous contractors in project execution to ensure economic value remains within Abia.
Among his strategic infrastructure proposals were plans to pursue the establishment of an Abia Airport and Seaport, which he said would unlock the state’s broader economic potential.
While acknowledging some efforts by incumbent Governor Alex Otti, Okpara maintained that he would outperform the current administration if elected, given the financial resources available to the state.
He further pledged loyalty to the Kabiru Turaki-led interim leadership of the PDP, while alleging that the internal challenges facing the opposition party were being orchestrated by external forces seeking to weaken it ahead of 2027.
