BISHOP ONUOHA ADDRESSES METHODIST MINISTERS IN ABIA STATE.
Bishop Dr Sunday Ndukwo Onuoha yesterday registered his presence at the retreat by Methodist ministers in Abia State held at Methodist Theological Institute, Mission Hill, Umuahia.
Bishop Dr Sunday Onuoha was presented and introduced to the gathering by the host archbishop, Most Rev. (Dr) Raphael C. Opoko, Archbishop of Umuahia, as one of them and as the governorship candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), who had the total support and the approval of the Methodist Bishops’ Council and the Methodist Conference to contest the office. His Grace Raphael Opoko elicited great excitement and applause as he introduced Bishop Onuoha and his political pursuit. The archbishop enjoined all to take the message down to the grassroots.
Speaking at the occasion, a member of Bishop Onuoha’s campaign team, and Director-General of Abia North Political Projects Group, Dr Uduma Nnate, said that Bishop Onuoha’s endorsement by the forum was after a thorough and painstaking screening of 10 contestants from Abia North under different political parties. He said that Bishop Ndukwo Onuoha emerged a consensus choice based on such parameters as capacity, integrity, health status, and experience in leadership. He said screening was to enable the entire Abia North adopt a candidate to support, and to put the best foot forward going into the contest.
Addressing the retreat, the ADC candidate, Bishop Sunday Onuoha recounted his venture into the Methodist ministry beginning from the lowest cadre of training as a sub-Pastor to the highest level where he could be elected into the episcopal cadre. He told the gathering that his motivation was to accomplish the dream of the founders of the State who chose the name Abia with the soubriquet “God’s Own State”, and create a new Abia where life would be lived with some level of ease and comfort. Bishop Onuoha told the ministers that even though the scripture enjoined the church to pray for those in authority, there was nothing wrong for a man of God to be in authority as a representative of the church.
Bishop Dr Sunday Ndukwo Onuoha recounted that Abia had been led by a great businessman in Dr Orji Uzor Kalu, a seasoned bureaucrat in the person of Dr T. A. Orji, and currently by an academic and teacher in Okezie Victor Ikpeazu, P.HD. He said he was all of those, a businessman, a bureaucrat, and an academic, in addition to being a man of God. He said it was time for the State to be led by a man of God. Bishop Onuoha reeled out his investments in Abia in the area of health and media, what he had done before in the area of security also when he was President-General of Item, his community. He said that he had conducted medical outreaches through which over a million Abians were treated free. He recounted his unblemished public service experience as Special Assistant to President Obasanjo on privatization, and later ports reforms.
Bishop Onuoha said he stood clean to be elected the governor of Abia State. He solicited for prayers and votes to make it happen. The ADC gubernatorial candidate introduced members of his entourage that accompanied him to the occasion beginning with the deputy governorship candidate, Hon. (Mrs) Gloria Nwasimuo, Dr Uduma Nnate, Mr Obinna Onwukike, ADC State Chairman, Mr Ndubuisi Sunday, ADC State Secretary. Prof Chukwuemeka Okpo Oteh, Very Rev Collins P. Okeiyi, Mr Goddy Egu, media team member, and Comrade Ozor Precious Chinonso, representing the National Association of Nigerian Students Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike.
The assembly of clergies, led by one of the archbishops, prayed for the Bishop and his team for the success of the mission.
