What Senator Frank Ibezim said after he was sworn in to represent Imo North

STATEMENT BY SEN. FRANK IBEZIM ON THE OCCASION OF HIS SWEARING IN AND INAUGURATION AS SENATOR REPRESENTING IMO NORTH IN THE 9TH SENATE OF THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA

Protocol

Permit me to begin by thanking the Almighty God who proved Himself again as the Great King who reigns over all even unto the ends of the earth. Today, as I am sworn in as the Senator representing Imo North Senatorial District, we celebrate the triumph of truth over falsehood, of hope over despair, of fresh renewal and determination to recover the years that the locusts and cankerworms have eaten. The victory belongs to Ndi Okigwe who have been shortchanged for long of the fullness of representation in the red chambers. Today the agony is over, Okigwe people can heave a sigh of relief, now we can breathe the fresh air filled with hope.

By God’s grace and providence, the teeming support of the good people of Okigwe, the magnanimous backing and tenacity of our ebullient Governor, His Excellency, Sen. Hope Uzodinma, and the doggedness of our eminent son and Hon. Minister of State, Education, Hon. Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba and other great leaders in Okigwe, this day has come to fruition. Indeed, on December 5th 2020, the people of Imo North spoke loud and clear when they voted for me as the candidate of our great party, the All Progressives Congress. That bye election was to fill the seat which became vacant following the demise of our illustrious son, my dear friend and brother, late Sen. Ben Uwajumogu who represented our people in both the 8th and 9th Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. May his soul continue to rest in peace.

Sadly, the benefits of that victory could not be consummated as we had to tackle multi-facetted legal challenges. Indeed, between the 8th Senate and the current 9th Senate, our people have lost well over two years of representation in the Senate largely due to needless and unfruitful litigations that have bedeviled our path to progress. Today, we rejoice that the will of the people has finally prevailed. Nonetheless, we celebrate this victory in magnanimity, and invite both friends and opponents alike to join the quest to better the lot of Imo North.

I am indebted to the National Executive of our great party, the All Progressive Congress led by the dynamic Governor of Yobe State, Gov. Mai Mala Buni, the South East NEC Representative, Sen. Ken Nnamani, the Imo State APC Chairman, Barr. Prince Marcelinus Nlemigbo and entire State Exco, our great leader in Okigwe, Chief Tony Chukwu, the able Director General of my Senatorial Campaign, Lady Dr. Love Ineh, the first female to lead such a campaign in Nigeria, and others too numerous to mention for the success of this day.
With the oath of office which I took, I have become the no 6th Senator to serve Okigwe zone in this great Senate chambers. Humbly, I offer myself to continue diligently in the mission of putting our Imo North people and their interests first, to push the frontiers of democracy dividends to reach the nook and cranny of every village hamlet, and to ensure the utilization of our vast untapped land and human resources for unparalleled agrarian and industrial revolution. I pledge to accomplish this through the pursuit of quality value adding policy making in the Senate which places the interest of our people first above all else.

Quality representation is all about service, about sacrifice, about applying competence and capacity to duty, and letting compassion drive and moderate strategic actions. The interests we promote include pursuing policies and legislation that will unleash the potentials of our people. At the apex, it speaks to the imperative of creating opportunities for necessary skills acquisition for our youths through technical and vocational training.
I believe in the intrinsic value of using the legislative platform to open up socio-economic frontiers for our people, removing many from abject poverty to wealth creation, from the ravages of unemployment to becoming employers of labour, and from hopelessness to hopeful generations built on shared interests and shared benefits.

I have a sense of the needs of our people from my varied experiences and engagements in political engineering, and in the dedicated service that I have rendered in the past. My vision and mission remain to provide competent, capable and compassionate leadership that not only sustains but surpasses the democracy dividends ever enjoyed in the zone. I also bring a willingness to partner with His Excellency Gov. Hope Uzodinma and act as a strong catalyst for synergy and unification our great Imo people, and also of our great party, the APC, and ultimately for the greater socio-economic development of Okigwe zone, ditto, Imo state.

So I ask our good people to unite. As President Joe Biden said: “With unity we can do great things, important things. We can right wrongs, we can put people to work…” And I add that when we unite and look at the big picture, there is no mountain too high that we can’t surmount, no valley too deep we can’t climb out.

So let’s get to work. The night has been long, the day has been far spent, there is no more time to waste. I put my hand to the plough focused on the enormous work ahead, determined not to look back until we accomplish our noble quest. I invite you, all men and women of goodwill to join me as we move. Forward ever, backward never.
May God bless Ndi Okigwe, may He bless the good people of Imo; and finally, God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Signed
Distin. Sen. Frank Chukwuma Ibezim
Senator Representing Imo North