By Emmanuel Oji
The 2027 Abia governorship race is beginning to take shape, and one name is resonating with a different kind of promise — Chief Eric Opah, the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
In a state blessed with arguably the most industrious people in Africa, Abia has for too long been run like a civil service workshop, not an enterprise hub. What Chief Opah is offering is a sharp departure from that old model. He is not promising slogans; he is promising jobs and industrial reform.
His central message is simple and powerful: Make Aba work again.
Aba is not just a city. It is an economy. It is the Japan of Africa that has been left to struggle with poor infrastructure, flooding, bad roads and policy neglect. Chief Opah says if elected, he will promote the private sector in Aba and remodel the city into a true hub of industrialization and manufacturing. Not just for local consumption, but to increase the scale of exportation. This is how you create wealth — when Made-in-Aba becomes Exported-from-Aba.
He is right to point out the deficiencies we all see. A beautiful bride like Aba deserves to be dressed well. The present government has tried, but a businessman sees what a politician misses. He sees the value chain, the power needs, the access roads to Ariaria, the ease of doing business, the link between a shoemaker in Shoe Plaza and a container in Onne Port.
Opah’s second ace is his promise to secure stronger connections to the Federal Government and attract federal grants. This is the greatest advantage of an APC governor in an APC-led centre. Abia cannot afford to remain in opposition to the centre while its neighbours negotiate federal presence. An Opah administration will move Abia from deplorable to enjoyable because he will have the ears in Abuja that we need.
Perhaps most importantly, he has pledged accountability — to explain to Abians details of government expenditures. In an era where Abians are asking “where is our money?”, a governor who says “I will account” is already earning trust.
Chief Eric Opah is not a stranger to enterprise. He is a businessman who has built his own and has assisted many Abians at home and outside Abia to stand. He understands payroll, he understands profit and loss, he understands what it means to create a job, not just share money on weekends.
Abia does not need another grammar of governance. Abia needs a builder, a connector, a businessman who will govern Abia like an enterprise where every citizen is a shareholder.
That is the promise Eric Opah brings.
Opinion: Chief Eric Opah’s Industrial Vision — Why Abia Needs A Businessman, Not A Politician
