By Emeka Oji
There is a kind of government that taxes the people to death and still calls it reform. And there is a kind of government that understands that the people are not revenue, they are the reason for government.
That is the difference the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Abia State, Dr. Eric Chinemeucheya Opah, is trying to draw, and Abians should listen carefully.
Opah has promised to run a transparent and people-oriented government driven by empathy, accountability and policies that will improve the welfare of residents if elected in 2027. He has also said clearly that he will not encourage draconian tax reform and practices in the state when he emerges.
In a state where traders, artisans, transporters, small business owners and ordinary families are already carrying heavy burdens, that statement is not ordinary politics. It is a moral position.
Draconian taxation does not build a state. It kills the market. It closes shops. It chases away investors. It turns the government into a collector and the citizen into a victim. When a trader in Aba cannot breathe because of multiple taxes, levies and enforcement, the problem is not that the trader does not love Abia. The problem is that government has forgotten why it exists.
Opah seems to understand this. A government driven by empathy does not start from how much it can take from the people. It starts from how much it can give to the people — good roads, clean water, functional schools, working hospitals, security, and an environment where business can thrive.
Transparency is also at the heart of his promise. For too long, Abians have been told that money is not there, while they watch billions disappear into projects that do not touch their lives. A transparent government is one that tells the people what came in, what was spent, and what is left. It is one that does not fear questions. It is one that treats public money as a sacred trust, not as a private reward for winning election.
Accountability follows transparency. When a leader is accountable, he does not hide behind propaganda. He does not run away from the people after election. He faces them, explains his decisions, and corrects his mistakes. That is the kind of leadership Abia needs after years of promises that evaporated once the votes were counted.
But the most important word in Opah’s promise is welfare. Welfare is not a slogan. Welfare is the woman in Umuahia who can take her child to hospital without fear of bill. Welfare is the young graduate in Ohafia who can find work or start a business without being crushed by government. Welfare is the pensioner who receives his pension on time. Welfare is the farmer in Bende who can move his produce to market on a good road.
If Opah keeps this promise, Abia will not just have a new governor. Abia will have a new philosophy of governance — government as a servant, not as a master.
Critics will say every politician makes promises. They are right. That is why Abians must hold Opah to his words. They must ask him at every town hall, at every market visit, at every debate: will you truly reject draconian taxation? Will you truly publish what Abia earns and spends? Will you truly put the people first?
The 2027 election will not be about noise. It will be about who understands the pain of the people. It will be about who offers relief, not more burden.
Opah has made his case. He has said he will not punish the people with harsh taxes. He has said he will govern with empathy, transparency and accountability. Now, it is left for Abians to decide if they believe him, and for Opah to prove that his promise is not just campaign talk, but a covenant with the people.
Abia does not need a government that squeezes its people to survive. Abia needs a government that helps its people to thrive.
If Opah delivers on this promise, history will remember him not just as a governor, but as the man who returned humanity to government in Abia.
Opinion: Opah And The Promise Of A Human Government In Abia
