The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate for the 2027 general election in Ebonyi State, Ifeanyi Chukwuma Odii, has promised to tackle poverty, improve healthcare and education, and end communal crises if elected.
Odii made the promises yesterday at his country home while addressing PDP leaders and supporters who gathered to welcome him to the state. He said his decision to contest was driven by a desire for meaningful transformation, insisting he had spent years using personal resources to support people before entering politics, and would campaign on that record.
‘My campaign slogan is: ‘Show me what you’ve done. I will show you what I’ve done,” he said, adding that anyone unable to show they had helped the needy, paid hospital bills, supported children’s education or aided housing and business efforts as a private citizen lacked what it takes to govern.
Describing himself as a humanist and activist, Odii said his administration would prioritise good governance and programmes that directly improve living conditions rather than ‘white-elephant projects,’ focusing on education, primary healthcare, agriculture, security and civil servants’ welfare, and promising access roads to help farmers transport produce. ‘I will not embark on a white-elephant project. I won’t build a flyover. I’m not going to build airports,’ he said.
Odii pledged to make poverty reduction a top priority, giving Ebonyians a one-year benchmark to judge his performance. ‘Give me one year,’ he said, challenging voters to hold him accountable if people from the state continued hawking or working as nannies, if communal land crises persisted, or if civil servants still struggled to pay their children’s school fees. He also promised to tackle insecurity and land-related communal conflicts.
He urged Ebonyians not to succumb to intimidation during the 2027 election and to protect their votes after casting them. ‘Do not allow any intimidation. If you vote, protect your vote,’ he said, urging voters to reject bad governance in favour of leaders who would leave a positive legacy. ‘Bad governance does not bring good governance. Good governance brings prosperity,’ he said.
Odii thanked PDP leaders and supporters for the reception, saying he had returned to Ebonyi for a brother’s burial but was overwhelmed by the turnout, and pledged to keep returning to the state in pursuit of freedom and better governance for the people.