2027: Abia PDP candidate pledges judiciary autonomy, workers’ welfare

The Peoples Democratic Party governorship candidate in Abia State, Dr Kelechi Anosike, has pledged to ensure financial autonomy for the state judiciary and improve the welfare of workers if elected in 2027.

Anosike said this while addressing members of the legal profession at a dinner he hosted for lawyers in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, on the sidelines of the just-concluded Annual General Conference of the Nigerian Bar Association.

The event, held at the Atlantic Presidential Hall of the Presidential Hotel, Port Harcourt, was attended by more than 495 lawyers, including Senior Advocates of Nigeria, law professors, lecturers and members of the Bar and Bench.

A statement issued by Anosike’s Media Unit said the PDP candidate expressed concern over the recurring industrial actions in the Abia State judiciary, describing the four strikes recorded within three years as unacceptable.

According to him, repeated shutdowns of the judiciary have consequences beyond judicial workers, affecting access to justice, businesses, litigants and the economy.

“A judiciary that is repeatedly shut down affects the administration of justice, the economy, businesses, litigants and the fundamental rights of citizens,” Anosike said.

The international commercial lawyer also used the occasion to outline his vision for a welfare-driven government in Abia if elected in 2027.

He argued that after a judiciary budget had been proposed, defended, approved by the state House of Assembly and assented to by the governor, the executive should not have the discretion to selectively release the funds.

“Funds appropriated for the judiciary should be released as appropriated, predictably and without executive cherry-picking. Unpredictable funding makes it difficult for the judiciary to plan and undermines financial autonomy,” he said.

Anosike said his administration, if elected, would pursue a system in which government institutions would have the financial capacity to carry out their statutory responsibilities without undue interference.

He also outlined his plans for workers and retirees in the state, saying the welfare of citizens must remain the central responsibility of government.

“I believe profoundly that the whole essence of government is the welfare of its citizens,” he said.

The PDP governorship candidate promised that workers would receive their salaries and allowances promptly, while issues relating to pensions, gratuities and promotions would receive attention.

“We shall build an Abia where workers do not have to continually struggle for what they have legitimately earned,” Anosike said.

He also said his proposed government would focus on protecting vulnerable residents from hunger and economic hardship.

“The state must have the capacity to protect its people from hunger and economic vulnerability. Every Abian in need must be seen as a priority, not a problem,” he said.

He added that he envisioned an Abia where residents would have confidence in the future.

“Abia must be a state where the ordinary citizen can wake up each morning with hope, dignity and confidence in tomorrow,” he said.

The dinner reportedly assumed political significance after the Abia State Government scheduled a separate event for members of the Abia legal community on the same day and around the same time at the Golden Tulip Hotel in Port Harcourt.