Loyalists of President Muhammdu Buhari under the aegis of Buhari Support Organisation (BSO) Enugu State on Monday chastised Mr.Luke Mgbo, a media aide to the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, for what they called misrepresentation of the Director General of Voice of Nigeria (VON), Mr. OsitaOkechukwu.
Okechukwu, a chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and ardent supporter of President Buhari recently announced his interest to vie for Enugu West senatorial seat in 2019.
There are, however, speculations that Senator Ekweremadu, who currently represents Enugu West on opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) platform, intends to return to the Senate in 2019.
But, in a press statement, BSO Secretary, Mr. Godwin Onwusi, frowned at “the misrepresentation of VON DG by Mr. Luke Mgbo, regardingEnugu West senatorial district.”
Onwusi equally flayed Mgbo for conferring on himself a political status he does not enjoy in Ekeward in Udi LGA, Enugu State, where both him and DG VON hail from.
“In the firstinstance, Mr. Mgboh gave the impression that Mr. Osita Okechukwu said that hewould retire Sen.Ike Ekweremmadu from politics. This is far from what Mr. Okechukwu said.
“In the statement released by Mr. Okechukwu which is still inthe public domain, what Mr, Okechukwu said is that he wants to retire Sen.Ekweremmadu from the Senate , not from politics.
“There is no denying the fact that Sen. Ekweremmadu, having stayed in the senate for 16 years, is due for retirement from thesenate, so that he can pursue other higher positions in the polity. This is more so considering that he comes from Enugu West Senatorial Zone with abundanthuman resources. Even within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the clamor toretire him from the senate is popular. Among those within the PDP clamoring toretire him from the senate are Prof. AguGab Agu and Chief Barr. O.A.U. Onyema.
“Mr.Mgboh further contended that APC has no place in the East. This shows that he is still living in the past. Granted that prior to the 2015 elections, APC had very scanty support in the South East, the situation is no longer the same now.
“The rate at which seasoned and tested politicians fromthe South East are joining the APC now is an indication of the desire of thepeople of the South East to hook the National grid of politics and theincreasing approval rating of President Buhari in the South East. Permit me togive a few examples.
“In Ebonyi State Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, Sen. Julius Ucha and Hon. Peter Ede have now beenjoined in the APC by H.E chief Martin Elechi (immediate past Governor of theState), Sen. AzuAgboti, Sen. Sunny Ogbuoji, Sen. Chris Nwankwo, Sen. AnthonyAgbo, Sir Edward Nkwegu, Dr. Odoh (immediate past secretary to the StateGovernment), Chief Augustine Nwankwegu (immediate past Speaker of the House ofAssembly) and a host of others.
“In Enugu State, Emma Eneukwu, Okey Ezea (Ideke),Osita Okechukwu, Onyemuche Nnamani, Group Capt. Joe Orji (Rtd), Dr. Ben Nwoye,Juliet Ibekaku have now been fortified with the coming in of Mr. GeoffreyOnyeama (foreign affairs minister), His Excellencies Chief Jim Nwobodo, Sullivan Chime and Ken Nnamani, Rt. Hon. Eugene Odo, Chief Gbazuagu N.Gbazuagu, Barrister Ifeanyi Nwoga, Hon. K.G.B. Oguakwa and a host of others,” Onwusi said.
The BSO scribe said in Anambra State, SenatorChrisNgige has now been fortified by the coming in of seasoned politicians likeSen. Andy Uba, Sen. Uche Ekwunife, Hon. Tony Nwoye, Hon. Charles Odedo and ahost of others, while in Abia State, the coming into the APC of Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu, Sen. Nwogu, Hon. Uche Hon. Nkiru Onyejiocha and a host of others, which fortifiedIkechi Emenike and company, would surely turn the tide.
Coming to Imo, an APC state, Onwusi said the entranceinto the APC of prominent Imo Politicians like Sen. Hope Uzodimma would help Governor Okorocha, Sen. Ararumme, Sen. Izunaso, Sen. Uwajumogu, Hon. Nwajuba, Hon. Ohajuruka, H.E Eze Madumere and a host of others to consolidate the APC hold in Imo state.
He noted that majority of those he mentioned above and many he did not mention were not in the APC during the 2015 elections and it therefore, baffled him why Mr. Mgboh still saw APC in the South East the way it was seen, prior to the 2015 elections.
On the challenge thrown by Mgbo to VON DG to contend with him and see if he would defeat me him (DG) in Eke Ward before going to Udi, not to talk of Enugu West Zone, Onwusi responded: “By this statement, Mr. Mgboh has not only arrogated to himself the political stature he does not have in Eke but has also presented himself as the personification of the PDP in Eke Ward.
“He has also belittled other PDP stakeholders in Ekewho I know, as an indigene, command more followership than himself, such as OzoDamian Ozoani, Steve Igweze, Mike Oguama, Bona Udeh, and a host of others.
“Mr. Mgboh lied, and he knows it, when he said ‘Osita isan Abuja politician that doesn’t know anybody at the grassroot’. As anindigene of Eke, I know that Mr. Mgboh does not have up to one percent of Mr.Okechukwu’s popularity in Eke. This is an assertion that anybody canverify in the six villages that make up Eke Ward. Mr. Mgboh is not even amatch in popularity to Mr. Okechukwu’s associates and lieutenants in Eke likemyself, Emeka Udeh, Philip Eze and OssyAkahalu.
“Every APC member in Enugu State,including PDP members, know that Eke is the ‘capital’ of APC in Enugu State,courtesy of Mr. Osita Okechukwu.
“That was why it took a contingent of notless than 600 boys and PDP big wigs, imported into Eke from all parts of EnuguState, during the recently conducted Local Government elections, to save Mr. Mgbohand all the PDP stakeholders in Eke from the electoral strength of APC in theward.
“Of course, Mr. Mgboh knows that such a scenario cannot happen againduring the 2019 General Elections. The appointment of Mr. GeoffreyOnyeama as the Minister for Foreign Affairs has further fortified the strengthof the APC in Eke Ward and Mr. Mgboh knows this.
“I make bold to say that Eke Ward isno longer a safe haven for PDP. It is now a domain of the APC and the2019 elections will prove this.”
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