*Flays Bourdex over attack on boss
From Steve Oko, Umuahia
The Director General of Senator Mao Ohuabunwa’s political structure, the “Follow Better Organisation”, Dr. Ndubuisi Eke, has decried the political condition of Abia North senatorial zone which he said was in “political relegation”.
This is as he blasted the senatorial candidate of the All Progressive Grand Alliance, APGA, in the 2019 poll, Chief Bourdex Ogba over his media remarks against Ohuabunwa.
Ogba who recently dumped APGA for the All Progressive Congress, APC, has accused Ohuabunwa of sponsoring the clamour for the senate President to declare the Abia North senatorial seat vacant following the incaseration of the occupant, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu (APC).
Kalu is currently serving a 12-year jail term following his conviction on a N7.2 billion fraud case, and since December 2019 when the former Governor was jailed, the zone has remained without a representative at the red chamber.
This situation has triggered calls by individuals and groups for the senate leadership to declare the seat vacant to pave the way for a bye-election that would produce Kalu’s replacement.
Ogba in a press statement by his Media Aide, Amara Umunna, urged the senate President to ignore calls to declare Kalu’s seat vacant, accusing Ohuabunwa of “scheming to return to the senate through the back door “.
Recall that Ohuabunwa lost his bid to return to the senate at the Court of Apeal Owerri after a protracted legal tussle with Kalu .
The former Speaker ECOWAS Parliament, had challenged Kalu’s victory which he argued was not a true reflection of votes at the election, alleging that the APC candidate in a controversial manner claimed victory against the principle of the margin of lead.
Ohuabunwa had argued that Kalu’s 10,000 votes lead was a far cry to the over 30,000 total number of canceled votes which, according to the principle of margin of lead, ought to have been resolved through a supplementary poll.
But in a swift reaction to allegations by Ogba, Dr. Eke, dismissed Ogba as “a cheap political popularity seeker who thinks the fastest way to get public attention is to attack Ohuabunwa”.
Eke further dismissed Ogba as “a political rolling stone who lacks self discipline and the needed character to command followership”.
He challenged Ogba “to explain to Abia North and his party why he has returned to APC “, alleging that the former APGA flag bearer only moved over to APC to position for a likely bye -election.
His words : In less than three years Bourdex, typical of a political desperado has been to three different parties. He jumped from the PDP where he was in 2015 to APGA, and later defected to APC before 2019 from where he again ran to APGA as its flag bearer.
” But instead of hiding his face in shame after his abysmal failure in the 2019 poll, he has again jumped back to APC. How do you trust such a political unstable character?”
He said “Abia North senatorial seat is not for inexperienced and rolling political desparados whose only agenda is changing party like bed sheet”.
Dr. Eke expressed shock that instead of joining forces with patriotic Abia North constituents who are concerned about the political vacuum created by Kalu’s continued absence at the senate and its attendant implications on the zone, Ogba is only busy “chasing after the wind “.
According to him all right -thinking people in Abia North irrespective of their party affiliation are united in the clamour for a bye -election to enable the zone “recover from political relegation”.
He wondered the quality of representation “such a self -overated political novice with zero legislative knowledge would offer to Abia North if ever given the opportunity to go to the national assembly.”
“Somebody whose position and remarks are at variance with the people can’t claim he is for them”, Eke said.
Eke advised Ogba “to first fix his wobbling business empire before dreaming to represent Abia North replete with array of highly endowed personalities like the late Senator Uche Chukwumerije , Senator Ike Nwachukwu, and Senator Ohuabunwa who have respectively , distinguished themselves in the art of law making and vocal prowess”.
He refuted Ogba’s claims that Ohuabunwa did not achieve much while in senate, arguing that Ohuabunwa’s “incontrovertible achievements” speak for him.
He identified some of them to include “Primary Health Care Centres in almost every community in the zone, the multiple bore hole projects, on-going rehabilitation of Bende -Ohafia -Arochukwu federal highway, massive youth empowerment programmes, electricity projects, etc”.
Eke said that joining APC won’t save Bourdex from another defeat, boasting that Ohuabunwa will always floor him in any election.
” Bourdex should stop deceiving himself; he was defeated in 2015 , lost again in 2019, and he will still lose again”.