… Abia North’s slide into voiceless zone, shameful – constituent
From Steve Oko, Umuahia
Three former Orji Uzor Kalu and Ibrahim Shekarau have been listed as top former Governors without any bill to their credit in the 9th Senate since it’s inauguration in June 2019
A National Assembly in-house journal, The Report Card of the 9th Senate Volume one, Number one ( June 2019 – May 2020) entitled “How Former Governors Stand in Bills Chart of the 9th Senate” published the number of bills sponsored by each serving Senator who was a former governor.
According to the publication, the immediate past governor of the state and the Senator representing Abia Central, Senator Theodore Orji (PDP); as well as his Nassarawa State counterpart, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, Nasarawa West, (APC), respectively have seven bills to their credit.
Coming next to the duo of Orji and Adamu according on the chart are Senators Aliyu Wamakko, Sokoto North; Senator Gabriel Suswam, a former Benue Governor, and Senator Ibikunle Amosun, Ogun Central who have four bills respectively.
Former Governor of Gombe State and Senator representing Gombe Central (APC), has three bills;
Three Senators who were former Governors have two bills to their names.
They are: Senator Kabiru Gaya (APC) Kano South; Senator Ibrahim Gaidam (APC) Yobe East; Senator Samuel Egwu (PDP) Ebonyi North; and Senator Adamu Aliero (APC) Kebbi Central.
Former Enugu State governor, Chimaroke Nnamani (PDP); and Umaru Tanko Al-makura representing Nassarawa South (APC), have one bill each to their credit.
Meanwhile three former Governors without any bill to their credit include Senator Ibrahim Shekarau, Kano Central (APC); Senator Rochas Okorocha, Imo West (APC), and Orji Uzor Kalu, Abia North, also of APC.
Reacting to the development, a stakeholder for Abia North Isaac Nkole described the inability of the Abia North Senator to have a bill to his credit close to a year and half after joining the upper legislative chamber as a big embarrassment to the zone.
He regretted that the zone which was in the past represented by vocal and eloquent sagacious senators with unbeatable legislative acumen had suddenly nosedived into the league of voiceless zones.
His words: “When Gen Ike Nwachukwu was at the Senate, Abia North had its fair share. The late Uche Chukwumerije was a sage and iconic Igbo Senator; and Senator Mao Ohuabunwa equally gave good account of himself having many bills including the famous NCDC bill to his credit.
“But our Senator instead of focusing on the Job he was elected to do , he is busy junketing around the country with his 2023 imaginary presidency project while we are losing”.
He challenged the incumbent Senator representing the zone to either sit up to sponsor bills that will positively affect the lives of his constituents or resign if he is unable to cope with the task of lawmaking.
Nkole said ex-governors who see the Senate as a retirement benefit or a vegetative chamber where they come to sleep should stop wasting the chances of better brains from their districts.
