By Abbanobi -Eku Onyeka
Supporters of Hon. Joshua Chinedu Obika have pushed back against what they call “hired jobbers’ propaganda,” insisting that the AMAC/Bwari federal lawmaker’s three-year record speaks louder than criticism.
In a statement by Hon Dr Ubasinachi, National President of Grassroots Mandate Group Initiative and 2023 APGA candidate for AMAC/Bwari, Obika’s political journey was traced to 1998 when he served as Councillor for Gwarimpa Ward. The group said he has since backed aspirants across party lines with funds, time, and strategy, driven by a pursuit of equity and balanced representation.
The statement noted that Obika moved to the Labour Party in 2022 over “lack of inclusivity and poor representation” in the FCT. It claimed he “almost single-handedly funded” the LP structure from ward to state level, despite the party already having an elected senator, and worked to resolve internal crises before legal disputes ahead of area council polls pushed members to seek other platforms.
Now aligned with the NDC, Obika serves as Deputy Chairman, National Assembly Library Commission. Despite what the statement called a “low-profile role” with about ₦400 million in budget implementation over three years, his camp listed a slate of interventions they say are unprecedented for the constituency.
On legislation, the group said Obika sponsored five bills: the Original Inhabitants Resettlement Bill, FCT Emergency Management Board Bill, FCT Scholarship Board Bill, Additional Mandate Secretary Bill seeking six more mandate secretaries for the area councils, and a School of Nursing and Midwifery Bill to back the Zuba institution.
Project claims include open-field empowerments, a public scorecard, official cars for six indigenous kings in AMAC/Bwari, and scholarships with tuition and accommodation for over 70 students at the School of Nursing, Zuba. Of those, 30 are AMAC/Bwari indigenes while others cut across zones “for balance,” the statement said.
Other listed interventions are vehicles for non-indigenous chiefs, solar street lights across estates and markets, transformers for Bwari communities, and schools built or renovated with ICT centres and laptops for principals. The group also cited medical equipment donated to Maitama District Hospital, support for top medical students, wheelchairs for Persons Living With Disabilities, and a furnished palace delivered to an indigenous chief in AMAC.
