From Steve Oko ,Umuahia
A concerned citizen of Abia North senatorial district, Mr. Isaac Nkole, has told the Senate President, Senator Ahmed Lawan to stop punishing the entire zone over the ‘sin ‘ of their embattled senator Orji Uzor Kalu who was jailed for money laundering.
Nkole spoke on the heels of the rejection of Kalu’s bail application by the court.
The former Governor was last month sentenced to 12 years in prison following his conviction by a Federal High Court in Lagos on a N7.2 billion fraud case.
Mr. Nkole who spoke to journalists in Umuahia regretted that Kalu’s absence from the senate following his conviction had “rendered Abia North voiceless” at the red chamber.
He, therefore, urged the senate President to heed the rising calls and appeals by the people to declare Kalu’s seat vacant to enable the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC conduct a fresh poll for his replacement
The political analyst argued that it was not the fault of the district that their senator was jailed “for his crime”, hence the need to give the people another opportunity to replace the embattled senator.
He said it amounted to injustice for Abia North to remain without a representative at the senate where as the zone is blessed with a preponderance of competent hands and men and women of unquestionable characters to represent it.
Nkole particularly expressed sadness that while other senators were busy following up projects captured in the budget for their district, Abia North has non to fight its cause, a development he regretted, had put the zone three years behind others.
He described Kalu as a bad omen for Abia North which he said “is the worst looser” in the entire battle.
His words ” How is it our fault that Kalu is jailed for his crime? We won’t be made to pay for his sins.
“The senate President should stop punishing Abia North for Kalu’s sins. He should immediately declare his seat vacant to enable us replace him.
“If the senate is really serious with the fight against corruption, it can’t retain a convicted criminal serving prison term as our senator while we have no representative at the senate. What corruption is worst than that? The people are denied of their share in the budget and opportunity to be represented yet a convicted criminal is receiving salary in prison for doing no job “.
Nkole said that if the senate continued to rob the people of Abia North of their right of fair representation, the people would explore other constitutional options for reclaim their right.
