By Chuks Onuoha.
Two Abia North groups, Abia North Peace Foundation, ANPF, and Abia North Restoration Movement ANRM, are at each-others throat, over who, between incumbent Senator Orji Uzor Kalu and former Senator MAO Ohuabunwa has served their people well in the senate.
Earlier, the Abia North Restoration Movement, led by one Chief Dan Ikwuagwu and Maduka Okorie, alleged that the voice of Abia North Senatorial District representative in the Senate , Senator Orji Uzor Kalu was missing in the 9th Senate.
They promised that they would do everything within their power to return Ohuabunwa to the Senate in 2023, who they said is a better representative than Kalu.
They drummed support for Ohuabunwa, and accused incumbent Senator Kalu, who is the Chief Whip of the Senate, of lacking the capacity to represent Abia North people properly.
They said that he is not vocal enough on issues affecting the people of the zone, and they would do all within their power to return Ohuabunwa to the Senate in 2023.
But in a swift reaction, ANPF, led by its Deputy National Coordinator, Hon. Gabriel Idika Ukairo said that returning Ohuabunwa to the Senate amounts to Abia North going back to Egypt.
The group vowed that they will not allow the zone to go back to an era, where their representative at the senate (Ohuabunwa) shared frying pan to his constituents as his constituency project, when others would be doing laudable projects in their zones.
“ Constituents only benefited from the sharing of frying pan by Senator Mao Ohuabunwa as his constituency project during his time as a Senator, Ukairo said.
He described as pseudo group, the Abia North Restoration Movement, which is working for the return of the defeated Senator Mao Ohuabunwa to the red chamber come in 2023.
Ukairo said that Senator Kalu has done exceptionally well for the zone by attracting and constructing not less than 30 roads, adding, “Kalu has brought unimaginable development for Abia North. He has performed beyond what a Senator could do. From road constructions, Kalu has renovated and constructed schools and hospitals. He has empowered several people and offered hundreds jobs . I am sure Senator Kalu won’t descend into the gutter with these career politicians whose trade is only to blackmail others for a peanut. These career politicians should be reminded that we’ve long left Egypt where frying pan was the only constituency project attracted after twelve years.
He described Ohuabunwa as a specialist in failure, stating that Abia North people will not return to Egypt with him.
“It is on record that even his people in Arochukwu rejected him in 2019, how can they now return him to the Senate in 2023?, “Ikwuagwu and his group should tell us why Ohuabunwa’s nomination as PDP National Secretary was rejected by PDP stakeholders from the State.
“Ohuabunwa’s failure was affirmed by all from Umunneochi down to Arochukwu. “I am sure this group cannot even come opening to mention Ohuabunwa to Ndi Abia North. Senator Kalu has redefined representation never seen in the history of Abia North, therefore, it is pertinent to say that we won’t return to the era of sharing frying pan.” END
