Hon Onwuegbu and the Task of Greater Awgu Political Leadership  Development

      BY MAURICE OKAFOR

.

Rt. Hon.(Dr) Anayo Onwuegbu is now in the lower house of the National Assembly (House of Representatives), representing Aninri/Awgu/Oji River federal constituency. This is signed, sealed and delivered.

.

Going by constitutional provisions, he will remain in the Green Chambers to contribute his quota to law making and advancing the cause of his federal constituency and projecting issues that will enhance socio- infrastructural development of ‘Greater Awgu’,his federal constituency, Enugu State and the nation in general unless the unusual interrupts the current democratic process which nobody prays for.

.

The coming of Rt. Hon. Onwuegbu into the House Representatives about five months behind schedule was based on the dynamism of politics in the nation’s democratic process which made  grass rooted Labour Party (LP) to win elective seats  elections across the South East zone of the country and beyond.

.

Checks revealed that the ‘transferred aggression’ or what can be referred as protest votes of most Igbo electorate against the People’s Democratic Party  (PDP) for not zoning their 2023 presidential ticket to the South East zone. It caused many PDP influential candidates to lose the 2023 election to unknown or unpopular Labour Party candidates in their constituencies.

.

The case of Greater Awgu axis of Enugu state was compounded with the fact that Labour party produced its deputy governorship candidate, in person of Dr John Nwokeabia from Enugu West senatorial zone, precisely Achi in Oji River local government area, same local government area with Dr.Anayo Onwuegbu, the PDP candidate for Aninri/Awgu/Aninri federal constituency.

.

The Labour Party Governorship candidate, Hon Chijioke Edeoga’s strategy to have chosen his running mate turned around the once 100% fortunes of PDP in Greater Awgu and pushed PDP candidates to a very tight corner.

.

However, Hon Onwuegbu who campaigned vigorously across the 81 electoral wards in Greater Awgu was able to score the highest votes cast in the February 25, National Assembly elections as the National Assembly Election Petition Tribunal that sat in Enugu in their judgement proved that the Labour party had no candidate in the Aninri/Awgu/Oji River federal constituency election. It described Hon Engr. Stanislaus Chijioke Okereke whom INEC declared as winner, a ‘stranger’ in that election.

.

The Appeal Court that sat in Lagos in its judgement upheld the tribunal’s judgement which declared Hon.Onwuegbu as the winner of the election.

.

The Enugu Election petition tribunal said Hon. Okereke had no stake in the election  though INEC declared him the winner based on the fact that it was Hon.Toby Okechukwu,s name that was written on the INEC result sheet as sent by the leadership of Labour party.

.

It could be recalled that Hon Toby Okechukwu who represented Aninri/Awgu/Oji River federal constituency for three consecutive terms on the platform of PDP sought a fourth term but was defeated by Engr.Anayo Onwuegbu during PDP party primaries held at Awgu council headquarters.

.

It could also be recalled that prior to the 2023 general elections, Hon Toby Okechukwu told the world that he is still a member of PDP and is not gunning for any position in any other party,outside PDP. Therefore, it was an abberation and a grievous mistake for Labour party to claim him as their candidate and went ahead to submit his name to INEC.

.

In obedient to the Court of Appeal judgement, Hon Okereke has since stepped out from the Lower  Chambers after about five months membership during which he performed creditably with quality representation and service delivery to his constituency.

.

Consequently, Engr Onwuegbu has taken oath of office as the Federal Lawmaker representing Aninri/Awgu/Oji River federal constituency in the 10th National Assembly.

.

The position also confers on Onwuegbu as the new political leader of Greater Awgu clan, being the fact that he is the person who holds the highest political office from the zone at the moment across the parties.

.

Greater Awgu is made up of three local goveroent areas namely; Aninri,  Awgu and Oji River local government areas of Enugu state who were parts and parcel of the old Awgu division. The old Awgu division is as old as the old Eastern Nieria and was discovered and recognised by the colonial administration.

.

The Greater Awgu people in addition to sharing common cultural affinity also associates politically, believing in same cause to advance their political fortunes and socio infrastructural development in Enugu State.

.

Since the inception of the fourth republuc, the PDP in Enugu state has enjoyed maximum support from the Greater Awgu electorate, rallying around Senator Ike Ekweremadu as its serving political leader.

.

The onslaughts from Labour party in Greater Awgu in the last election poses a lot of challenge to Hon. Onwuegbu in his envisaged vision to restore the fortunes of Greater Awgu to PDP. In addition to pursuing laudable programmes and projects that will better the lots of Greater Awgu rural dwellers.

.

Meanwhile, Hon Anayo Onwuegbu has extended hand of fellowship to every political stakeholder of Greater Awgu, irrespective of political affiliation. He beckons on all to close ranks and work for the overall intetest of the constituents politically, economically and otherwise.

.

Hon. Anayo Onwuegbu, who from all indications, is a technocrat, vast in Enugu State politics, experienced and posseses the capability and wherewithal to pilot the affairs of Greater Awgu,politically,economically for the better.

.

The task of maximising the rich agricultural potentials of Aninri local government area to boost the economy of his federal constituency, Enugu State and the nation at large is realisable.

The development of Awgu into a tourist town from its natural vegetation, hills and valleys, cave, reactivation of Awgu games village is just a tip of the ice berg of the envisaged interventions of Onwuegbu. He will embark on excavating the economic and natural potentials of Greater Awgu to improve the economy of the State.

.

The Civil Engineer cum politician is also giving the hope of revamping the abundant but neglected both federal and state owned establishments in Oji River local government area to add to the socio economic growth of Enugu State.

.

These establishments include: Federal Co-operative College Oji River, the abandoned Federal tmTannery Oji River, the Nigeria Police College Oji River of which  Hon Okereke has raised motions to that effect.

.

Others include the Enugu state school of health technology, Oji River,Teachers training college at Akpugoeze, the Akpugoeze forestry reserves,Oji River forestry reserves, the possibility of re establishing the Oji River thermal power station.

.

Expectedly, working in tandem with the Enugu State Governor, Dr Peter Mbah, the Senator representing Enugu West senatorial district, Osita Ngwu, Hon Onwuegbu is sure of putting machineries in motion to enhance the realisation of the ‘Ugwuoba-Oji River Industrial City, a vision of Governor Mbah in widening Enugu state to global economy.

.

OKAFOR is a journalist based in Enugu.