₦airaland Forum

A civil rights advocacy group, Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), on Wednesday, affirmed that the lawmaker representing Abia North Senatorial District, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu has demonstrated a comprehensive grasp of his primary mandate to his constituents.

According to the group, Sen. Kalu a former Governor of Abia State has consistently stood by his people since he was constitutionally elected to the National Assembly in 2019.

HURIWA’s National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, in a statement, condemned smear campaigns against the former governor of Abia State by some politically motivated critics such as one Emenike Iroegbu and his co-travellers.

The group noted that contrary to the malicious statements peddled around, Senator Orji Kalu’s position and contribution to the assent to the 2022 Electoral Act is not hidden from any conscientious fellow.

The lawmaker was amongst the 52 senators who on July 15th voted in the red chamber for the Independent National Electoral Commission to seek clearance from the Nigerian Communications Commission before transmission of results electronically.

Kalu and the other senators had debated a clause-by-clause consideration of section 52 (3) of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill, regarding the electronic transmission of results. Kalu and the other lawmakers had argued that there is no sufficient network coverage all over Nigeria and wanted the assurances of the NCC so that some parts of the country, especially in the South-East won’t be disenfranchised.

“In fact, the Senate’s Chief Whip in the buildup to primaries of political parties had appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to sign into law the Amended Bill seeking to enable statutory delegates to vote at the conventions and congresses of political parties as outlined in Section 84 ( of the now assented bill.

“That Senator Orji Uzor Kalu is a thoroughbred democrat who has remained politically relevant in the last 23 years is not questionable. That he is a lover of his people whom he is passionate about and whom he represents at different levels of governance is also not subject to controversy,” HURIWA’s Onwubiko stated.

Continuing, Onwubiko said, “In terms of constituency projects, Senator Orji Kalu outperforms every other senator in the South-East if you take a survey from conscientious persons in the zone despite that all the federal lawmakers are given the same amount for constituency projects. Without a doubt, Senator Kalu has done so much when it comes to road projects, building and equipping of schools and hospitals; he has done a lot for his people in all its entirety.

“HURIWA has taken note of the contributions of Senator Kalu in the last couple of years and make bold to say that the lawmaker has represented his people well, especially in the area of introducing bills in the red chamber that are beneficial to the people of Abia North as well as the entire country. We are particularly delighted that the lawmakers has been at the forefront of providing soft grants to small and medium-scale businesses in Abia State and has consistently funded through his Foundation the Orji Uzor Kalu Foundation dozens of indigent but brilliant students from Abia state on foreign-funded medical and specialised all tuitions paid and all expenses paid medical training in foreign jurisdictions. In July about 50 Abia youths got subsections and scholarships to study medicine abroad.

A middle-aged man suspected to be involved in stealing power-generating sets in Aba, Abia State has been lynched by a mob of angry residents along Faulks road Aba.

ABN TV gathered that the suspect along with two others had in the early hours of Saturday hit the city, scavenging for generators to steal.

They are said to specialise in moving away with generators while it is still on but luck ran out for the victim whose identity could not be identified.

His accomplices were said to have taken to their heels to avoid the residents’ anger.

An unidentified lifeless body of a middle aged man was on Saturday discovered at New Heaven junction in Olokoro, Umuahia South local government area of Abia State.

The victim has marks of violence that look like burns all over his body, ABN TV reports.

Residents of the earlier woke up to the development in the early hours of Saturday, wondering the circumstances surrounding his death.

While some residents attribute his killing to jungle justice from a suspected robbery, others believe it is a cult-related killing.

His hands were tied to the back with his face up, with deep machete cut in his leg region.

When contacted, the Abia State police public relations officer, SP Geoffrey Ogbonna said; “It’s true. Identity unknown but suspected to be a thief. Act condemnable and at variance with our call to refrain from jungle justice”.

Abia Central: Hope Dims For APC As INEC Shuns Atuma After Party Dropped Onuigbo In Unexplained Circumstances

The yet-to-be-explained refusal of All Progressives Congress, APC to submit the name and details of the member representing Ikwuano/Umuahia Federal Constituency of Abia State, Rep. Sam Onuigbo as the duly elected candidate of the party for Abia Central Senatorial district may cost the party the senatorial seat.

Nigeria is heading to a major election early next year which will usher in new states and National Assembly members. A new president is also expected to emerge as the tenure of the incumbent president Muhammadu Buhari GCFR expires May 29, 2023.

This position was given a boost when President Buhari restated it during his farewell speech at UNGA77 where he declared that the august body will see a new President of Nigeria this next year during UNGA78

Nigeria's electoral umpire, the INEC had on Tuesday published the list of successful candidates for National Assembly race without APC having a candidate for Abia Central.

Emeka Atuma's name was submitted by APC to INEC, even though he never took part in the primary election of the party for Abia Central which took place on 28th of June, 2022 at Chidiebere Park, Umuahia. Atuma bought form for Gubernatorial Election and contested with High Chief Ikechi Emenike. High Chief Emenike won the election while Atuma came second. How Atuma who contested for the Gubernatorial Primary and lost to High Chief Emenike miraculously jumped from the Gubernatorial contest to seize the ticket of a Senatorial Primary which we all witnessed and which he never participated in is still mystery to us.

The Abia Central Senatorial Primary Election was duly monitored by INEC officials. After a former Senator of the district, Sen. Nkechi Nwaogu withdrew from the race in her letter dated May 27, 2022 and addressed to the National Chairman of the APC and copied to the Director of Elections and Political Party Monitoring of the Independent National Elections Commission (INEC), the contest was between Chief Henry Ikoh and Hon Sam Onuigbo as Chief KC Ugboaja was ill and could not make it to the venue. The illness eventually claimed his (Ugboaja's) life.

Chief Henry Ikechukwu Iko, now a federal Minister had tried his popularity among the delegates during the primary election, but was defeated by Hon. Onuigbo.

Under unexplained circumstances bordering on impunity, instead of the party, APC to submit the name of Hon. Onuigbo who duly won the election to INEC as its candidate for Abia Central, the party forwarded the name of Emeka Atuma who never purchased nomination form for the race and never participated in the election.

The federal lawmaker who says he has the pieces of evidence of materials used in conducting the June 28 primary election had challenged Chief Emeka Atuma to provide his evidence if he claims to have contested the election.

Atuma has instead said he won at a primary election conducted on the 7th of June, a claim that Onuigbo has said is false as such primary election never took place. Curiously, our investigation has revealed that the date claimed by Atuma coincided with the date Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu was elected as the Presidential Candidate of the APC during its National Convention in Abuja.

Onuigbo had approached the Umuahia division of the Federal High Court presided over by Justice Evelyn Anyadike to bar INEC from publishing the name of Atuma as APC candidate for Abia Central.

No fewer than 500 persons have benefitted from the federal government's empowerment scheme attracted by the member representing Ikwuano/Umuahia Federal Constituency, Rep. Sam Onuigbo.

This comes as he urged the benefitting constituents to make effective use of the empowerment opportunity to enhance the lives of their family members and their communities.

Speaking at the graduation ceremony at the end of a three-day development training facilitated by the lawmaker in collaboration with the federal co-operative college Oji River held in Umuahia, he said the scheme is part of President Muhammadu Buhari's efforts to ensure that more Nigerians are pulled out of poverty.

Represented by his chief liaison officer, pastor Abraham Osondu, the lawmaker who is seeking election into the Senate in 2023 reiterated his commitment in ensuring that the people of Ikwuano/Umuahia Federal Constituency are not left out in the scheme of development at the federal level as their representative, urging the beneficiaries not to discard the knowledge acquired.

Beneficiaries were trained in various vocational skills, including fashion designing, poultry, and fish farming among others.

They were also given stipends to enable them start their own means of livelihood.

The liaison officer, Pastor Osondu dismissed insinuations that the beneficiaries were drawn from Rep. Onuigbo's political party, insisting that they are persons from various corners of the constituency irrespective of their political parties.

He added that the empowerment program is a promise made to empower people and over one thousand five hundred people have been trained in fashion designing, poultry, fish farming among others.

An undisclosed number of gunmen on Wednesday evening attacked the Criminal Investigation Department office of the Abia State police command located in Umuagu in Umuahia, inflicting serious injury on three police officers., ABN TV reports.

While one was seriously macheted, the rest two were shot but no casualty was recorded.

The injured officers have since been rushed to the hospital for medical attention.

A source who spoke to our correspondent on the condition of anonymity said the armoury was also invaded, though it is not clear if arms were carted away.

The facility had been attacked previously and burnt down by unknown gunmen.

One of the suspects connected with a bullion van robbery along Enugu-Port Harcourt expressway near Ntigha Junction in Isiala Ngwa North L.G.A of Abia State on 26 July 2022, Nwachukwu Albert aka White has said his only assignment in the gang is to drive the van containing the ammunitions and “wait for the call for the guys”, ABN TV reports.

According to him, he has never shot a gun before but was tempted to join the gang so he could expand his business of jeans wear.

“I have not shot a gun and I have not been in the operational vehicle. I have not been in operation before” he told newsmen during his parade at police headquarters in Umuahia on Monday.

Nwachukwu Albert, a native of Ikem village in Aniocha North local government area of Delta State based in Anambra but arrested in Lagos State insists that he only drives the arms to where they are needed for operation.

While claiming to be a dropout from a University in South West, he said only 5 AK47 rifles and 1 GPMG were seen in his custody when he was arrested.

ABN TV reports that the suspects killed a bank official during the robbery and injured policemen escorting the cash and made away with an undisclosed amount of money.

Abia State Police command on Monday paraded a dismissed official of the Department of State Services, DSS Prosper Israel, his younger brother Chinwendu Israel along with with eight others for robbing a billion van loaded with cash, ABN TV reports.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M2TIghV2p8k

In his confessional statement, Mr. Prosper Israel said he was dismissed from DSS in 2007 after his service at Government House Abia State ended in 2007 following the end of the then Gov. Orji Kalu's tenure.

According to the Ugwunagbo born robber, before he could return to his station, he was tried and summarily dismissed in absentia.

He said his younger brother along with his "colleagues" brought money are shared in his house and gave him part of it. On whether he was aware that his brother was into robbery, he answered in affirmative.

He said he regrets his action, appealing for forgiveness.

ABN TV reports that the robbery gang had on 26 July 2022, waylaid the bullion van being escorted by the the Police along Enugu-Port Harcourt expressway near Ntigha Juntion in Isiala Ngwa North L.G.A of Abia State, killing the cash officer on the spot.

Suspected bandits on Thursday, intercepted an ambulance conveying a dead body to Isuikwuato community in Abia State, ABN TV reports.

The incident took place around Umunneochi/Ihube Okigwe axis of the Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway, a family source confirmed.

ABN TV gathered that the ambulance was coming from Abraka in Delta State when the incident occurred.

According to the family source, armed bandits waylaid the vehicle conveying the corpse and dragged out the occupants, abandoning the coffin in the vehicle on the road.

The source who said the deceased was his uncle’s wife, said the abductors whisked the victims including the deceased woman’s daughter, another relation, and the driver of the hearse into the bush.

He said that the woman’s daughter later escaped from the captors by providence while the driver and the other man are still being held captive.

The source who did not want to be disclosed said that they had informed the Divisional Police Officer in Isuikwuato for police intervention.

He said that the devastated family had recovered the abandoned corpse and deposited it at the mortuary.

”We are in disarray. People bringing the corpse of my uncle’s wife today were Kidnapped at the notorious Umunneochi-Ihube Okigwe axis.

”They took away the victims into the bush. We have gone to pick the corpse and we have reported to the police. We want Government to come to our rescue”.