Why I want to displace Hon Okechukwu as Aninri/Awgu/Oji River Fed Lawmaker – Dr Oluedo

By Maurice Okafor.

The Aninri/Awgu/Oji River federal constituency axis of Enugu West senatorial district of Enugu state from all indications will be one of the hot spots for the PDP, which is the ruling party in Enugu state in conducting party primaries to choose candidates, that will gun for electives positions in the 2023 general elections.

This stems from the fact that PDP has maintained its streak of one hundred per cent success in every election conducted in the state from the wards to local council elections, the state and national assemblies, to the governorship elections since 1999. To that extent, the political battle lies much in securing the PDP party ticket. Even as there are no serious opposition from any other party in the state or the allegations that many of the stakeholders in the opposition parties are mere appendages of the PDP controlled state government.

In this direction, the lobbying for a PDP ticket for all electioneering positions in the state ahead of the party primaries is taking a serious dimension, especially in Enugu West senatorial zone and more precisely in the Aninri/Awgu/Oji River federal constituency, the constituency of Senator Ike Ekweremadu, who is serving a 5th term as senator of Enugu West district and the House of Rep deputy minority leader, Hon Toby Okechukwu, who is on a third tenure as rep member of AninriAwguOji River federal constituency.

Though Senator Ike Ekweremadu has indicated his aspiration to run for the governorship seat in 2023 and the PDP stakeholders in his immediate federal constituency of Aninri/Awgu/Oji River seemingly have conceded to the zoning of the next senator of Enugu West Senatorial district to Udi/Ezeagu federal constituency of the zone, the heat is Hon Toby Okechukwu, the House of Rep member of Aninri/Awgu/Oji River, to quit the stage.

Checks revealed that Hon Toby Okechukwu has gained the tutelage, support and influence of Senator Ekweremadu to come to the political limelight land has remained one of Chief Ekweremadu’s political allies fervently. Hon Toby Okechukwu is reported to have bought a nomination form to return to Aninri/Awgu/Oji River federal constituency for the fourth tenure in 2023. But many of the PDP stakeholders in his constituency are basking on the “Zoning and micro zoning ‘principle to stop him.

One of the six aspirants wishing to replace Hon Toby Okechukwu as the next House of rep member for the Aninri/Awgu/Oji River federal constituency is Dr Eric Oluedo. Dr Oluedo who is a medical doctor cum politician told newsmen that going by the zoning principle, it is the turn of the Oji River local government area to produce the next Federal House of Rep member for the constituency stating that Hon Okechukwu even exceeded his stay.

According to Dr Oluedo, Since Senator Ike Ekweremadu, who hails from the Aninri council area is in the red chamber for the fifth tenure, in the interest of equity fair play and justice, it is unfair for aspiration for the next house of rep member of Aninri/Awgu/Oji River to come from Aninri. Dr Oluedo disclosed that he won the primaries on the platform of NRC in 1992, through option A4 but eventually manoeuvred out by forces beyond him.

Dr Oluedo said he will focus on value addition as means of empowering the constituents in the over eighty communities within the Aninri/Awgu/Oji River federal constituency if elected, in as much as he will perform his legislative functions and always be accessible to his constituents.

Further checks revealed that among those gunning to replace Hon Toby Okechukwu as the next Aninri/Awgu/Oji River Federal lawmaker in 2023 from Oji River local government area is Dr Engr Anayo Onwuegbu the Chief Executive/Managing Director of ANBEEZ Services ltd, an indigenous construction firm, Hon KGB Oguakwa, who occupied the same portfolio in 2003 and Hon Gab Onuzulike, also a former commissioner in the state and former chairman of Oji River local government area.

In addition, the aspiration of Chief Ben Alukwu and Barrister Okezie Nwanjoku, both from the Aninri local government area, makes it dicey if the expected zoning principle will work out in favour of the Oji River council area or will provide a loophole for the incumbent Hon Toby Okechukwu to excel in his fourth term ambition.

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