–
Irked by the anomalies in the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) leadership in the country, the member representing IdeatoNorth/IdeatoSouth in the Federal House of Representatives, Honorable Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere laid it bare at Akokwa, his hometown, while addressing his constituents during an interactive meeting.
According to Honorable Ikenga (popularly called “Oje-ozi”, the messenger), the PDP was formed in 1998 by distinguished Nigerians like former Vice President Alex Ekwueme, Solomon Lar and other patriotic Nigerians. He argued that the party was fashioned to win elections, implement policies and programs beneficial to the majority of Nigerians as well as ensure the protection of lives and property of the citizenry. Ugochinyere revealed that the founding fathers of the party were selfless gentlemen who desired the good of others other than themselves.
Ikenga Ugochinyere however decried the swift collapse of the ethics and principles of the party – PDP – a party that had laid an enviable foundation in the birth and sustenance of democracy in Nigeria. He lamented that “infidels, moles, detractors” have hijacked the structure of the party and are hell-bent on casting it into the abyss. He therefore called on all lovers of democracy to speak out against these evil elements.
Ugochinyere specifically bemoaned the emergence of Alhaji Umar Damagum as the acting Chairman of the PDP in 2022 after the exit of Hon. Iyorchia Ayu.
The emergence of Damagum has been damaging to the party.
Ugochinyere took the audience down memory lane to trace Damagums damaging antics and retrogressive rhetoric in the party, in connivance with his puppet Secretary, Mr. Samuel Anyanwu and the cancerous Nyesom Wike, the current Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The incessant use of court injunctions by Damagum and his allies to stop several scheduled National Executive Council Meetings also drew the angst of the Ideato-born lawmaker.
The lawmaker further revealed that the ploy to perpetuate Damagum in power, frustrate moves for merger with other political parties, incite crisis within the party as well as cause the mass exodus of its members were the machinations of the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) to perpetuate itself in power, increase insecurities in the country and drag Nigerians to the lowest ebb of poverty.
Indeed, as propounded by George Orwell, in his satire, 1984, the APC are conscious: “in the long run, a hierarchical society is possible on a basis of poverty and ignorance”, hence their scheme to install a one-paty system and squeeze life out of the citizenry.
Ugochinyere further flayed Mr. Nyesom Wike for his penchant for instigating crises within the party and in his home state, Rivers. He accused Wike of deceiving and influencing the judiciary to pronounce several abracadabra rulings against Rivers State.
Such rulings on the decamped lawmakers in the Rivers State House of Assembly and the suspension of the state federation allocation were vehemently condemned by Ugochinyere.
He maintained that Wike, as a PDP member, working in an APC government, has been specifically assigned the task of destroying PDP.
He called on the Board of Trustees of the PDP to rise to the occasion and tame the excesses of Wike and his cohorts.
Speaking also, a community leader and pro-democracy advocate, Chief Ibeagwa said Ugochinyere is becoming the new face of the opposition in Nigeria.
He said: “No doubt, Ikenga Ugochinyere is gradually becoming the voice and face of the opposition in Nigeria.
“His civil rights activism has moved to the lawmaking chambers of the national assembly and party politics where he sees first hand, the insincerity and selfishness of men entrusted with the people’s mandate.
“Ikenga’s conviction that the accomplishment of a man can only be seen in his ability to make life easier and better for other men, is as commendable as it is inspiring.
“He has shown consistency in speaking truth to power even in the face of threats to his life and in spite of the fatal attempt to eliminate him and extinguish his dreams.
“Enemies of democracy who seek to undo and undermine Ugochinyere should be aware that there is no time in history that the elimination of the leader of the people’s movement led to the end of the movement; rather , it created thousands of leaders in its ilk.
“Ugochinyere is a movement that can never be extinguished by either internal or external forces, except it chooses to ossify.
“Let the people of Nigeria and the world join Honorable Ikenga Ugochinyere to speak truth to power and compel the APC and its moles in the PDP to rescind from their evil agenda and restore the lost glory of this country, Nigeria.”
Ikenga Ugochinyere also used the occasion to reel out his achievements as the representative of the people of Ideato Nation.
One of such, according to him, was his campaign for the reclamation of lands affected by the Umuchima Gully Erosion and subsequent award of contracts for repair works.
He equally mentioned completed and ongoing works in every community in Ideato nation. Such projects include: provision of solar powered boreholes; construction of market stalls; repair works in dilapidated schools and health centers; skills acquisition programs; provision of motorbikes and vehicles for commercial purposes for some constituents; as well as grants for small and medium scale businesses. The people were full of praise for their son whom they expressed pride in his representation.
