Re: Ndi Enugu Must Hear There Is Desperate Effort To Rob Rep Member Elect, Stainless Nwodo
By Ugwu Benjamin
Anyone sincere with himself, especially from Enugu North Senatorial zone can attest to the fact that the outcome of the 2023 general elections as it concerns National Assembly seats was not on the popularity of the candidates, but the conspiratorial, circumstantial and treacherous roles of the church, Mr. Peter Obi’s presidential ambition, PDP stakeholders turned snakeholders, arranged military personnel and some insatiable elites against the PDP in the zone.
Placing the parties candidates side by side, there is no way, Hon. Stainless Nwodo, the Labour Party candidate for Igbo-Etiti/ Uzo-Uwani Federal Constituency seat can be placed near his PDP counterpart, Dr. Martin Oke, talkless of equating both of them.
There is no way Hon. Nwodo will be a better option to Dr.Oke for the people in any election in Igbo-Etiti LGA that is the manpower base of Enugu State. Who is Hon. Nwodo to compare him with Dr. Martin Oke?
In all ramifications, Dr. Oke is far ahead of Hon. Nwodo. Dr.Oke, an experienced politician, a Medical Doctor and one of the great political leaders in Enugu State has served as Chairman Enugu State Tourism Board, Commissioner for Education before going to House of Representatives in 2003 and returned there again in 2019. He has also served as a member representing Enugu state at Federal Character Commission. While there, he gave jobs to thousands of Enugu State unemployed youths that are at senior cadre of the federal civil service today.
What was Hon. Nwodo before fate smiled at him? He’s a political greenhorn whose only experience was serving as a domestic aide to the Nwodos, Barr. Eugene Odo and Chairman, Igbo-Etiti LGA. His highest qualification as submitted to INEC is Senior Secondary School Certificate without cognate job experience as he was still a job applicant before 2023 elections. So it is obvious that his bread was just buttered on a platter of gold. Not that he worked for his pyrrhic victory at the poll or deserve it by any standard.
Prior to the 2023 general elections, Dr. Oke campaigned vigorously across the length and breadth of the constituency canvassed for support and votes. His presence and that of his supporters were everywhere and glaring.
Hon. Nwodo never campaigned anywhere. He has no poster or campaign team. In short, he was not known or known to have been serious for the election.
Even within the so called Labour Party caucus in Igbo-Etiti LGA, he was not recognised or taken serious. He was not at the result collation centre or has agent there, when the result of the election was collated and announced. It was on phone that he was informed of his circumstantial and opportunistic victory he never worked for and he started celebrating.
Back to issue at stake, it is within the constitutional right of Dr. Oke to approach the tribunal to challenge the outcome of the election if he has incontrovertible evidence to substantiate his claim. It is on record that Dr. Oke is not the only PDP candidate that went to the tribunal to challenge the outcome of the election. There are many others include Labour Party candidates that lost.
When has following constitutional means or legal path to achieve result became robbery? Which gun is Dr. Oke using to rob Hon. Nwodo? The claims and unverified allegations of Hon. Nwodo’s hatchet writer against Dr. Oke and others in the write-up is so puerile, malicious, baseless and tendentious. It holds no water at all.
If Hon. Nwodo is cocksure of the genuineness, consistency and authenticity of his certificates as he submitted to INEC, he has nothing to fear.
But if they are otherwise, Hon. Nwodo should be ready to explain with evidences at the tribunal if questions are raised about them. No amount of crying foul or social media rantings and alarms will stop the wheel of justice from grinding. It is not possible.
Rushing to drag Dr. Oke and others to the mud and social media trial to gain undue sympathy will not save Hon. Nwodo at the end of the day.
Hon. Nwodo and his hatchet writer should also be prepared to provide evidences to the weighty and libelous allegations they leveled against Dr. Oke, some staff of Enugu Ministry of Education and Bar. Sunday Odoh, when they are called upon by the court or appropriate authorities for explanations or questioning. This is because the onus lies on he who alleges to substantiate with incontrovertible evidence.
One clear thing is that Dr. Oke has not done anything illegal by going to tribunal to challenge the outcome of the election with evidences. Maligning and impugning his character on social media for doing so is the height of ignorance and hypocrisy by Hon. Nwodo, his uninformed cohorts and supporters.
