Senator Theodore Orji of Abia Central Senatorial District has asked his critics to remain quiet for ever if their only trademark was spreading falsehood and misinforming Nigerians about his achievements in the Senate.
Orji noted because election time is in the wind, his failed rivals had resorted to making unguarded statements and dishing out information without any element of truth to smear his image.
The lawmaker in a statement issued on Monday by his Media and Legislative Aide, Mr. Eddie Onuzuruike, urged his supporters to ignore the interview with Hon. Iheanacho Obioma in a national daily (name withheld), labelled him a constant detractor.
He said that the interview was typical of the vituperations of a “drowning political adventurist.”
Senator Orji said that he does not hold briefs for Abia State government as to address and debunk Obioma’s “baseless and feckless claims of the All Progressives Congress (APC’s) looming superiority, his response is prompted by the “high mendacity employed, especially the non-existent claims which may misinform innocent Nigerians who may take him seriously.
“Facts are sacred and one shouldn’t relent when facts are twisted in Abia Central, an equitable senatorial district,” he said.
It would be recalled that Obioma was a member of the House of Representatives for Ikwuano/Umuahia federal constituency from 1999 to 2003. In the same 2003, he contested for the Senate seat against Dr.Adighije and lost.
Later, he tried the House of Representatives again but failed. Since then he has been constant in all the elections and kept recording the same negative results, Orji said.
Orji therefore queried why Obioma had not asked himself why the spate of failures, adding that “can any right thinking person continue on a trend without introspection? The constituents know why and have spoken with their votes on many times.
Senator Orji said that he overwhelmingly won the 2015 election in Abia Central Senatorial District giving Hon. Obioma a yawning margin.
Ochendo, as he is well-known on the Nigerian political turf, said that he has carried out his legislative tasks assiduously resulting in 14 bills and several motions.
There are also multiple constituency projects equitably distributed in the six local government area, he said.
He continued: “Under two and half years, I published my scorecard in a booklet circulated in Abia. Acho is yet to tell us what he achieved with his four-year mandate in the House of Representatives between 1999 and 2003.”
Orji said that in 2016, the Daily Trust newspaper picked him as a senator to watch for his unprecedented performance unusual for a first time senator.
“In hot pursuit the Verbatim News magazine awarded me the Beacon of Democracy for 2017. Not relenting, The AUTHORITY newspaper, an authentic national daily spotted me as Senator of the Year 2017. These awards came from scrutinised results of performance. Before these prestigious awards, I have been roundly endorsed by many across the constituency, especially the six LGA chairmen. In April, in a thank you ceremony organised in my honour by the UkwaNgwa of Abia South for raising the equity standard in Abia, I was unanimously urged to go back,” he said.
He told Acho that elections are not won on the pages of newspapers, adding that “Acho Obioma is yet to win the APC ticket amid challenges from other aspirants. If he is lucky to scale through, I am sure that he has acquired a permanent position in Abia Central elections.”
