The Enugu North Senatorial candidate of All Progressive Congress (APC), Mr Eugene Odo, says that Ohaneze Ndi Igbo was not fair to all the political parties in endorsing candidates for the 2019 general elections.
Odo, who was a two-time Speaker of the Enugu State House of Assembly, made the assertion at Nsukka on Sunday during the flag-off of campaign by all the Enugu North Senatorial Zone candidates of All Progressive Congress (APC) ahead of 2019 general elections.
He said that Igbo people had turned Ohaneze into a laughing stock, noting that Vice-President, Yemi Osinbajo, had not been endorsed by Aferifere, the Pan-Yoruba Socio-Cultural Organisation.
He added that the Arewa had also not endorsed President Muhammad Buhari because they were socio-cultural group.
The candidate said that it was unfortunate that Ohaneze Ndi Igbo which ought to be father to all had stooped so low by endorsing candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and all also getting involved in political affairs of the region.
Odo said that Ohaneze was speaking on their own as they were not speaking for the Igbo people.
He added that Ohaneze did not know what they were doing as the mandate of South-East people would go to President Muhammad Buhari for him to complete ongoing projects in the zone.
The former Speaker said that PDP government lasted for 16 years without any meaningful project in the South-East.
Odo said that the APC administration had invested so much in the zone like the second Niger Bridge, Enugu-Onitsha expressway, Enugu-Port Harcourt expressway and many others.
He said that he was not going to the Senate to second motions of impeachment or to defraud youths of Enugu North with N5,000 in the name of fake empowerment.
He noted that he was rather going to the Senate to attract projects that would benefit the Senatorial zone.
He said that his administration with Sullivan Chime from 2007 to 2015 constructed Opi Nsukka road which is still the only road leading to Nsukka till date.
Odo said that Enugu North was the poorest in terms of infrastructure development, promising that if elected, he would reticulate the Adada water scheme that was capable of supplying portable water to the whole senatorial zone.
The candidate said that the present administration in the state was constructing housing schemes in Nsukka for commercial motorcyclists, otherwise called “Okada’’ riders and petty business people in the senatorial zone.
He said that for someone to develop a massive project in housing scheme, there must be a corresponding government establishment that would serve as a clientele.
Contributing, the immediate past governor of Enugu State, Mr Sullivan Chime, said that he came to introduce their candidates who were vying for various positions in Nsukka.
Chime said that the turnout showed that APC was in the right direction, and that Buhari had shown them a good example of leadership by curbing corruption to the lowest level in the nation.
In a related development, the Governorship candidate of APC in the state, Sen. Ayogu Eze, said that if God was not truly on Enugu State’s side, Enugu would had fallen apart because of bad governance.
Eze said that Nsukka people at the helm of affair had been recording success until when this present administration came on board, noting that if they keep quiet things would go wrong for the good people of Enugu State.
He said that the era of money sharing had gone and that what they were agitating for is free, fair and credible elections in the state.
In the same vein, the South-East Vice-Chairman of the party, Mr Emma Eneukwu, said that Enugu State as the capital of Eastern Region should be connected to the national grid by voting APC to wipe away opposition in the state.
Eneukwu said that APC in Enugu State had moved to the next level, claiming that all the men of integrity in Enugu had moved from PDP to APC.
Also, the candidate for Nsukka/Igboeze South Federal Constituency, Mr Ikechukwu Ugwuegede, said that APC was poised to give the country true leadership in Nsukka and Enugu State as a whole because they had selected credible people that would steer the affairs of the state.
Ugwuegede said that his constituency had the oldest university in the country, adding that there is no legislation or representation that had addressed the need of his people.
He promised to use four years, if elected, to bring back to his people what his opponent could not do in the past 12 years he had been in the green chambers.
The candidate for Udenu/Igboeze North Federal Constituency, Mr Kentus Eze, said that if he was elected, his people would feel the impact of government because he would ensure that their dues got to them.
The candidate promised to sponsor bills and motions that would benefit his constituency because they had not got their share of the good works of President Buhari due to bad representation.
He promised to be organise town hall meetings at intervals to ascertain the basic needs of his people.
Those who are also present at the flag-off included Mrs Juliet Ibekaku, the Special Adviser to the President on Justice Reform, Prince Lawrence Eze, the Senatorial candidate of Enugu East and Mr Okey Ezea, the former governorship aspirant of the party in 2015.
Other are Mr Jonathan Chukwuma, the House of Representative candidate for Igbo Etiti/Uzo Uwani Federal Constituency and nine candidates for the House of Assembly in the zone. (NAN)