By Sydney Ezenta
It was a memorable outing on Saturday for Dr. Festus Uzor, Chief of Staff to Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, as stakeholders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Udi endorsed his aspiration to run for the House of Representatives.
Uzor who seeks to represent Udi-Ezeagu federal constituency in the National Assembly had informed the crowded meeting at the Udi Local Government Legislative Hall, that he had completed his nomination form and was in Udi to seek their approval to submit it to the party.
With one voice, party leaders at the monthly stakeholders meeting approved his request to proceed with the submission of the form to the party secretariat.
He had delivered a long speech in the crowded hall in which he detailed his long association with several leaders of Udi Local Government Area and promised that his aspiration will further cement that relationship.
In his address, the Udi Local Government Chairman, Hon. Phillip Oko had extolled the leaderships qualities of the Chief of Staff, saying he had served the state and the party well at several times.
Okoh said that Udi was focussed on the Enugu West Senate seat, adding that it was obvious the federal constituency seat would likely be going to Ezeagu Local Government Area
Dr. Uzor who is the frontrunner for the position, was accompanied by a retinue of aides and political associates.
If the reception given to Uzor in Udi was encouraging, it was the direct opposite for the present occupant of the Udi-Ezeagu federal constituency seat, Hon. Dennis Oguerinwa Amadi.
Amadi who has indicated his interest to vie for the Enugu West Senate seat which will be vacated by Prof. Ike Ekweremadu in 2023, was practically chased out of the same meeting by his Udi kinsmen fifteen minutes earlier.
Amadi who arrived the venue of the meeting with a couple of aides, was greeted by boos from the party men and women who said he has not identified with the party for upwards of four years. While many say he does not connect well with leaders of the party, others insist that for most of his time at the National Assembly, his relationship with his constituents has been abysmally poor.
If he was expecting a warm reception, the reaction by his party men and women gave him a big shock. When his presence was not properly acknowledged by the party leaders, the House of Reps member simply found himself a seat and busied himself scrolling through his expensive cell phone.
After a few awkward minutes in the crowded hall, he stood up and made attempts to address the gathering but he was denied the microphone. He tried to speak without the microphone but the crowd refused to listen to him, insisting he either sits down or leaves the gathering.
When his pleas for attention were rejected, the downcast Senatorial aspirant accepted his fate and quietly walked out of the party meeting.
The meeting formally ended about 5pm but party members stayed behind to discuss the disgraceful incident. Many agreed that it was an appropriate pay back to a man who has lived far below their expectations. They recalled that Amadi whose first term performance record at the National Assembly was woeful, had come begging for forgiveness in 2019 on the ground that he was distracted by court cases that arose from his election.
After begging his way to reelection in 2019, Amadi not only continued to distance himself from his constituents, he sacked key Udi indigenes among his staff and totally neglected the party on whose platform he was elected to the House of Representatives.
According to one party leader who hails from the same Affa/Oghu/Ikono ward as the legislator, the House member does not identify with the ward or render needed support. He told People&Politics at the Udi Local Government secretariat that “Oguerinwa did not find it necessary to attend any of the PDP campaign rallies, including the one in his own ward during the just-concluded local government elections in the state. Can you imagine that?”
In a WhatsApp post later in the evening, the Secretary to Udi Local Government, Teacher Collins Amalu, waxed religious in describing the incident at Udi which he likened to the return of a prodigal son. He however said Udi would not forgive Amadi this time around because he had not really repented.
Other Senatorial aspirants that witnessed the drama include Dr. Oscar Egwuonwu, Chief Osita Ngwu, Barrister OAU Onyema, Dr. Nnamdi Ene, Chief Chinedu Ani and Chief Maurice Akueme.
