Party affiliation won’t determine Abia Central senatorial election winner – Onuigbo

A former House of Representatives member, Chief Sam Onuigbo, says the 2027 Abia Central Senatorial District election will not be determined by party sentiments but by the track records of candidates.

Onuigbo stated this in an interview with the our correspondent in Abuja on Tuesday.

According to him, the Abia Central Senatorial District electorate are sophisticated enough to vote based on party lines.

Addressing the challenges of running on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in a state currently governed by Labour Party, Onuigbo said the focus would be on who can deliver.

“Abia Central is populated by well-educated people who can make decisions based on what they have seen.

“It is a hub of intellectual and industrial activities, housing the state capital, Michael Okpara University of Agriculture and the industrial hub of Osisoma.

“It is a district that had produced great people like Dr Michael Okpara, former Gov. Theodore Orji, the first Speaker of the House of Representatives, Jaja Nwachukwu, and a former National Chairman of PDP, Vincent Ogbulafor.

“It also produced the family of the Director-General of World Trade Organisation, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. It is a sophisticated environment where people can easily distinguish what is real,” he said.

Onuigbo, who represented Ikwuano/Umuahia North/South Federal Constituency for two terms, expressed confidence that his previous performances would speak for him at the polls.

He argued that after nearly 27 years of unbroken democracy in Nigeria, voters had reached a level of maturity where they can examine a candidate’s verifiable accomplishments.

The former lawmaker further said that periodic, tenured based election had also empowered the electorate to examine their candidates, elected officers and leaders.

He said that the several projects he facilitated while he was in the House of Representatives were testimony to what he can do if he becomes a senator.

Onuigbo listed some of the projects to include: construction of the first Federal Secretariat in Abia, rehabilitation of Umuahia–Ikwuano Road and restoration of delisted science programmes at Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike.

“There are numerous erosion control works that I did; before you start talking about blocks of classrooms, water projects, electricity projects and, of course, supporting people through scholarship, through helping them to become somebody.

“Without sounding immodest, when people juxtapose these accomplishments—major projects, capital empowerment and infrastructure—against my tenure, it will be very easy for them to make up their minds.

“Nigerian electorate should be able to distinguish between genuine representatives and those with a penchant for deceiving people over time,” he told NAN.

Onuigbo also said that President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda had demonstrated the right direction for the country by providing a solid platform for APC candidates to campaign based on performance.