The United Progressive Party candidate (UPP) for Orlu senatorial zone, Comrade Precious Nwadike has said that he sees no difference between Hon Jones Onyeriri, member representing Nkwere, Isu, Nwangele and Njaba Federal Constituency in the Federal House of Representatives, Abuja, and His Excellency Rochas Okorocha, the outgoing governor of Imo state.
Addressing newsmen in Lagos over the weekend, the Umudiatu Orlu born Journalist boasted that he remains the best for Orlu senate seat as against other candidates who he said are not home-groomed politicians but only come home for the sole purpose of clinching the people’s mandate either by hook or crook after which they disappear till another election year.
Responding to a question bordering on litigations vis-a-vis on why he is in court with Rochas Okorocha and possible negotiation to step down for the PDP candidate if the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) cancels the election and schedule for re-rerun, Nwadike said he has not seen the need for that.
He revealed that his main purpose for contesting the election is to change the orientation of Orlu youths, so that they can also become part of the system and let the likes of Jones Onyeriri, Rochas Okorocha and others who he accused of monopolizing power in the zone that is about time they left the stage for younger ones same way those that brought them to limelight did for them.
“By 2011, I had hardly known much about Onyeriri. All I know is that, he was close to Chief Okwesilieze Nwodo, who was the National Chairman of Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) who donated the ticket of the party to him as his personal aide. One would ordinarily expect Onyeriri to reciprocate such kind gesture by grooming young people and empower them beyond showmanship instead of living a life of discrimination against the average man in Orlu.
I can authoritatively tell you that Onyeriri has never made any youth in Orlu zone beyond patronizing his fellow elites. I challenge him to mention names that are different from children of those highly influential people in his federal constituency. It is on record that some youths have confronted him on this and the record of those he empowered are there for you to see”, Comrade Nwadike averred.
Speaking further, he said the only problem he has with governor Rochas Okorocha is that he sees nobody aside his immediate family and handful of youths whom he has also empowered even though some persons have argued that some of those youths he empowered were to ensure they were made willing tools in actualization of his selfish gains but at least he gave some of them sense of belonging.
Nwadike used the opportunity to speak on his experience during the election. He maintained that until Nigeria adopts electronic voting system which provides for results collated at polling booths to be transmitted to the central server, electrically decent men and women would hardly win election in Nigeria.
The issue of Orlu senate has continued to generate heat following INEC’s refusal to issue Governor Rochas Okorocha a Certificate of Return, which has led him to approach the court.
INEC had accused the outgoing governor of forcing the returning officer for Orlu zone to declare him winner at gun point. They claimed that evidence at their disposal truly reveals such impunity and recklessness.
Meanwhile, Comrade Nwadike who is the pioneer President of Orluzurumee Youth Assembly (OYA), has said that he has begun his consultation as he is optimistic that the election will be cancelled for possible re-rerun.
