As Senator Ike Ekweremadu (PDP Enugu West) remains in prison custody in Britain over alleged organ harvesting, one Mr Ogechukwu Onyema who came third in the senatorial primary election for Enugu West, won by Ekweremadu on October 2, 2018, has moved to replace him.
Onyema had already approached a High Court in Enugu, for a declarative judgement in his favour since Ekweremadu has been away for three solid months with no clear possibility of getting over his ordeal before the expiration of the life span of the 9th Senate in June 2023.
But Onyema’s move was punctured Thursday by one Mr. Isaac Okah, a retired Director from the Enugu state Civil Service, who claimed to have emerged runners up in the 2018 Enugu West senatorial primary election conducted by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Mr Okah in a personally signed statement said contrary to Onyema’s claim in the affidavit deposed to , that he is dead, he is not dead but very much alive.
He lampooned Onyema for not been human in his desire for power by wishing him dead and Ekweremadu not to get over his ordeal in far away London .
He added that he wondered why as a lawyer, Onyema does not know the process through which vacant seat in the Senate or any other parliament can be replaced .
The statement entitled “Ogechukwu Onyema lied”, read “My attention has been drawn to Suit No. FHC/EN/CS/7/2022 filed by Sir Ogochukwu A.U.Onyema praying the Federal High Court Enugu to declare vacant the Enugu West Senatorial Seat currently occupied by Senator Ike Ekweremadu and to command and mandate the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to select, nominate, and forward his name to the National Assembly as a replacement.
“Sir O.A.U Onyema equally seeks the order of the court commanding and mandating the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and its Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, to “withdraw or revoke, as the case may be, the Certificate of Return earlier issued to the 3rd defendant (Ekweremadu) and issue a fresh Certificate of Return” to him as “the only available runner-up” that can validly be nominated as Senator Ekweremadu’s replacement.
“It becomes imperative to state that I polled 84 votes at the October 2018 PDP primary election for Enugu West Senatorial District to place second behind Distinguished Senator Ike Ekweremadu, who polled 690 votes to emerge winner, while O.A.U Onyema mustered 61 votes to place third.
“However, to further his case, O.A.U lied on oath by deposing to an affidavit that the 1st runner-up, being my humble self, is dead, hence purportedly leaving him as the only available runner up.
“I wish to unequivocally clarify that I, Mr. Isaac Okah, a retired Director in the Federal Civil Service, am alive, well, and running my private business.
“It is a shame that naked and unbridled ambition has pushed O.A.U Onyema into the sacrilege of wishing his fellow man dead.”