A chieftain of the ruling All Progressive Congres (APC), Chibuike Jonas, has condemned former Senator Mao Ohuabunwa, accusing him of recruiting protesters in Abuja for N2,000 each.
He dissociated the constituents of Abia North Senatorial Zone from the protesters under the aegis of Concerned Citizens of Abia North who were protesting outside the National Assembly on Tuesday asking the Senate President to declare vacant the seat of the Senate Chief Whip, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, All Progressives Congress, APC, Abia North.
Addressing newsmen in Lagos, the APC Stakeholder accused the protesters of being sponsored by a “loser who has failed to accept defeat since last election ” .
He said Ohuabunwa’s main agenda is to paint “Kalu in bad light” before the world.
The protest came on the day a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos gave an order for immediate release of Kalu who has been in incarceration over an allegation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
Jonas questioned the identity of the protesters who claimed to have come from the five local government areas in Abia North, saying that the existing ban on inter state movement makes the entire claim irresponsible and unbelievable.
He said that Kalu’s outstanding performance in his first year in Senate is far better than Ohuabunwa’s wasted years in the Senate.
His words: “Abia North people are happy with Senator Orji Uzor Kalu’s performance in the Senate. Even the few months he has been wrongly incarcerated, he has extended so much to Abians. Kalu’s constituency projects are laudable and many Abians would be embarrassed with Ohuabunwa’s desperation.
“How can a man who was sacked for doing nothing for his constituents as Senator be recruiting people who doesn’t even know where Abia North is located to protest against the Senator representing the zone?
“Senator Ohuabunwa should swallow his pride and desist from unnecessary distractions because the people of Abia Abia North have great confidence in Kalu and that is why we elected him. Paying people N2,000 each to mount a protest is useless and waste of time.
“He should rather channel his energy on things that would add value to his family since he wasted the chance and mandate earlier given to him”, he said.
