BY NATIONAL PANEL REPORTERS.
Senator Julius Ali Ucha, one of the governorship aspirants under the platform of the All Progressives Congress, APC in Ebonyi State have been urged to withdraw his comments about the Speaker of the Ebonyi State House Assembly allegedly dotted with falsehood and spite within 24 hours.
LR: Speaker Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru and Senator Julius Ali Ucha.
The Chief Press Secretary to the Ebonyi Speaker, Comrade Leo Ekene Oketa, made this known in a statement on Wednesday through his social media handle.
Senator Ucha reportedly accused Speaker Nwifuru of making known his scheme to attack him and his property in the state alongside other guber-aspirants because he has been endorsed by Governor David Nweze Umahi as his successor.
But Comrade Oketa in the statement said that the attention of his principal, Chief Nwifuru, has been drawn to what he described as, a false, misleading, disreputable and spiteful comment made against the Ebonyi Speaker by Senator Ucha, during a press conference held on Tuesday, April 26, 2022, in Abakaliki.'
According to him, "while addressing the public during his press conference, Sen. Ucha noted, that he HEARD that Rt. Hon. Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru said, that he (Mr Speaker) will attack him and his property in the State and other aspirants because he has been endorsed.
"Drawing from this unfortunate development, I have been directed by the Honourable Speaker of Ebonyi State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru, to deflate and condemn in the strongest possible terms, the spiteful comments from Sen. Ucha, as fallacious and laden with everything dishonourable."
He said Speaker Nwifuru typifies everything peacefully, maintaining that 'his reverential and unassuming personality negates every single word employed by Senator Ucha in his comments.'
The Chief Press Secretary added: "While it is a given, that a miniature amount of people will not accept the glorious endorsements of Speaker Nwifuru by our superlative Governor, leaders, men, women, and youths in Ebonyi State including the Ezza Nation, it is, to say the least, proper, that Sen. Julius Ali Ucha who had before now, been perceived as a respectable stakeholder in the State, should not base such dreadful and false accusation on flimsy hearsay.
"Our beloved Governor and the Presidential hopeful of our country, Nigeria, His Excellency, Engr. Chief David Nweze Umahi’s endorsement of Speaker Nwifuru for the Governorship position of the State come 2023, is not in any way, a forceful hand denying any aspirant from pursuing his or her political ambition or foreclosing the purchase of forms by other aspirants.
"Special thanks go to His Excellency, the Governor, for exemplifying justice and fairness in heeding the call of his people and the reports of the Ebonyi State zoning committee, by rotating the Governorship position back to Ebonyi North.
"Interestingly, Senator Julius A. Ucha is not doing the Ezza Nation any good, as his actions seem to have taken them back, because very important stakeholders of Ezza Nation endorsed the report of the zoning committee, to rotate the Governorship position back to Ebonyi North.
"This same Rt. Hon. Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru is the person who has been enduring sleepless nights and stressful days to ensure that permanent peace returns to Ezza Effium and Effium communities, in the wake of the recent crisis bedevilling the area.
"Senator Julius Ucha is advised to produce evidence where Mr Speaker made those alleged comments or withdraw those demeaning statements and tender an unreserved apology to Rt. Hon. Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru.
"Rt. Hon. Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru, the peoples’ choice, will always remain focused on discharging his mandate as the Honourable Speaker of Ebonyi State House of Assembly and a fervent servant of his people.
"He, therefore, urges the loving people of Ebonyi State to disregard Senator Ucha’s disgraceful comments and remain peaceful in all their adventures."
