A leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Hon. Elton Onwu, has criticized the South East National Vice President, Dr. Ijeomah Arodiogbu, for spreading lies and showing ignorance over the recent appointments of President Bola Tinubu to the board of directors of the South East Development Commission (SEDC).
Onwu, former South East Zonal Presenter, Election Planning and Monitoring, APC/Tinubu Presidential Campaign Council 2023, criticized Arodiogbu's claim that SEDC board leaders are not qualified.
The APC leader said: “As APC Southeast National Vice President, one would expect a certain level of decorum and precision in his public statements,” especially in his interview with a national newspaper on Sunday, December 22, 2024.
Onwu said: “Unfortunately, his claims have been grossly misleading and it is essential for me, as a stakeholder in both APC and the South East, to set the record straight so that he does not continue to mislead unsuspecting members of the public.
“Firstly, Arodigbo’s claim that those appointed to the SEDC are unqualified is nothing short of astonishing. Chief Emeka Wogu, former Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, precisely Minister of Labor and Productivity, lawyer, PhD and former representative of Abia State on the Fiscal and Revenue Mobilization Commission, is more than qualified to chair the board of SEDC.
“Likewise, Rt. Hon. Stanley Ohajuruka's impressive credentials make him an excellent candidate for the position of Chief Financial Officer. Ohajuruka, two-time former speaker of the state House of Assembly, acting governor, former member of the House of Representatives, is he not qualified? How else can Arodigbo show his gross ignorance?
“Arodigbo’s allegations that Wogu and Ohajuruka are personal assistants to Vice President Benjamin Okezie Kalu are also baseless. I challenge you to present evidence to support your claim.
“Furthermore, Arodigbo’s account of a stakeholder meeting where names were chosen, without mentioning Kalu’s name, is suspicious to say the least.
“But perhaps the most egregious mistake is Arodigbo’s claim that the late Senator Ifeanyi Uba sponsored the SEDC bill. This is a blatant falsehood as Senator Ifeanyi Uba's version of the bill never advanced beyond the first reading. The SEDC bill, sponsored by Vice President Kalu, was received by the Senate as number HB626. And that is the one that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu approved.”
Onwu said Tinubu's appointees reflected diverse representation from the five southeastern states.
According to him, the list of people is Hon. Mark C. Okoye, Managing Director (MD) (Anambra); Dr. Emeka Wogu, President (Abia); Sylvester Okonkwo, Executive Director, Corporate Affairs (Anambra); Toby Okechukwu, Executive Director of Projects (Enugu); Anthony Agbo, Chief Executive Officer, Infrastructure (Ebonyi); Dr. Clifford Ogbede, Executive Director of Agriculture (IMO); Stanley Ohajuruka, Chief Financial Officer (Abia); Barr. Ugochukwu Agballah (Enugu); Honorable. Okey Ezenwa (Anambra); Chief Hyacinth Ikpor (Ebony); Chidi Echeazu (Anambra); Barr. Ifeanyi Agwu (Imo); Nasiru Usman (Northwest); Hamman Adamu AG Kumo (Northeast); Edward David Onoja (North Central); Orure Kufre Inima (South South); Daniel Akwari (Abia) and Joke Adebayo-Chukwuma (Southwest).”
Onwu further noted that it is surprising that Arodigbo does not know that the Vice President does not possess the constitutional powers to make nominations to the board of directors of any government agency, including the SEDC.
“This responsibility falls solely on the Presidency. It is therefore absurd to suggest that Kalu could have hijacked a list compiled by the Presidency.
“It is clear that Arodigbo’s smear campaign against Vice President Kalu will not yield any positive results. Instead of spreading misinformation and maligning Kalu's character, Arodigbo should focus on supporting the young leader's legislative efforts to bring dividends of democracy to the South East.
“Indeed, the Vice President’s exceptional leadership qualities and legislative sagacity have already endeared APC to many people in the South East and APC will not lose voters in the South East. This pace of support for President Tinubu must be maintained for the good of Ala Igbo and Nigeria at large.
“All major stakeholders in the South East thank President Tinubu for fulfilling his promise to develop the South East region. “I will advise Arodigbo to focus on uniting the party instead of advocating selfish acts capable of destroying it,” he said.