Ọhụhụ Progressive Likeminds comprising sons and daughters of Ọhụhụ in the diaspora at the end of its 13th General Assembly meeting held Thursday in Houston, Texas, resolved in a communique to unanimously endorse Rt. Hon. Engr. Chinedum Enyinnaya Orji, the APC candidate for Ikwuano/Umuahia North/Umuahia South Federal Constituency seat in the House of Representatives in the 2027 General Elections
The Assembly which extensively reviewed Rt. Hon. Orji’s two-term tenure in the Abia State House of Assembly applauded him for his giant strides, his humility in service and his consistency, and prayed that the Almighty will grant him strength, wisdom and good health as he seeks a higher platform to serve, contending that with the added strength of the federal legislature, he will continue his legacy and do even more for the constituency, deepening infrastructure, empowerment, education and the welfare of the people.
They further urged all well-meaning people of Ikwuano, Umuahia North and Umuahia South, at home and abroad, to rally round him, to mobilise their families, friends and neighbours, and to vote massively for him at the polls.
Imperial Chief Chibuzo Madumere who conveyed the decision of the General Assembly to the Press stressed that the decision was neither hasty nor sentimental, but the product of sober deliberation and a careful weighing of records. “A leader is measured not by the volume of his promises but by the permanence of his footprints, and on that yardstick Ikuku Ọma has earned the trust of the people”, he said
According to the communique, members affirmed that distance has not diminished the devotion of Ọhụhụ sons and daughters in the diaspora to the homeland, and that their choice reflects the aspirations of families who depend on credible, capable and compassionate representation in the National Assembly.
The Assembly recalled that Rt. Hon. Engr. Chinedum Enyinnaya Orji served the people of Umuahia Central Constituency, where he was Majority Leader of the Abia State House of Assembly from 2015 to 2019 and its 11th Speaker from 2019 to 2023. His service was recognised beyond the chamber, as he won the Sun Public Service Award in 2020 and was lined up for a fellowship of the Nigerian Society of Engineers. His first project in his second term was the renovation of the Abia State House of Assembly.
The members then reviewed his Direct Touch Initiative, which, according to published records, brought water boreholes and reticulation projects to communities, delivered electricity transformers, and gave scholarships to indigent students who might otherwise have dropped out. Water projects listed in his scorecard include the World Bank Estate and Health Centre Road water project and the Finbarrs Road water project, alongside the Umuagom and Amaokwe Ugba projects. His record also lists over 100 indigent students of Umuahia Central awarded scholarships to university level.
The Assembly gave special attention to the mini stadiums, which are the clearest evidence of his reach across the whole constituency. In Umuahia North, they include St Stephen’s Urban School II, St William’s Memorial Secondary School in Afugiri, and Isieke Community Model High School in Isieke Ibeku. In Umuahia South, they include Umuabali Primary School in Umuopara, Ubakala Primary School in Old Umuahia, and the site opposite Santa Crux Secondary School in Olokoro. In Ikwuano, which was never part of his state constituency, they include the Ikwuano Local Government Headquarters and Ariam Usaka. Members noted that it is easy to serve those who elected you, but it is a rare and noble character that places legacy projects in all three Local Government Areas of a federal constituency he did not represent.
The Assembly further observed that these projects speak to real needs. Clean water spares mothers and children long and weary journeys, scholarships keep gifted children in school, transformers restore light to markets and homes, and sports facilities give young people a healthy and productive place to develop their talents.
The Assembly concluded by urging all voters to conduct themselves peacefully and lawfully throughout the electoral process, to protect their permanent voter cards, and to let their votes speak for progress and continuity.
