The Chairman of Umuahia Premier Club, Ako Obioma, has fired back at the member representing Ikwuano/Umuahia North & South Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Obi Aguocha, following comments allegedly describing him as jealous and envious of the lawmaker.
Obioma, in a strongly worded response, rejected the characterization and challenged Aguocha and other stakeholders to tell the public the circumstances surrounding the lawmaker’s emergence as a candidate for the House of Representatives in the 2023 general election.
According to Obioma, Aguocha had not initially planned to contest the 2023 election, claiming that he was among those who encouraged and facilitated his entry into the race after developments within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
He further claimed that he personally worked to secure the Labour Party platform for Aguocha after what he described as disappointment within the PDP.
Obioma alleged that it took weeks of persuasion before Aguocha agreed to return to the political contest, adding that the circumstances surrounding the Labour Party ticket would be addressed in greater detail at another time.
On the issue of endorsement, the Umuahia Premier Club chairman maintained that the club has not endorsed any candidate , including Aguocha during this election.
He explained that the club had a general practice of supporting its own members and claimed that Aguocha benefited from that arrangement during the 2023 election.
Obioma also questioned what he described as the recent controversy surrounding the relationship between him and Aguocha, asking why there should be what he termed “fear” over the matter.
He went further to allege that since Aguocha became a member of the National Assembly, the lawmaker had rarely attended Premier Club meetings or paid his dues, except for a recent payment of N500,000 following an intervention by the club’s national president.
Obioma said that despite their differences, he had previously publicly stated that he had forgiven those he believed had offended him within the Labour Party and had left the matter in God’s hands.
However, he said Aguocha’s alleged description of him as jealous had compelled him to respond, insisting that he would stand by his claim of having played a significant role in the lawmaker’s political journey.
He challenged those involved in the dispute to allow members of the Ohuhu community and other stakeholders to determine who had been supportive and who had allegedly acted otherwise.
Obioma ended his response by questioning whether he should be described as jealous of Aguocha, while also accusing the lawmaker of being ungrateful.
The latest exchange follows the controversy surrounding a purported political endorsement by Umuahia Premier Club, which the club had earlier rejected, maintaining that its leadership had not endorsed any political candidate.
