A governorship aspirant and Senator representing Owerri zone, Senator Samuel Anyanwu has lambasted a leader in the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Chief Josiah Odunna over the latter’s scathing remarks on him lately.
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Odunna, had faulted Anyanwu’s guber bid saying he is Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu’s stooge.
But in a statement by the Senator’s Media Chief, Mr. Kelechi Eke, he described Odunna as an expired politician who should go exile.
He said “Dr Odunna has no moral and social right to speak on who becomes the candidate of the PDP and the governor of Imo State in 2019 having earlier made a demand of 20m (Twenty million naira) from Sen. Anyanwu before he could support his guber ambition, and since his current status as a PDP member is in doubt. We want to inform Dr. Odunna and his co- travellers that Sen. Anyanwu cannot be cowed to part with his money to curry support for his guber ambition and no amount of blackmail can make him do so”
He stated that Senator Anyanwu’s ambition is divine as “he clearly heard the voice like Samuel of old, and cannot as a mortal say no when God has said yes. This ambition is a movement and is beyond Sen. Samuel Anyanwu.”
He recalled the ignoble role of the former defunct ANPP scribe played in the past as regards the governorship ambition of Hon. Bethel Amadi and Hon Ihedioha.
“We have not forgotten that this was the same inglorious manner Odunna used to intimidate Rt. Hon. Bethel Amadi, collected money from him and created an imaginary and self serving enmity between Hon. Amadi and Hon. Emeka Ihedioha. Odunna can never be trusted, and his views are always compromised. He is a good example of what a leader should not be” Mr. Eke wrote
He continued “It is unfortunate and smack of ingratitude and betrayal for Dr. Odunna to join issues with Chief Engr. Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu in his interview. Odunna admitted that Chief Iwuanyanwu is his friend but failed to tell the public how many times he has gone ahead to stab his “friend” at the back. His activities during Chief Iwuanyanwu’s presidential ambition are still fresh in our memories. Odunna has forgotten how he was rescued from Onitsha, rehabilitated and given political relevance when his hospital at Onitsha became desolate due to unprofessional conducts and spate of careless deaths that called to question his competence as a medical doctor”
He said there is no doubt that Senator Anyanwu is qualified and fit to govern Imo State.
“This is perhaps the reason his ambition has witnessed an unprecedented endorsements across the State in a record time. The overwhelming crowd at his guber declaration last Thursday is an attestation to this. It is truly intimidating and we cannot but pity his detractors who see him as a threat and have resorted to cheap blackmail using the conventional and social media”
“The goodwill Sen. Anyanwu is enjoying today and which has positioned him above his contemporaries is a product of long standing mutual relationships, good performance and abundant grace of God. The combination of these factors have placed him in a good stead to become the next governor of Imo State, and Odunna and his cohorts should start preparing to go on exile because power belongs to God and He alone decides who is qualified”
Mr. Eke gave a vivid account of the political trajectory of Senator Anyanwu.
“Let us remind Odunna and his sponsors that as the Executive Chairman of Ikeduru LGA, Sen. Anyanwu was the first chairman in history to construct and tar a four kilometer road from Afor lolo in Inyishi Ikeduru to Amaimo Ikeduru. His human capital development and staff welfare were top notch. Till today, Sen. Anyanwu remains a cult figure in the minds of Ikeduru Council staff eleven years after he left office. His then ALGON colleagues like Nyesom Wike and Barr. Babatunde Ezekwem are today governor of Rivers State and Imo State Chairman of PDP respectively, and yet one so called leader who has never won any election before even when he contested for Senate is insinuating that Sen. Anyanwu lacks the capacity to govern Imo State”
“As the member representing Ikeduru State Constituency in the State Assembly in two consecutive tenures, Sen. Anyanwu brought fame and fortune to the good people of Ikeduru. His views were not only respected in the State Assembly, he sponsored people oriented bills and motions that directly impacted on the lives of his constituents. Dr. Odunna should remember that the Imo State customary court amendment bill that provided employment opportunities to lawyers in the State and the motion that relocated the Timber market from Wethedral road to its permanent site now at Naze were all sponsored by Sen. Samdaddy Anyanwu”
“In the Senate, Sen. Anyanwu has in less than three years as an opposition first time Senator proven that he has not only the capacity to function in any chosen capacity but posseses the wherewithal to play politics at the highest level. He has impressed in his key campaign promises of quality representation, youth and women empowerment as well as attracting projects. He has sponsored over six critical bills and five motions in the period under review” Eke’s
He recalled other achievements of the senator to include statement “the South East Development Commission bill and the bill to upgrade Alvan Ikoku Federal College of Education to a University of Education among others. He has facilitated the employment of over 68 youths of Owerri Zone in Federal Ministries, Departments and Agencies. He has trained and is empowering over 300 youths of Owerri Zone in sustainable skills, the latest being the empowerment of over 100 young women in fashion designing through the provision of sewing machines and 50 thousand naira each. He has attracted the reconstruction of the Atta Amaimo Ugirike Obohia Afor Ogbe road.
We cannot also forget his intervention through the NDDC in rehabilitating the failed portions of Owerri Umuahia road at Awaka and Ezeogba Emekuku and Owerri Okigwe road at Akabo Ikeduru. The Nkwerre street in works layout and Area “H” internal roads in New Owerri are all testimonies of the capacity of Sen. Anyanwu”
“It is laughable for Dr. Odunna to claim that he was instrumental to Sen. Samdaddy Anyanwu’s emergence as the Chairman Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions when he is not and cannot be a member of the National Assembly, or has played politics outside of his Ogwa Mbaitoli locality. This goes to show that Dr. Odunna simply cannot be taken seriously. But it is also good he mentioned the committee. This is because in 2017, Sen. Anyanwu emerged as the best Senate Committee Chairman in the Senate. He has also used his committee to assuage individuals from Imo State and beyond whose rights and privileges were denied and violated” the statement stated
