In logic, many people, usually indolent ones bereft of cerebral fecundity, resort to what is called augumentum ad homenin ( attacking the person instead of the argument) when they have nothing concrete or tangible to offer. Those who also find themselves in a desperate position, being powerless to reverse an impending doom, resort to sheer blackmail, lies, and baseless allegations to save face.
Somehow, the member representing Ikwuano/ Umuahia federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Obi Aguocha, has found himself in both unfortunate situations. Anyone who was unfortunate to read the trash he vomited against Rt Hon Chinedum Orji, a former Abia State Speaker and APC candidate for the Ikwuano/ Umuahia federal Constituency will have pity for the man whose barren productivity in the last three years is a source of deep embarrament to all his constituents. Although the Igbo has an adage that a madman’s shame is borne by his relations, it has gotten to a stage where we should unmask this failure of a political lilliput.
Although nobody expected Aguocha to perform miracles in the House of Representatives on account of his unsavoury antecedents and limited education, it is quite nauseating that he has carried his gross incompetence to the public domain by attacking his political nemesis, Chinedum Orji, not with tangible arguments and facts but with market women tar brush.
The man who was elected into the House by default, riding on the Peter Obi wave, is now afraid that he would be trounced by Chinedum Orji in the 2027 elections. Because he has absolutely nothing to show for his three year sojourn in Abuja, except his bank account, and knowing that the day of reckoning is near,Obi Aguocha is now clutching on any straw by attempting to demarket his opponent.
It is funny that the only two negative campaign materials Aguocha has against Ikuku Abia is that the former speaker was arraigned by EFCC on fraud charges and that Chinedum Orji is a daddy’s boy. If Aguocha knew a modicum of what the law is, he would have known that until a court of competent jurisdiction convicts someone, that person is innocent in the eye of the law.That being said, that accusation is dead on arrival. On the issue of Ikuku being a daddy’s boy, one wonders if he expected the former speaker to disown his illustrious father so as to appear as a superman.
I am sure that if Aguocha had found himself in such a privileged position, he would not have lifted a finger to help the people through public office or even bother to spend his resources and time to embark upon programmes aimed at alleviating the suffering of the citizens and enhance their welfare.
Ironically, Aguocha, who has completely squandered the goodwill of his father, should hide his face in shame. A son of a former commissioner in Old Imo State, Obi Aguocha, at his age, is still living in his father’s house. The only notable achievement he recorded was to be elected the president general of Ohuhu Union. The chaotic circumstances surrounding his exit from that position accompanied by a series of financial allegations against him have simply defined his person.
It is also on record that Obi Aguocha hurriedly left his base in America with alleged FBI investigations. Since then, he has not been able to return. Almost everyone knows that he is a fugitive in America. In fact, if there is anyone who has a questionable record, Aguocha is. In Igbo parlance, he could be described as a lamb sired by a lion.
Conversely, Chinedum Orji has refused to be identified as a failure. As a privileged man, he has continued to make his contributions to the development of Abia State and Nigeria. He has won elections twice into the House of Assembly and served as the Speaker for four years. His unblemished record of public service bespeak of a man who understood his calling and embraced it irrespective of his elevated background. He could be called Onochie because he has ably continued to uphold the legacies of his father, who served as the Governor of Abia State and Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria for two terms each
By comparison, Aguocha is no match to Chinedum Orji in terms of record of service, academic conquests, family life, and vision for Ikwuano/ Umuahia federal Constituency Whereas Ikuku Abia has several projects to show during his years in service,Aguocha has none. The choice, therefore, is simple for the people of the Constituency. In a free and fair contest, they will go for the man who has consistently placed the People’s interest in the front burner against the man who has been in Abuja wasting his years but refusing to accept his imminent defeat.
