By Vincent Ujumadu & Chimaobi Nwaiwu

AWKA — THE All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, the dominant political party in Anambra State, has not produced a senator since the party came into being, but the former national chairman of the party, Chief Victor Umeh has broken that jinx. On January 13, 2018, Umeh was elected the senator for Anambra Central Senatorial district, a feat he achieved after a protracted legal and political battle that spanned over two-and-a-half years.

*Senator Victor Umeh flanked by some of Governor Willie Obiano’s aides who were in Aguluzigbo to felicitate with him over his election as senator.

South-East Voice (SEV) recalls that Umeh contested the senate seat in 2015 and surprisingly, the candidate of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, Mrs. Uche Ekwunife, was declared winner by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, necessitating his challenge of the declaration at the election petition tribunal.

Not satisfied with the decision of the election tribunal which gave it to Ekwunife, Umeh went to the Court of Appeal, Enugu, which sacked Ekwunife and declared that she ought not to have been declared winner on the ground that her party, PDP, never conducted any valid primary as required by law. The Appeal Court ordered for a rerun of the election for all the candidates that participated in the 2015 poll and barred PDP from taking part because it had no eligible candidate.

Since that decision by the Court of Appeal, it had been from one litigation to the other, with some of them getting up to the Supreme Court. Among the cases were the one instituted by the PDP to be included in the rerun and the one by the All Progressives Congress, APC, asking to be allowed to substitute its candidate in the 2015 election, Dr. Chris Ngige, who had since become a Minister of the Federal Republic.

While all these lasted, INEC waited patiently until the coast was clear for it to conduct the rerun election after the Court of Appeal ordered it to conduct the rerun within 90 days. Just as INEC was assembling materials for the election, Chief Obiorah Okonkwo, who declared interest in the race in 2015, obtained judgment from the Federal High Court, Abuja, declaring him the senator-elect for Anambra Central.

Though many political watchers thought that meant the end of Umeh’s senatorial ambition, Umeh himself dismissed the court declaration, saying Okonkwo did not understand that he had been deceived and went ahead campaigning for the election. Although 13 other candidates were expected to participate in the rerun, it was obvious that only APGA had the wherewithal to go for the rerun.

When the votes were eventually counted, Umeh polled over 95% of the total votes cast in the seven local government areas that make up Anambra Central. The local government areas are Anaocha, Dunukofia, Njikoka, Idemili North, Idemili South, Awka North and Awka South.

There was jubilation in the seven local government areas immediately Umeh was declared winner with the people thanking God that at last, Anambra Central would have a voice in the country’s upper legislature.

Aguluzigbo,    Umeh’s community, became a mecca of sorts as people from all parts of the country thronged the area to rejoice with the brand new senator. People came from Anambra, Imo, Abia, Enugu, Ebonyi and other states to identify with the political bulldozer.

Senator Umeh’s victory, according to some of the people who thronged his expansive compound, was a sweet one because he is not only going to represent his Anambra Central Senatorial District and Anambra State alone, but is being looked upon by the entire South-East geopolitical zone to speak for them like he did during his short stay in the last National Conference.

Indeed, the people’s expectations of Chief Umeh are high, but those who have followed his political history and his performance during the National Conference organised during the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan, even when his invitation came late, are optimistic that he would not disappoint in the senate.

His swearing-in as a senator less than two years of the winding up of the 8th  Senate, is expected to bring out the best in him.

A former President-General of New Tyre Market Onitsha, Chief Sunday Ezenwobi said the people of the South-East and Anambra State are happy because the Senator they want, who will not only speak for Anambra Central, Anambra State and South-East, but Nigeria in general, has emerged.

“This is a Senator who will fearlessly tell Nigerians the truth and ensure that due process is followed in everything; a senator who will stand for the truth and fairness for all Nigerians, irrespective of tribe, culture, religion or political affiliation,”      Ezenwobi said.

Speaking with SEV, Senator Umeh said one year and six months left in his tenure was enough time for him to do everything humanly possible to recover what was lost by Anambra Central Senatorial District, South-East and Nigeria in general while the seat was vacant.

He promised effective representation for the people of the district and assured Nigerians that his contributions in the National Assembly would help in the general development of the country.

He said: “I thank my people for remaining law-abiding in the face of the confusion created by unlawful people who think very little of our plight, I promise to deal with any obstacle in defense and representation of the people and Nigeria in general.

“It was unfortunate that the locust ate two years and six months of my tenure, but I want to assure you that the little time (a year and six months) left, is enough to do everything to recover what the locusts had eaten. I will surely make a difference in a manner that you will know that somebody who cares for you has gone to the Senate. This is a long walk to Senate, it is like Nelson Mandela of South Africa’s long walk to freedom, everything possible was done to stop me but God cleared all of them. So I will not look back.

“I am going to the Senate more importantly to help in legislation and to make Nigeria a strong and more functional country, a country where equity and fairness will prevail, where all the citizens of Nigeria will have equal rights, irrespective of where you come from, it is only when we attain that ideal situation that Nigerians will have faith in our country.

“If we continue to discriminate against people in terms of government’s policies, people will lose faith in the country, so the only thing that can unite Nigeria is a progressive action that will ensure evenhandedness, where everybody will have a full sense of belonging.

“Federal character is enshrined in our constitution and it guarantees accommodation of all parts of Nigeria, be it in employment, recruitment, developmental projects, we will make sure that the first tier of government will not tilt these activities in a manner that some people will be left out.

“I come from a zone that has justifiably complained of marginalisation in Nigeria’s national affairs, I believe some of those things will not be swept under the carpet anymore, anything I see that is not properly done to accommodate my people and Nigerians in general, I will say it out in a manner that those concerned will hear and listen, and I will put pressure that my people and Nigerians in general will be carried along.

“The good thing is that at last, I have got the opportunity to do that which I want to do for my people. So I am not looking back; I want to make the best use of this opportunity which I have got.

“The only thing I ask for is that our people should learn how to follow due process and be obedient to the constitution of the country, and to be obedient to the democratic norms. The electoral law is there to follow. Impunity and rascality are not good in any system and people should always play by the rules and the people should be allowed to decide what they want. What we have seen in Anambra is people imposing themselves on the people and that is what I came out to challenge.    “The recklessness and impunity of PDP in Anambra State met a stiff resistance in this election, they thought it was a joke, they came one by one and failed one after the other, I know they have learnt their lessons.

As we approach 2019, they will know that there is no alternative than for them to follow what the law says and that will be good for all of us.”

Having been sworn in by the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, all eyes are on Senator Victor Umeh and those who know him well believe that he will not fail.