By Nwabueze Okonkwo

ONITSHA – Chief Ebuka Onunkwo, a senatorial aspirant for Anambra South Senatorial Zone under the platform of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), has described the losses incurred by the constituency since the death of Senator Ifeanyi Ubah as “monumental and unquantifiable.”

Speaking to journalists at the Prof. Kenneth Dike e-Library Center in Awka during the 5th-year remembrance of the late literary icon and traditional ruler of Ndikelionwu community, Eze Prof. Chukwudumeka Ike, Onunkwo expressed concern over the prolonged delay in conducting a by-election to replace the late senator.

He criticized the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for what he described as its inaction many months after Senator Ubah’s death and the formal declaration of his seat as vacant in the Senate. According to him, INEC has neither conducted a by-election nor made visible efforts to initiate the process.

Onunkwo, who is also the Chairman/CEO of Seahorse Lubricants Industries, lamented that the delay has resulted in a significant lack of constituency projects and representation for the people of Anambra South.

He expressed hope that reports suggesting a by-election might be conducted by July this year would prove to be true. Otherwise, he warned, the constituency would continue to suffer, which he said contradicts the principles of democracy.

Declaring his readiness to contest and win the by-election, Onunkwo emphasized his longstanding commitment to community development. He highlighted the work of his Ebuka Onunkwo Foundation, which has provided scholarships and skills acquisition programs even before he considered entering politics. He pledged to expand these initiatives if elected to the Senate.

During the remembrance event organized by the Nigerian Book Foundation in collaboration with the Anambra State Ministry of Education, the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA), and the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Anambra State Council, Onunkwo donated N2 million to support the cause.

He praised the late Prof. Ike as a role model and urged school children and youths to strive towards becoming literary icons like the revered monarch.