By Leonard Okachie
A group of the All Progressives Congress (APC) women in Abia, on Thursday, organised a peaceful protest to counter the Abuja version challenging the appointment of Mrs Nkeiruka Onyejeocha as Minister.
Onyejeocha, who was recently declared the rightful winner of the March 25 election for the Isuikwuato/Umunneochi Federal Constituency, was appointed the Minister of State for Labour and Productivity.
However, a group staged a protest at the APC Secretariat, Abuja recently against her appointment, alleging that she worked against President Bola Tinubu’s election.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that some women operating under the aegis of Asiwaju Super Women, a pro-group, embarked on a counter-protest in Umuahia on Thursday in defence of Onyejeocha’s appointment.
The group, which took its protest to the party’s National Welfare Secretary, Chief Donatus Nwamkpa, described those behind the Abuja protest as “faceless”.
The Spokesperson and Umuahia North Coordinator of the group, Mrs Jane Ogbanta, said that those, who staged the Abuja protest, “were not Abia women but hired by their sponsors.”
She said that they were agitated by the Abuja protest and “came to lay our complaints to Nwamkpa for onward transmission to the president and national leadership of APC”.
Ogbanta and other speakers, including Victoria Kalu and Ngozi Ogbuka, described Onyejeocha as most deserving of her ministerial appointment.
They described the former Deputy Whip of the House of Representatives, as a strong and committed party member and supporter of the president during the presidential election.
They said that she had worked hard in making APC strong in the state, adding that she made the party acceptable at the grassroots level.
They paid special tribute to Onyejeocha’s philanthropic and humanitarian activities, citing her scholarship scheme for indigent students and empowerment programmes for widows in her constituency.
The group thanked the president for her appointment and also congratulated both of them on their victories at the tribunal.
It also commended the APC national leadership for finding Nwamkpa, a former state Chairman of the party, worthy for the position of the National Welfare Secretary.
NAN reports that the group displayed placards with different inscriptions, such as “We are proud of our president”.
“Hon. Onyejeocha, we are proud of you and we say no to distractors”, “Onyejeocha, on your mandate we stand” and “We shall resist any blackmail of our revered leader, Hon. Onyejeocha”.
Responding, Nwamkpa thanked the group for presenting its complaints in a mature and peaceful manner and promised to convey its message to the president and APC national leadership.
He said that Onyejeocha had always been a committed and hardworking party member, who had contributed immensely in the growth and successes of APC in her constituency and Abia in general.
According to him, her pursuit of her petition, challenging her defeat in the tribunal, even after her ministerial appointment, showed that she respects the party supremacy.
Nwamkpa further urged Nigerians to support Tinubu’s administration, the present economic difficulties, notwithstanding.
He said that the president was aware of the sufferings in the country and working frantically to address them.
He expressed the confidence that the prevailing economic hardship would soon become a thing of the past. (NAN)
