Ex-Lawmaker Defends Ugochinyere Over Zoning Arrangement Ideato Federal Constituency
- Former House of Reps member Hon. Rufus Omeire rejected claims of a zoning arrangement in Ideato Federal Constituency, calling the agitation a targeted ploy against incumbent Rep. Ikenga Ugochinyere
- Omeire credited Ugochinyere with securing N26 billion from President Tinubu for the Ideato Bridge project before the state government intervened
- The former lawmaker challenged opponents of the incumbent rep, describing them as 'roadside clowns' making a desperate bid for relevance
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A former member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Rufus Omeire, has pushed back against claims that a zoning arrangement governs representation in Ideato Federal Constituency, saying the agitation is nothing more than a calculated campaign against sitting lawmaker Rep. Ikenga Ugochinyere, who chairs the House Committee on Downstream Petroleum.
Omeire made his position clear in a press statement sighted by Legit.ng issued in Abuja on Wednesday, September 3, saying Ugochinyere's election was driven by the collective will of the people, not any rotational formula.
Source: Twitter
"We don't have zoning, and he can't be a product of what does not exist. His closest challenger, who was the incumbent, was from Ideato South, went even up to the court, and Ikenga defeated him," Omeire said.
No basis for zoning claims
To back his argument, Omeire, who is himself an indigene of Ideato South and the senatorial candidate of the Action Peoples Party (APP), noted that he once sought a second term as a representative without any zoning restriction being applied.
He also pointed out that two successive lawmakers before Ugochinyere, Hon. Austin Chukwukere and Hon. Mbadigwe, both came from Ideato North without triggering any zoning debate.
He described Ugochinyere as "the people's messenger, a product of our people's decision to elect a messenger they have confidence in, even while he was in exile," adding that swapping him for an untested newcomer would set the constituency back.
"We can never achieve any meaningful development from the federal like this. We have finally gotten it right with Ikenga so he should continue the wonderful work he is doing," Omeire said.
N26 billion bridge approval cited as proof of delivery
Omeire credited Ugochinyere with personally convincing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to approve N26 billion for the Ideato Bridge before the Imo state government wrote to the Federal Ministry of Works requesting to take over the project.
He challenged the state government to name a single project it had initiated independently in the federal constituency, saying meaningful progress would only be measured when the Amanator Isiekenesi Dikenafai Road is completed.
Turning his attention to those leading the campaign against Ugochinyere, Omeire was blunt, calling them "roadside clowns" waging a "kindergarten attack against a passionate messenger that his people love."
He urged them to abandon what he described as a "childish and ridiculous attempt to get attention," saying the move amounted to a desperate bid to extend influence that had already run its course.
Ugochinyere accused of politicising refinery probe
Previously, Legit.ng reported that the Tinubu Media Ambassadors (TMA) accused Ikenga Ugochinyere, Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Downstream Petroleum, of turning Nigeria's refinery rehabilitation programme into a political instrument ahead of the 2027 general elections.
TMA President Mustapha Mohammed made the accusation in a statement on Sunday, August 30, responding to Ugochinyere's public criticism of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) over its handling of the ongoing refinery revival efforts.
Source: Legit.ng
