February 19, (THEWILL) – Political stakeholders in Ohaukwu Local Government Area of Ebonyi State have unanimously welcomed a former lawmaker of the State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Barrister Frank Nwaka Onwe, to the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) in the state.
Hon. Onwe, who was received after defecting from the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) at Ezzangbo, defected with over 2000 of his supporters from his Effium ward 1.
Receiving Onwe and his supporters on behalf of the party, the Ohaukwu Chairman of the All Progressive Congress (APC), Engineer Charles Okey, who described Onwe as a household name in Ebonyi politics, said it is a thing of joy that he is coming to identify with Governor Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru.
“Hon. Frank Onwe is a household name in Ohaukwu politics. As the All Progressive Congress (APC) Chairman in Ohaukwu, I have asked my leaders why Frank Onwe is not with us. What is happening? But you know, in life, it is only a foolish man who does not change his mind. And the present government of Ogbonna Nwifuru is a government of come and see.
“It is the government you can see and touch and that is why you see everywhere in the state, all opposition are collapsing. Here in Effium Ward I, we are proud of Frank Onwe, a two-term member of the Ebonyi State House of Assembly. It is a thing of joy and I have said in different fora that one person cannot not do politics. It is a collective effort,” he stated.
Lending his voice, the Executive Chairman of Ohaukwu Local Government Area, Hon. Prince Ikechukwu Odono, observed that Governor Francis’ mantra of the Charter of People’s Needs has collapsed opposition parties into the APC.
Odono further extolled Barr. Frank Onwe for such a bold step and encouraged him to contribute his quota towards the growth and further acceptability of the APC, noting that his decision was timely.
Similarly, the Deputy Speaker of the Ebonyi State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Chinedu Onah, expressed his delight over Frank Onwe’s defection to the ruling APC.
His words: “I am delighted to be here today and I am grateful to God today for bringing back a big fish to the All Progressive Congress (APC). The truth is that everything that happens under the sun is planned by God. Of course, Frank would not have been in the opposition because the man who is the Governor today is his best friend.
“So, when they were talking, we were not there and whatever they agreed on we do not know. We are back together today to continue from where we stopped. I want to congratulate my brother, my senior colleague. We are happy and willing to work with you.”
In his speech, Rt. Hon. Barrister Frank Nwaka Onwe said henceforth he should be addressed as a bonafide member of the APC.
“What we are doing today is a thing of joy. The issue is why are we coming this late. The experience of a man in life is backwards and forward. You go back at a time and decide to also move forward. The government of the day is our government. The Governor is our Governor. We have finished from PDP. When Ogbu was talking, he said you must be inside the government to support the government.
“The achievement of Ogbonna Nwifuru and his administration is good for us. The young man has shocked the Ebonyi people. Before now, we did not know he was a born leader. His manner of doing things is surprising. Today, he can do better than anybody. That is why I want to come close to him so that the dividend of democracy can get to our people. Anywhere you go, tell them that Frank Onwe is a member of the APC,” he declared.
Welcoming Frank, the Ebonyi State Commissioner in charge of the Ministry of Capital City Development, Hon. Sunday Inyima, said, “Today is good. I am happy to be here. This is the proper place for you to be. You have been a friend of Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru. You have been in the House of Assembly severally. You are coming at the right time. We need people like you for the game in 2027. Your return is a boost, especially in the Effium axis.”
Prince Uche-Achi Okpaga, the Chairman of Coordinators’ Forum and Ngbo North Coordinator in Ohaukwu Local Government Area, said the defection of Onwe has made the job of politics easier in Ohaukwu.
“Hon Frank Onwe, you are welcome. You have come to make our work easier. We the coordinators are happy with you. The Governor has been so generous to us and even to the civil servants and to the Ebonyi people. So, we are happy with him and will continue to support him.”
Dr. Agena James, who is an APC chieftain from Wigbeke Ward 1, said with the return of Onwe alongside over 2000 of his supporters, there would be a repeat of winning elections with awards.
“With all the new entrants, we are going to have a repeat of winning an award. So, we are welcoming them and we believe they are going to have a repeat of that award. We are calling on the government to make Effium easier to work for the party by extending more dividends of democracy. We are very happy and want to welcome Barrister Frank Onwe and his 2,000 supporters who followed him to join APC. More of his supporters are still coming,” he said.
Also, the immediate past coordinator, Effium Development Centre, Hon. Agbo Sunday from Wigbeke Ward 3, commended the wise decision taken by Onwe and admonished him to promote unity in Effium.
The Chairman of Effium Ward 1, Ejah Thompson, and the APC Local Government Youth Leader, Hon Agena Benjamin, described Onwe as a political iroko.
“Hon. Frank Onwe, we are welcoming you to our party as our leader because in Effium politics, what we call him is the iroko of politics. Without him in Effium politics, you are making noise. But today, he is here in our midst. He is a big fish,” they stated.
About the Author
Sunday Ogbu is a professional journalist with eight - twelve years experience that had worked with various print and online media. Sunday specializes in news reporting with the aim of educating his readers on current social, political and economic occurences within his area of coverage. Sunday is a strong force to work with in the media industry and uses his positive attitude and tireless energy to encourage others to work hard and succeed. Sunday is inspired daily by his wife and their four children. In his free time, Sunday likes sight-seeing, reading and discussing issues of societal interest.
