By Chijioke Agwu,
Abakaliki
The Senator representing Ebonyi South senatorial zone in the Nigeria Senate, Chief Sunny Ogbuorji, has been disowned by his people of Afikpo South Local Government Area of the state over his alleged “inglorious attitude” in the last Saturday’s South East Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) zonal congress held in Okpara square Enugu.
The senator allegedly sided with the governor’s former aide, Mr. Ali Odefa, to contest the South East Zonal Vice Chairmanship position zoned to the state against the wish of the governor.
The people made their position known when they paid a solidarity visit to Governor David Umahi at Government House, Abakaliki, on Tuesday, May 17, 2016.
The people who came in their hundreds carried placards with various inscriptions such as “Sunny Ogbuorji you are a confusionist”, “Sunny Ogbuorji you have failed PDP in Ebonyi State”, “Ebonyi South Senatorial zone is recalling you, Sunny Ogbuorji” among others.
The spokesman of the group who is a Commissioner for Finance and Economic Development, Dr. Dennis Ekumankama, read a communiqué signed by major stakeholders of the area during the protest, where they “condemned in strong terms the inglorious attitude, antagonism and disloyalty exhibited by the Senator.”
They said: “We disassociate ourselves and Edda clan from the inexcusable display of undemocratic tendencies and unwarranted show of shame by the said Senator and his group.
“We congratulate His Excellency, Chief David Nweze Umahi, for his political sagacity and foresightedness that have won the state the position of National Vice Chairman South East zone of the PDP in the person of Chief Austin Umahi”.
Addressing the protesters on behalf of the governor, the Chief of Staff, Government House, Chief Emmanuel Offor Okorie, condemned the Senator’s alleged conduct during the South East PDP congress, saying, “they should call him to order.”
He commended them for their display of maturity and responsibility in making their position known and promised to convey their position to the governor.
Theniche gathered that Ogbuorji was one of the prominent politicians from the state who opposed Governor Umahi from making his younger brother, Austine Umahi, the PDP South-East zonal chairman at the congress held last Saturday.
All efforts to reach Senator Ogbuorji failed as he neither picked phone calls put across to him nor reply text massages as at the time of this report.