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Princess Stella Oduah |
By
Patrick Nnaemeka
Former Minister of Aviation, philanthropist and
business mogul, Princess Stella Oduah has won the People Democratic Party (PDP)
primary for Anambra North Senatorial zone, polling the highest number of votes
above other contenders that include Senator Margery Okadigbo, the outgoing
Senator representing the zone presently in the National Assembly.
Oduah polled
259 votes out of the 297 accredited delegates cleared for the election held at
New Era Secondary School, Nteje , Oyi Local Government Area.
Other contestants
in the race ,Senator Margery Okadigbo polled 8 votes, former Minister of State for
Water Transport, John Emeka got 15 votes
and Chief Samuel Ikefuna polled 10 votes
while 5 votes were declared invalid.
Analysts believe Oduah
won the primary because the people of the zone believed that with her
antecedents as a successful business woman, a former Minister who has played at
the national level that she would use her political and business connections to
attract development to the zone.
If elected in the main election next
year, it will be the first time the zone will have a strong representative
after the Late Chuba Okadigbo.
In fact, the Late Okadigbo’s son,
Pharaoh Chuba Okadigbo in reacting to Oduah’s victory said, “In Akili Ozizor,
Ogbaru Local Government Area, Anambra North, you will see the signs of a
philanthropist. From skills acquisition centers, community halls, schools,
emerges an industrial estate which currently employs over 300 people, including
widows, youths and the less privileged persons in the community.
“From humble but royal beginning,
Princess Oduah rose to become the nation’s Minister of Aviation. Akanu Ibiam
International Airport, Enugu and 21 others spread across the nation bear the
footprints of this Amazon in the aviation sector.
“It's no wonder that the people of Anambra
North Senatorial District are finding it very easy to decide on who should
represent their interests at the Senate in 2015. It's a two horse race between
the incumbent and Princess Stella Oduah but the race has almost been determined
and defined by the people who see Stella Oduah as a messiah.”
Before the primary election,
discernible minds and ordinary people from the zone have rooted for her,
knowing that if elected she would attract a lot of development projects to the
zone, she would be able to spearhead and sponsor bills that will have positive
effect on the people if passed into law.
The people of Anambra North are not
oblivious of the enviable strides of Oduah as the Minister of Aviation, when
she kicked off the total transformation of airport infrastructure in a very
unprecedented way and changed the landscape of the nation’s airports after 30
years of neglect.
Oduah would go down in history as a
courageous and visionary achiever who met the age-old expectation of the Igbo
people; that they should have an international airport in their zone; thus her
love for her people cannot be overemphasized.
It is with the same positive mind-set
and the determination to improve the lives of her people that she would carry
to the Senate if elected and all those projects denied the people in the past
because of the failure of their past representatives to secure such projects
would be realized.
Before the primaries,
former gubernatorial aspirant in Anambra state, Dr Alex Obiogbolu had said the reason why many people from Anambra North
Senatorial zone are clamoring for Princess Oduah as their choice candidate for
the Senate was because she would give them effective representation.
Obiogbolu said the people have
been disappointed by their past leaders elected into the Senate, some of whom
could not even propose any bill for the four years they claimed to have served
the people.
This time, according
to him, the people want a strong and intelligent politician with professional
background that could effectively represent them by attracting projects and
other social amenities to the zone.
He said Oduah fits
the personality they want who could strongly speak for them and who knows what
the people of the zone want, adding that with the experience gathered as a
successful business woman and her historical stint as Minister of Aviation,
Oduah is the right person for the job.
“Many people, of
course, it won’t be everybody, but majority of the people in the Anambra North
Senatorial zone want Princess Oduah to win the primaries and represent the
people of the zone. They know and they are convinced that among those who have
indicated interest in the seat, no one can represent the people better than
Oduah.
“We do not wish to yield to sentiments;
what we want is the person that will attract development; somebody that can
facilitate the provision of social amenities to our zone. With her precedence
as a successful business woman and a former Minister who brought so much change
in the aviation industry, I am sure Oduah can do better than others. That is
why the people are clamoring for her,” Dr. Obiogbolu said.
Now that Oduah has won the primary for
the seat, the people of Anambra North will realize their dreams if they turn up
en masse to vote for her in the general election.
A former
Member House of Representatives ,Hon. Jessie Balonwu and former Chairman,
Onitsha South Local Government, Chief Basil Ejidike lauded the PDP delegates
for their maturity and for voting their conscience without any form of coercion
which manifested in the outcome of the election.
The Member
Representing Oyi/ Ayamelum Federal Constituency in the National Assembly, Hon.
Chizor Obidigwe said the outcome of the election has shown that the people’s wish
has prevailed. He advised other contestants to support the winner because
according to him, it’s not a do or die affair.
Also, Hon.
Idu Emeka , lawmaker representing Onitsha North 2 in the House of Assembly
expressed happiness on the emergence of Princess Oduah as the PDP’s choice for
Anambra North, he said it is now time
for the people to work together for the greater manifestation of positive things for the zone.
Meanwhile,
wild jubilation have started in different communities across the 7 local governments in
the zone as news filtered that Oduah has clinched the party ticket.
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