Alleged Assassination Attempt: Senator Nwaogu Lied -Abia Council Boss

The Transition Committee Chairman of Isiala Ngwa North council area of Abia
state, Chief Ginger Onwusibe has dismissed reports by the senator
representing Abia Central zone at the National Assembly, Senator Nkechi
Nwaogu linking him to an alleged assassination attempt on her.

In a telephone chat with our correspondent, the council boss who described
Senator Nwaogu as a someone who is in the habit of telling lies to curry
sympathy said he and other vehicles in his convoy escaped gunshots fired by
policemen in the Senator’s convoy by the grace of God.

Narrating the incident which he said took place at Umuoha community along
the Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway, Onwusibe alleged that his convoy,
which included the member representing Isiala Ngwa North in the House of
Assembly, Hon. Martin Azubuike and other chieftains of the party of the
council, was attacked by the Senator’s convoy on their way back from a ward
tour.

“We have been on a tour of the 10 wards in the council, which was the
eighth in the series. At the end of the tour, one of the party chieftains
invited us for a reception. On our way to his house, we joined the
Expressway from the lane of motorists coming from Umuahia to get to the
other lane. No sooner had most of the over 30 cars in the vehicles joined
the road median than we heard a loud blaring of siren with a long convoy.

“I saw Senator Nkechi Nwaogu and heard her shouting, that is the stupid
Ginger boy, get him, get him. Policemen and an SSS operative in his convoy
started firing. Other policemen came down and started beating my
supporters. When they identified my official car with the registration
number, LG 01 KPU, two of the MOPOL men in the senator’s convoy started
dragging the door to my car, but I resisted them. All through the incident,
Senator Nwaogu was still shouting deal with him, deal with him. Even the
appeals by an aide to the Hon. Chinenye Ike member representing the Isiala
Ngwa North /Isiala Ngwa South federal constituency, who was in the convoy
that they should recognize him and the member representing Isiala Ngwa
North in the House of Assembly, Hon. Martin Azubuike, fell on deaf ears as
they only stopped shooting when the Senator who was still in her vehicle
called them back,” Onwusibe said.

He attributed the attack on him by the senator to his bold support for the
party’s decision of zoning the 2015 governorship position to Abia South
zone which excludes the latter who is serving her second term representing
Abia Central district at the senate.

“I attribute this attack on my convoy to my support for the party’s
decision zoning the governorship position to Abia South. This is my only
crime against Senator Nkechi Nwaogu. Instead of abiding with the decision,
she has continued to attack the state Governor, Chief Theodore Orji and the
PDP in the state over the zoning policy.”

But in a swift reaction, Senator Nwaogu had while addressing a press
conference in her Okpu Umuobo residence in Osisioma Ngwa council, described
the incident as an assassination attempt on her by the council boss.

She alleged that Onwusibe’s convoy waylaid her’s as she was returning to
Aba after paying homage to Eze Bernard Enweremadu in Isiala Ngwa North
council area whose community held their annual new yam festival on Friday
last week.

Nwaogu who said she was shocked that a serving Transitional Committee
Chairman who he described as her brother could attack her and her campaign
team.

She linked the incident to attempts to stop her from contesting for
governor and threatened that nobody; no matter how highly paced can stop
her from emerging governor of the state in 2015.

“It have sent a text message to Gov. Theodore Orji and also reported to the
Director, SSS of this country, reported also to the police although I have
not been able to reach the State Commissioner of Police, Adamu Ibrahim
because at that time and till now, his line has not been going through. But
if and when I get the commissioner of police, I would talk to him.”

Senator Nwaogu alleged that Onwusibe started attacking her since she
stopped allowing him to continue extorting money from her. In reaction,
Onwusibe said,” If Senator Nwaogu can provide evidence that I have been
extorting money from her, I vow to resign from my position as the TC
chairman.”

Dismissing Senator Nwaogu’s allegation as an afterthought, Member
representing Isiala Ngwa North state constituency in the Abia House of
Assembly, Hon. Martin Azubuike who was part of the council boss’ convoy,
told our correspondent that the senator had late on Saturday after the
incident, put a call across to a chieftain of the party in the constituency
and told him that she dealt with Ginger Onwusibe on the Expressway and
threatened that she will teach the council boss a lesson he will never
forget.

“There is no doubt that Senator Nkechi Nwaogu is telling lies on the
incident. Nobody in that convoy which I was part of fired a shot. It was
her MOPOL men and somebody who looked like an SSS personnel who continued
firing and even attempted to force out Ginger Onwusibe and his wife from
his car. They even beat up and tore the T-shirt of our supporters. Some of
our convoy even ran away when the shooting became too much,” Azubuike said.

Pointblanknews.com gathered that Nwaogu and Onwusibe’s relationship
appeared to have worsened since the senator was alleged to have threatened
during a visit to her late last year by Onwusibe and members of the
Committee that oversaw a reception organized in honour of the Gov. Orji on
November 29, 2013, at the Ngwa High School field, Aba, by the people of
Umunneato comprising the three Ngwa council areas; Osisioma Ngwa, Isiala
Ngwa North and Isiala Ngwa South in Abia Central zone, that Gov. Orji can
only be a senator in 2015 if he agrees to swap position with her.

The senator accused Onwusibe of lying against her over the incident which
the governor was said to have later summoned Nwaogu and members of the
committee who were present during the visit to the senator over the
allegation. Sources told Pointblanknews.com that the senator cried before
the governor that she could not have made such statement but the governor
later confirmed the allegation that the senator made the threat.

A ranking member of the PDP from Isiala Ngwa North council area who
declined to have his name on print hinted that since the incident, the
relationship between Gov. Orji and the senator appears to have worsened
with the latter blaming the council boss for the situation.

According to him,” Instead of abiding with the party’s decision, Senator
Nkechi Nwaogu and her group including Hon. Tony Enwereuzor has been
fighting and abusing everybody since the party zoned the governorship
position to Abia South. This is why she attacked Ginger Onwusibe who also
comes from the same Abia Central zone with her. Even during the Abia at 23
celebration at Umuahia last week, you could see that she was still boiling
with anger. I heard she is negotiating with APC in the state to contest the
governorship election. We are watching.”