Dr Stephen Ukpai, the house of representatives candidate of Young Progressive Party(YPP) for Arochukwu/Ohafia federal constituency seat during the concluded 2023 elections, has set agenda to the newly inaugurated member, representing the federal constituency at the green chamber of national assembly, Hon Ibe Okwara Osonwa he formally assumed office today.
Ukapi also applauded Ibe Okwara on his inuaguration as the member of the house of representatives representing people of the Arochukwu and Ohafia local government areas which that formed the present federal constituency in Abia State.
Recall that Osonwa who was the house of representatives candidate of the Labour Party (LP) was declared the winner of the just-concluded 2023 national assembly elections, after defeating the Peoples Democratic Party and the former Deputy Speaker of the Abia State House of Assembly, Hon Ifeanyi Uchenna; the Young Progressive Party (YPP), Dr Stephen Ukpai Ohafia; and the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Chimezie Okeke.
Earlier, Stephen Ukpai, who is also an Abia party stalwart, while baring his minds on Tuesday, regarding the current situations facing the constituency, tasked Okwara Osonwa on facilitation of employment opportunities for people of Arochukwu and Ohafia local government areas, across various federal ministries, boards, agencies and parastastals.
“The new lawmaker should engage our youths, build a future for our youths, men and women in the area. The lawmaker should carry along stakeholders, devoid of party sentiments, bearing in mind that if you fail, the Ohafia community has failed”, he stated.
Ukpai further used the medium to implore other candidates from ohafia extraction, especially, the PDP candidate and the current deputy speaker of the State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon Ifeanyi Uchenna, to accept the recent outcome of the house of representatives election conducted in Arochukwu/Ohafia federal constituency in good faith and throw his full weights behind Hon Ibe Okwara Osonwa to enable him succeed in this national assignment for overall good of the people and development of the Abia area.
Words: “I implore other candidates from Ohafia, especially my own brother Rt. Hon Ifeanyi Uchendu, the ex-deputy speaker of Abia State house of Assembly, to see it as a sacrifice we made to produce a Deputy Governor, and also federal house of representatives member from Ohafia Clan, remembering we all made such similar sacrifices that produced him (Rt. Hon Ifeanyi Uchendu) as the first Rt. honorable lawmaker from ohafia clan.
“I now urge all to come together, jettison any legal actions against our brother and our current house of representatives member, Hon Ibe Okwara Osonwa. It is an ohafia mandate for the betterment of Arochukwu/Ohafia federal constituency,” the he added.
Continuing, Ukpai called on major political stakeholders and candidates of other political parties who participated at the recently-concluded February 25th, 2023 house of representatives seat election, from Arochukwu local government area to also jettison all legal cases and respect the existing zonal formula binding the two local government areas that formed the current federal constituency.
His words: “Petitions at the election tribunal against Hon Ibe Okwara from our Arochukwu brothers turns into distraction, and that will mean, our Arochukwu brothers have abandoned the earlier zoning agreements, and we are ready for the politics.