Jacob Ogodo, Abakaliki
Contrary to insinuations that the Senator representing Ebonyi Central Senatorial zone, Chief Obinna Ogba, said he had no plans to leave the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and that he has donated his campaign office to Atiku/Okowa presidential campaign council.
Ogba said he had never defected to another party after he joined the PDP at its formation stage in 1998 at Sheraton Hotel and had no plan to leave the party now.
Ogba had contested the governorship ticket of the PDP but lost to Dr Ifeanyi Chukwuma Odii following the Supreme Court ruling on October,21, 2022, which recognised the latter as the duly elected Governorship candidate of the party.
He made this known while interacting with newsmen in his campaign office in Abakaliki.
According to him, “the outcome of the judgement may not be what we wanted or what we worked hard for and I am sorry that we didn’t win this legal tussle for the Values we share and vision we had for Ebonyi State and Ebonyians”.
Ogba, however, said he felt fulfilled and grateful to God Almighty for the rare opportunity offered to him. He also thanked God that no life was lost throughout the political tussle.
“I will always be grateful to God almighty that though the just concluded political differences laced with legal tussle took our time but not our lives. It dragged our patience and at times hung our emotions to the level of tension but it never led to flexing of muscles in a show of brutality not to talk of the death of a single soul,” he said.
Speaking on his political stand ahead of 2023 general elections, he said: “I was first a human being before venturing into politics and I am a believer in politics of greater good for a greater number of our people and that is what the focus in the days ahead will be. Ebonyi people deserve peace, welfare, and happiness.
“In every contest the human plan is always to win but nature always has a way of letting us win some and lose some most times for a better alternative.”
Ogba also disclosed that he had forgiven “those who in any way or manner willingly betrayed our just cause. According to him, lessons have been learnt, more knowledge acquired and who knows what God has driven away from us intentionally to our own disbelief, and the things he has in abundance for us ahead of us.
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Ogba further said: “I remain eternally indebted for the support willingly offered to me by my supporters, I thank the party executives from national, zonal, state, local government areas and ward executives who believed in our vision and brand.
“I thank various Christian heads for holding the fort and ensuring that while the struggle lasted, we were strong in Faith. I won’t take the platform given to me by the Peoples Democratic Party thus far for granted.
“In all, I passionately hold the Nigerian Judiciary to a high esteem. I agree with the words of My Lord Justice Oputa, “We are final, not because we are infallible, we are infallible because we are final.
“From the depths of my heart, the strides and efforts of my supporters will remain the best and well preserved in my political memory and history. Thank you for your patience, prayers, good intentions and well thought plans.”
