Politics
Two Years Anniversary of Senator Victor Umeh as Senator Representing Anambra Central
• A TESTAMENT TO A PEOPLE-ORIENTED REPRESENTATION AND HONEST DELIVERY OF DIVIDENDS OF DEMOCRACY
By Charles Obi
Distinguished Senator Victor Umeh, OFR , was inaugurated into the 10th Senate on June 13, 2023 following his landslide victory in the Senatorial Election in Anambra Central held on February 25, 2023.
Senator Victor Umeh, as a ranking Member of the Senate, having participated actively in the 8th Senate, immediately resumed hands-on with the job, making sure that the pulses of the people of Anambra Central Senatorial District are heard in the Senate and receive the necessary attention as well as ensuring that every of their entitlements, are procured and distributed to the people in fairness, honesty and transparency.
Despite being a Member of the Labour Party, the Senate in recognition of his rare and unique potentials in driving positive initiatives towards achieving good results, and his wealth of experience, enlisted him into 14 Standing Committees in the Senate namely:
(1) Diaspora and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) – Chairman
(2) Housing and Urban Development – Vice Chairman
(3) Air Force
(4) Establishment and Public Services
(5) Agriculture Production, Services and Rural Development
(6) Education
(7) Employment and Productivity
(8) FCT
(9) Industry
(10) Land Transport
(11) National Security and Intelligence
(12) Rules And Business
(13) Agriculture Colleges and Institution
(14) Ecology and Climate change
Note, Senator Umeh is presently the Chairman, Senate Committee on National Identity Management and National Population Commission.
He was unanimously elected Vice Chairman of Southern Senators Forum in the Forum’s Election held on March 13, 2024.
As his most popular chieftaincy title (Ohamadike ) implies: “A Warrior Known To His People” as well as the honorary title (Ọnụ N’Ekwulu Ndigbo) conferred on him by the Anambra State Council of Traditional Prime Ministers (Ndị Onowu) in Awka, in 2018, which implies, “The Mouthpiece (or Spokesman) Of The Igbo People,” Senator Victor Umeh has also continued his resilient advocacy for a national cohesion; giving equal rights and privileges to all parts of the Country with particular reference to the sentiments of marginalization agitating the minds of the people of South-Eastern Nigeria.
In pursuance of this course, the people’s Senator strategically engaged more robustly in means of attracting very impactful Programmes and Projects geared towards improving the livelihood of the people of Anambra Central Senatorial District whilst eloquently and pragmatically exploring means of further enhancing their welfare through sound legislative actions.
He has continued to loudly condemn the Disruptive Nature of “Sit-At-Home” Demonstration in the South East and called for the release of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.
He has so far Sponsored these very strategic BILLS IN THE 10TH SENATE:
* A Bill For An Act to Establish Federal College of Skills Acquisition and Technical studies Agulu Anambra State, and for other Related Matters, 2024, ( SB. 493 ) Sen. Umeh Victor Chukwunonyelu, Anambra Central. 1st Reading – 4/7/23. 2nd Reading – 27/11/24
* A Bill for An Act to Amend the Agricultural Research Council Act to provide for the Establishment of the Federal College of Agriculture Ebenebe, Anambra State and for other Related Matters, 2024, ( SB. 636 ) Sen. Umeh Victor Chukwunonyelu, Anambra Central. 1st Reading – 31/10/24
Further intervening to the yearnings of the people of Anambra Central, South East and Nigerians in general, he has so far moved the following critical MOTIONS IN THE 10TH SENATE:
* Urgent Need to Control the Erosion Ravaging Onitsha-Oba Section of the Onitsha-Owerri Federal Highway in Anambra State. July 18, 2023.
* Urgent Need to Protect Meter Manufacturers in the ongoing National Mass Metering Programme of the Federal Government. July 20, 2023.
* Urgent Need to Upgrade the Eastern Rail Line (Traversing Port Harcourt-Enugu-Maiduguri) from Narrow Gauge Rail Rail to Standard Gauge Rail. November 14, 2023. A motion he garnered the solidarity of 35 other Senators from South South, South East , North Central, North West and North East as Co-Sponsors.
* Urgent Need to Investigate the National Social Investment Programme Cash Transfer during the last administration. December 19, 2023,
OVERSIGHT FUNCTIONS:
1. Senator Umeh used his Office to facilitate the resolution of the dispute between his Constituent, Igwe Chukwuemeka Cyprian, a final year student of University of Abuja, and a native of Ichida in Anaocha L.G.A of Anambra State who was at the risk of losing his admission in the School.
2. Concerned over the incarceration of Nigerian citizens in Ethiopian Prisons, he made concerted efforts in the Senate, through the Senate Committee on Diaspora and NGOs, in collaboration with the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission—NiDCOM to facilitate their freedom or repatriation.
3. He also facilitated the resolution of the dispute in the Abule Ado area of Festac, Lagos state where 677 houses were marked for complete demolition and 744 houses marked for partial demolition. But through his engagements with the Federal Housing Authority—FHA and the Minister of Land, Housing and Urban Development, as well as his strategic engagements in the Senate through the Senate Committee on Housing and Urban Development where he is the Vice Chairman, the disputes were resolved and demolitions suspended.
4. During his time as Chairman, Senate Committee on Diaspora and NGOs, the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) experienced an unprecedented increment in the budget allocation for the Commission to enable it function more effectively.
5. Senator Victor Umeh on Friday July 7, 2023 visited the dreaded Oba Erosion Site which nearly splitted the Onitsha-Owerri expressway where he urged the federal government to declare a state of emergency on the erosion menace ravaging many communities in the south east especially in Anambra state. A gesture that yielded quick results as the fast spreading erosion was quickly contained and repressed.
6. Senator Victor Umeh on July 4, 2024 petitioned the Senate against the brutal murder of his Constituent, Mr Onyebuchi Anene, a native of Umuoroma village, Awka in Awka South Local Government Area of Anambra State, by an Officer of the Nigeria Police Force around Kubwa in Abuja Federal Capital Territory on May 22nd 2024. He challenged the brutality by the police and sought justice for the victim as well as a compensation for the bereaved family.
7. The Senator on March 26, 2024, visited the Nigerian Consulate in Johannesburg, South Africa, where the Consul General, Andrew Idi, received him, and he met and interacted with Nigerian representatives from South Africa and Swaziland discussing their challenges particularly immigration issues.
AWARD/RECOGNITION FOR GOOD PERFORMANCE
1. Senator Victor Umeh was in June 2024 named among the Top 10 Most Active Nigerian Senators in the 10th Senate by TALK OF THE TOWN Outfit, a body renowned for evaluation of the performance of Lawmakers. According to the Outfit, Senator Umeh has consistently demonstrated a strong commitment to his duties, actively participating in plenary sessions, committee work, and sponsoring key legislation.
2. In December 2024, the Senate Press Corps specially recognized Senator Victor Umeh for his “Responsive Representation for Good Governance” with an Award of Excellence.
3. Senator Victor Umeh on December 14, 2024 received an Award from the Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, Anambra State Chapter, recognising him as the Best Performing Senator in Anambra State.
4. The Senator in June 2024 received the United Nation’s Mayor For World Peace Award from the United Nation’s Peace and Positive Living Awareness Centre (UN-PEPOLAC) for his untiring advocacy for justice and fairness in governance as a bedrock for achieving a peaceful society.
PROJECTS AND PROGRAMMES BY SENATOR VICTOR UMEH IN ANAMBRA CENTRAL
1. On January 18, 2024, Senator Umeh distributed over 124 metric tons of rice totaling 129,000 kilogram of rice (surpassing the 124000kilogram provided by the federal government by 5,000 kilogram), and this happened after he had shared 40milion naira worth of rice (626 bags of 50kg and over 600 bags of 25kg) and matched it with cash support as palliatives to cushion the effects of the economic recession on the good people of Anambra Central Senatorial District.
2. On September 5, 2024, the Senator offered Scholarships of Thirty Seven Million Naira (N37, 000, 000) to 223 less privileged students carefully selected from the 58 communities in Anambra Central Senatorial District, in a bid to empower the Youth through Education. This however, is in addition to the existing beneficiaries of Victor Umeh Education Foundation—VUMEF (through which hundreds of people have gained Education for free and graduated in various disciplines (including post graduates) from various Universities across Nigeria).
3. Recognizing the bites of economic hardship and increasing hunger due to food scarcity, the Senator on Thursday, July 25, 2024, attracted and distributed 50kg bags of fertilizer number about 1,200 to the various communities in Anambra Central particularly to indigenous farmers, urging them to indulge massively in farming to achieve bountiful harvest and food supply as well as economics benefits
4. To further demonstrate his support for farmer and encouraging the people of Anambra Central to indulge in agricultural activities, the Senator facilitated a Four Days Agricultural Training and Empowerment Programme to over 500 Constituents in collaboration with the Federal College of Agriculture, Ishiagu, Ebonyi State. Participants after the training, were empowered with monetary incentives, livestock and other farming items/equipments.
JOB/EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES
Senator Victor Umeh has made his office accessible to Constituents who seek his assistance especially those in need of job. Consequently, he has granted recommendations to many job seekers and as well, facilitated employment opportunities for lots of ndị Anambra Central in various Ministries and Agencies of Government.
CONSTITUENCY PROJECTS
Senator Victor Umeh in 2024 attracted 45 strategic projects and evenly distributed them to the various communities across the 7 Local Governments in Anambra Central. These projects include Construction of some very important roads within the Constituency; Construction of Classrooms in schools to upgrade learning environments for students; Construction of Primary Healthcare Facilities to ensure a better healthcare for ndị Anambra Central as well as Provision of Pipe-borne Water, Rural Roads Electrification, among others.
Nonetheless, the Senator has equally enlisted 51 key projects for the 2025 fiscal year which would further impact significantly on the lives of ndị Anambra Central and reposition the Constituency gainfully.
Congratulations Ohamadike Ndigbo!!
©️ Ohamadike Media Team
All 31 governors of the ruling All Progressives Congress APC have thrown their weight behind a consensus arrangement for President Bola Tinubu’s return as the party’s presidential candidate in 2027.
Chairman of the Progressive Governors’ Forum PGF and Imo State governor, Senator Hope Uzodimma, made the declaration on their behalf on Thursday in Abuja at the submission of Tinubu’s nomination and expression of interest forms.
According to him, the 31 APC-controlled states are united behind the president and committed to marketing his administration’s record to secure re-election.
Uzodimma told party leaders, members of the National Assembly and the Federal Executive Council FEC that the governors’ endorsement of a second term for the president was not a new position but a fulfilment of a resolution made at the APC Political Summit last year, where governors elected on the platform of the party unanimously encouraged Tinubu to seek re-election.
“In furtherance of that resolution and in making sure it is implemented, we are here today with Mr President to submit his expression of interest form, showing that we are united and have reached a consensus in supporting Mr President to continue the good work he is doing,” Uzodimma said.
He said governors from all 31 APC-controlled states were firmly behind the consensus option for the presidential primary, effectively closing the door on a contested process at the party level.
Only one party chieftain, Stanley Osifo, has obtained forms to challenge Tinubu.
“On behalf of the governors elected on the platform of our Progressive Congress, from the 31 APC-controlled states out of the 36 states in Nigeria, we believe it is going to be a consensus,” he said.
Uzodimma pledged that the governors would work actively to campaign for the president’s re-election, saying they intended to ride on the policies and achievements of the administration to secure the public mandate required for a second term.
“We firmly commit ourselves to work assiduously to market the policies and successes recorded by this administration,” he said.
Politics
All Obi wanted was presidential ticket; didn’t know anything about our policies, manifesto – ADC
National Publicity Secretary of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, has criticized former presidential aspirant of the party, Peter Obi, alleging that he showed little interest in the party’s manifesto during his brief stay in the coalition plotting to unseat President Bola Tinubu.
On Sunday, May 3, 2026, Mr. Peter Obi, former Anambra State governor and Labour Party Presidential candidate in the 2023 general elections, alongside former Governor of Kano State, Senator, Minister and Presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP in the 2023 general elections, Dr Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, dumped the ADC for the Nigeria Democratic Progress, NDC.
The duo cited the leadership crisis in the ADC as reason for their defection.
But speaking during Prime Time interview on ARISE Television, Mallam Abdullahi questioned Obi’s familiarity with the party’s positions on key national issues, noting that the ADC had invested considerable time in developing its policy direction.
“We set up a manifesto committee that worked for about two to three months to develop a document that clearly outlined what we will do differently,” Abdullahi said.
“You may invite His Excellency Peter Obi here and ask him, what is the ADC position on fuel subsidy? What is the ADC’s framework on security? He doesn’t know, because he’s never been interested.”
Abdullahi further alleged that some politicians were more focused on securing party tickets than engaging with ideological frameworks.
“They are just waiting for the tickets to be handed to them. If you say you want to contest election, and you believe in changing the country, you should know what your party stands for,” he added.
Abdullahi described the ADC as a party with clear ideology and structure capable of offering Nigerians credible alternatives, but according to him, some political actors were more interested in using the party as a mere “special purpose vehicle” for their personal ambition.
“Everything that the government has thrown at the ADC, we have resisted. We have fought back and remained committed to our goal of rescuing Nigerians from the failure of this government,” Abdullahi said.
“We have been fighting for democracy within a party that has given us the best chance to serve the Nigerian people. Even Peter Obi once said at a coalition meeting that if we present two candidates against Bola Ahmed Tinubu, we would be handing him victory in 2027. So, what has changed?”
Dismissing claims that legal challenges influenced the defection, Abdullahi said the ADC currently faces only “three flimsy cases in court,” insisting that such concerns could not justify the exit.
He further stated that Obi received significant concessions within the party, including the opportunity to nominate the National Organising Secretary, a position widely regarded as the operational backbone of the party.
“None of the aspirants or leaders was given as much consideration as Peter Obi. The office of the National Organising Secretary is the engine room of the party. It handles congresses, elections, and core operations. That office is occupied by his nominee,” he said.
Addressing claims by some of Obi’s supporters that the party was skewed in favour of a particular candidate, Abdullahi said such assertions were unfounded.
“We met with Peter Obi consistently. He attended coalition meetings regularly. He made it clear he would only join if the ticket was zoned. He took nearly a year to join the ADC and never raised concerns about bias within the party, because there was none,” he added.
Using a metaphor to illustrate his point, Abdullahi said: “When a woman wants to leave a marriage, she gives all kinds of reasons, including being suffocated by too much love. That is what we are seeing now.”
He emphasised that while individuals are free to associate with any political platform, those who choose to leave should avoid offering what he described as “flimsy excuses.”
Abdullahi also revealed that Obi’s defection appeared to have been in motion for some time, citing a meeting held two months ago in Kano involving Obi, Kwankwaso, and former Bayelsa State Governor, Seriake Dickson.
“After that meeting in Kano, I reached out to Governor Dickson and asked what had transpired. Kwankwaso had been considering joining the ADC, and suddenly, things changed. It raised questions about whether there were efforts to divide the opposition and create an advantage for the incumbent,” he said.
According to Abdullahi, Dickson indicated that the NDC remained an alternative platform open to interested politicians.
“What this suggests is that the defection of Peter Obi and Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso was pre-planned. It even raises the question of whether Kwankwaso’s involvement in the ADC was a trojan horse at the onset,” he added.
Supporters of former Anambra State Governor, Peter Obi, and former Kano State Governor, Rabiu Kwankwaso, are set to hold a unity summit in Abuja today.
The summit, themed, “One Voice, One Vision: In Unity We Win,” is being organised by the OK Movement.
The group is pushing support for a possible Obi-Kwankwaso joint political arrangement ahead of the 2027 general elections.
A flyer posted on 𝕏 by the OK Movement on Friday showed that eight speakers would address the conference.
Those listed include a chieftain of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Buba Galadima; activist Aisha Yesufu; and Isaac Fayose, brother of former Ekiti State governor, Ayodele Fayose.
Others are Moses Paul, a former chairmanship candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), and Adebayo Adefolaseye, the South-West coordinator of the OK Movement.
As of the time of filing this report, about 428 Nigerians had registered to attend the summit.
The development comes amid growing speculation that Obi and Kwankwaso may leave the ADC for the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC).
On Friday night, the spokesperson of the Kwankwasiyya movement, Habibu Mohammed, said the two ADC chieftains were expected to finalise the move next week.
Mohammed said the decision followed a unanimous endorsement by stakeholders.
He added that discussions with the NDC had reached “about 90 per cent,” with only minor issues left to be resolved.
According to him, Kwankwaso and Obi, the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party, may move to the NDC on Monday or Tuesday.
“I believe him, Peter Obi, and some others will be joining the NDC,” Mohammed said.
The lingering ADC leadership crisis is said to be central to the planned move.
On Thursday, the Supreme Court set aside the controversial status quo ante bellum order in the ADC leadership dispute and returned the matter to the Federal High Court for determination.
The decision effectively reset the contest without resolving the substantive leadership dispute.
In April, supporters of Obi and Kwankwaso launched the OK Movement to mobilise support for a joint ticket in the 2027 elections
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