Minister of state for labour and employment, Hon Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, has said she is too occupied with her new job to have time to sponsor the alleged removal of the speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon Tajudeen Abbas.
A yet-to-be identified group had claimed that the minister was doling out dollars to unseat Abbas.
But in a statement issued yesterday, Onyejeocha through her chief press secretary, Mr Gabriel Emameh, said she was too busy to be distracted and described the allegation as “dirty politics taken too far” and challenged those behind them to come out with proofs.
Last Wednesday, the National Assembly Election Petitions Tribunal sitting in Umuahia, the Abia State capital nullified the election of Labour Party (LP’s) candidate, Hon Amobi Ogah representing Isuikwuato/ Umunneochi federal constituency and declared Onyejeocha the winner.
Delivering the judgement in the petition tagged, EPT/AB/HR/8/2023 in Umuahia, the three-member panel of the tribunal said Ogah did not comply with the provisions of the Electoral Act.
The four-time member of the House of Representatives said her attention was drawn to a statement credited to one Abidemi Johnson, a yet-to-be identified woman who claims to be the convener of the Coalition of Asiwaju Progressive Woman (CAPW) in which she described her (minister) as ungrateful and plotting to cause a leadership crisis in the Lower House.
The so called Abidemi had in the statement alleged that the minister had doled out dollars to an unnamed group to launch a media campaign for her to unseat Abbas.
The minister said, “These are pointblank lies sponsored by my political enemies who have no line between darkness and light; morality or absurdity. This is indeed not only laughable but also calls for a thorough investigation.”
According to Emameh, “These baseless allegations did not by anyway come to us as surprise; we have had wind of several plots before hand to launch a media campaign against her, should the judgement at the tribunal turn out in her favour. That is the scenario being enacted in their desperation to pull her down.”
She said the campaign was coming just a few hours after a pro All Progressives Congress (APC) group congratulated her on the victory at the tribunal, urging her to return to the National Assembly (NASS).
“Ordinarily, the infertile statement and spurious falsehood would not have been given due attention but for the uninformed, we wish to say that the statement is a product of disquiet from her political enemies. It’s the wild imagination of convoluted, distorted, warped minds of mischief makers and conflict entrepreneurs who are out to pit her against the leadership of her party, the All Progressives Congress.
“Many had thought that Onyejeocha’s victory at the tribunal which is a plus to the party, could have been a thing of celebration. But no, because their plot to retire her from active politics continues to hit the rock.
“It should be noted that while it is her right, like every other Nigerian, to challenge the outcome of an election she was not satisfied with, as provided by the constitution of the Federal of Nigeria, they should also be reminded that Onyejeocha was already at the Election Petition Tribunal before she was appointed a Minister.
“Would she have abandoned her pursuit to regain what was stolen from the APC as a family for politicians with parochial interests, greed and an unbridled sense of entitlement or for the opposition party?
“For the record, Hon Nkeiruka Onyejeocha is currently focused on her national assignment by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the Ministry of Labour and Employment and also by the leadership of the APC as a co-chairman of the party’s national council for governorship election slated for November. Her loyalty to party is unquestionable.
“Who would have thought that a mere statement of appeal issued by women who share the same vision with the honourable minister asking her to go consider going back to the House to pursue critical national Bills, would stirred the hornet’s net, if not for mischief?
“We challenge anyone as alleged by this faceless group that Hon Nkeiruka dole out money for this said purpose to come out with prove. This is a dirty campaign taken too far.
“We have no doubt that discerning and well-meaning Nigerians are conscious of the ignoble role of these men who should be ignored. Our prayer is that her detractors will soon come to terms with the futility of their actions and succumb to the supremacy of the will of God, the Almighty,” the statement added.