By Anthony
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Attorney Charles Chibuike Onyirimba’s senatorial consultations continued on Tuesday with a visit by members of his campaign council to the palace of His Royal Highness, Sir Ubadire Barnabas Okpara, Eze Di Ohanma II, also known as Achinachimba, in Umunachi, Obowo.
The youthful and amiable monarch, accompanied by members of his cabinet, received the delegation warmly. Women of the community, dressed in colourful traditional regalia, added a cultural touch to the encounter with intermittent songs and chants.
Addressing the gathering, the Director-General of the Charles Onyirimba Senatorial Campaign Council, Mrs Favour Nwelue, urged the people to take an active interest in the 2027 election and use their Permanent Voter Cards to participate in choosing their representatives.
Nwelue also made a case for political competition, arguing that prolonged dominance by one political party could weaken accountability and reduce the level of scrutiny applied to government decisions. According to her, a strong opposition encourages debate and compels those in power to justify their policies.
She also highlighted Onyirimba’s legal background, noting that legislation is a central responsibility of the National Assembly. She argued that it is wrong to send an engineer or a marketer to the legislature. She reasoned that they would be more interested in pursuing contracts that focus on making laws.
However, she noted, Attorney Onyirimba’s training as an attorney gives him direct exposure to law and legislative processes, while stressing that elected representatives should understand that their primary responsibility is to make laws and represent the interests of their constituents.
The Director-General further placed accountability at the centre of her argument. She criticised the practice whereby elected representatives allegedly become detached from their constituents after receiving their mandates.
According to Nwelue, Onyirimba’s campaign is self-financed and therefore, places him in a different position from politicians who depend on political godfathers or borrowed funds to finance their campaigns.
“If you have a godfather or borrowed money to finance your campaign, you have obligations to those who supported you,” she said, arguing that Onyirimba would instead be directly accountable to the people whose mandate he seeks.
She drew a historical comparison with the late Chief Sam Mbakwe, former governor of the old Imo State, a worthy son of Obowo, whose administration remains particularly remembered for its development-oriented legacy.
Nwelue urged the people of Obowo to consider Onyirimba’s candidacy and participate actively in the 2027 senatorial election.
The community, through its spokesperson, the Palace Secretary and a former JAMB chieftain, High Chief Ochonma, subsequently expressed support for Onyirimba, citing his professional background and capacity to contribute to lawmaking. The spokesperson echoed the argument that a lawyer’s training is directly relevant to legislative responsibilities and said Nigeria requires public officials with integrity.
In his response, Eze Di Ohanma II prayed for the delegation and wished the campaign team success in its political journey.
