USAfricaonline.com
The First Lady of Anambra State, Mrs. Ebelechukwu Obiano has characterized as both “spurious” and a “forgery” the caustic attack, allegedly expressed by her against Ambassador Bianca Ojukwu, wife of the late great leader of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, Eze Igbo Gburugburu.
Obiano’s alleged critical statement was purportedly in response to the reported remarks by Mrs. Ojukwu at the second public lecture in memory of the great APGA leader at Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University on Monday, November 4, 2019.
In her dismissal of the issue which is trending on the social media, signed by Emeka Ozumba, the Deputy Chief Press Secretary to Anambra State Governor, Mrs. Obiano insists she “never made such a statement either in public or in private. She cannot, in any circumstance, make a statement like this, marked by a total lack of decorum and elegance. Those who forged the statement are so unintelligent that they could not state whether the so-called reaction by Mrs Obiano was in a news release or an interview. Nor could they state the place where she ostensibly made the statement or the day.”
“The forgery is the work of political con artists who operate at the basest level possible. They work in cahoots with shadowy characters who are not happy at the phenomenal progress which Anambra State has recorded in various areas in recent years, leading the whole country in such fields as financial resource management, security, education, peace and stability, among others. It is pure disinformation to allege that the Anambra State Government under Governor Willie Obiano has been paying Mrs Ojukwu N20m monthly. It is also a spurious claim to allege that Governor Obiano has built a house for Mrs. Ojukwu in Nnewi.
What the state administration has done to Ambassador Ojukwu is to extend to her courtesies which should be accorded the wife of the APGA leader. For instance, she has for years been a member of the APGA Board of Trustees. She remains so to this day, despite her tantrums against the party.”
“Mrs Obiano is, like her husband, committed to harmony and social progress in Anambra State. She is not held hostage by the past or by political cleavages. She takes her Christian faith seriously, and so bears no grudges or animosity towards anyone or group. Far from ever associated with malediction, the wife of the Anambra Governor is famous for her belief in the values of forgiveness and reconciliation. Therefore, she is not the kind of person who can invoke “thunder to fire” any creature of God, however disappointed she may be with the person.
“Mrs Obiano is proud of the tremendous support she has given her husband over the years to immortalize Dim Ojukwu. One of the remarkable things Governor Obiano has done to ensure that Ojukwu’s place in history is secure is signing into law the bill changing the name of the Anambra State University to Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University. Of course, the annual public lecture at the university in honour of the great APGA leader has the imprimatur of the Obianos. Dim Ojukwu will always live in their hearts as an iconographic figure. Legendary leaders like Ojukwu do not die. It is self evident that it is most unfortunate that Ojukwu’s wife chose at an event to honour the husband to make remarks which are infra dig, that is, incompatible with her status. She went too low.
Ozumba concluded by stating that “Mrs Obiano is too refined to engage in public actions and utterances which can take the people and government of Anambra State away from worthy goals like becoming and remaining Nigeria’s most competitive state. She has rather dedicated the rest of her life to peaceful co-existence in society and solidarity with the less privileged. She cherishes the life of service.”
