A Rejoinder to the article titled “Chinedum Orji Has Nothing to Offer, He Wants to Continue Feeding from Public Funds”

A Rejoinder to the article titled “Chinedum Orji Has Nothing to Offer, He Wants to Continue Feeding from Public Funds”

There is a particular kind of restlessness that no sleeping pill can cure. It belongs to a politician who can see the end of his road. The reality is now dawning on Hon. Obi Aguocha that the last kick of a dying horse, however loud and dramatic, will come to an end in January 2027. The signs are in the frantic tone of the article to which this rejoinder responds.

The cause of this political insomnia is one name: Rt. Hon. Engr. Chinedum Enyinnaya Orji. Mention it where Aguocha’s supporters are gathered and watch the mood sour. One may fairly ask why a single name should have such an effect on a sitting member who claims to be confident and unbothered.

If Aguocha truly feels secure, why is the entire energy of his media team spent on Chinedum Orji? A man who is sure of victory does not lose sleep over an opponent. He campaigns calmly and sleeps soundly. It is the man who has seen the writing on the wall who paces the floor at midnight.

Consider the field itself. According to INEC’s final list of candidates for the January 2027 House of Representatives election, the Ikwuano/Umuahia North/Umuahia South Federal Constituency has a crowded ballot. Hon. Kelechi Madumere is on the platform of the Accord Party (A). Hon. Ukpai Philip Kalu is contesting under the Action Alliance (AA). Hon. Egwu Ikenna Daniel is on the Action Peoples Party (APP). Hon. Emeka John Ndubuisi is the candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC). Hon. George Ndudim Ihesie is flying the flag of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA). Hon. Adighije Pascal Chizorom is on the Allied Peoples Movement (APM). Hon. Christian Ekperechi Ibekwe is the candidate of the National Rescue Movement (NRM). Hon. Stanley Uche Mgbeorurum is on the platform of the NDC. Mrs. Josephine Nwachi is the candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP). Hon. Godwin Kanu Okoronkwo is on the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP). Then there is Aguocha himself, on the Labour Party (LP), and Rt. Hon. Chinedum Orji on the All Progressives Congress (APC).

That is twelve names, twelve parties and twelve ambitions. Yet in all that noise, only one name seems to unsettle Aguocha’s peace. Why do the other eleven candidates not trigger midnight essays, anxious rejoinders and sleepless nights? Why does one name, and one name alone, send him into high blood pressure at the mere mention? The answer is plain to anyone who can read the political mood of the constituency.

The article we are answering asks what Chinedum Orji has to offer. It is a strange question from a camp whose own record is the real subject of the people’s scrutiny. Aguocha won in 2023 on a wave that has since receded. The people of Ikwuano, Umuahia North and Umuahia South have had time to weigh promises against performance. They have watched, compared and counted. Noise on social media is no substitute for visible, lasting impact in the communities, and the voters know the difference.

The same article accuses Chinedum Orji of nostalgia for public office. Yet it ends with a plug for Aguocha and a slogan of “Vote Labour Party! Vote Papa, Mama and Pikin!” That is an accidental confession. When a rejoinder against one candidate quietly becomes an advertisement for another, the writer has told us what keeps him awake.

A candidate who believes his tenure has been fruitful should welcome the people’s verdict. Instead we see a camp that is anxious, defensive and fixated on a single rival. That is not the behaviour of confidence. It is the behaviour of fear.

To Hon. Aguocha and his handlers: rest while you still can. January 2027 is coming, and no press release will stop the people from exercising their sovereign right at the ballot box.

To Ndi-Ikwuano/Umuahia: the choice is yours. Stay with a camp that trembles at one name, or step forward with the candidate whose name alone is enough to rattle his rivals.