...As He Soars High  in the Race for Ikwuano/Umuahia North and South Federal Constituency 

Rt Hon Chinedum Orji 


By Chidi Omar 

Repeatedly  the representation for Ikwuano/Umuahia North and South Federal Constituency in the National Assembly has fallen significantly below the expectations of its constituents. And the reason has been traced to electing newbies in the serious business of legislating at the National Assembly where intrigues and manipulations come to play in the business of legislation 

Ahead 2027 there appears to be a unanimous decision by the people of Ikwuano/Umuahia North and South Federal Constituency to break the recurring circle of empty  political rhetoric, undeliverable promises, plus  insignificant legislative impact which has become almost a recurring decimal and worrisome concern for all citizens of the Constituency.

In the same consensual reasoning, arguments have been made that Rt Hon Chinedum Orji have all it takes to ably represent the Constituency. His name tops the list on the requirement of cognate experience since  the business of ​legislating at the National Assembly is not a place for "learning on the job", but one which requires a legislator with  a deep understanding of parliamentary procedure, the art of negotiation, and the ability to build bridges across political divides.

Proponents of this argument maintain that Chinedum Orji transformed a once-turbulent political climate into a model of executive-legislative synergy. ​Under his watch as Speaker,  the Abia State House of Assembly became a powerhouse of "people-oriented and all-inclusive laws." From the groundbreaking Disability Law to being the first to domesticate the Diaspora Law earning him accolades from the Presidency - Orji has proven he knows how to use the gavel to protect the vulnerable and engage the global community.

"The election of Chinedum Orji to the House of Representatives in 2027 would break the pattern of underperformance by the  present legislator which reflects acutely in the mismanagement of constituency project allocations, which are allegedly diverted toward private ventures or, at best, transformed into poorly executed, questionably sited initiatives that deliver little value to the three local government areas comprising the Constituency", said Mr Madumere Maduako, a political stalwart in the constituency 

The current occupant unfortunately has carried on with such baggage of underperformance and so far has failed to secure the necessary federal attention required for the Constituency's transformative infrastructural development and human capital growth.

The consequences are unimaginable. In the midst of wide sweeping development in other parts of the Country, Ikwuano/Umuahia North and South Federal Constituency continue to be denied it's rightful allocation of capital projects.  Little wonder, the Constituency remains impoverished despite its rich potentials in natural and human resources. For agrarian parts of the Constituency, farmers continue to suffer post-harvest losses, as farm produce decays due to impassable roads and logistical bottlenecks. The absence of functional storage silos further undermines any prospect of an agrarian economic revival. 

Across the Constituency, educational infrastructure remains in a desperate state of decay, with our children learning in environments ill suited for academic excellence. In some LGAs there are  no functioning government General Hospitals.

It is against this backdrop that the declaration of Rt. Hon. Chinedum Orji to contest for Ikwuano/Umuahia North and South Federal Constituency  was  widely received as profoundly welcome development by all advocates of genuine development.

Chinedum Orji, popularly hailed as Ikukuoma Abia, a trained engineer from the Federal University of Technology, Owerri has consistently demonstrated his pro-people philosophy in and out of office as manifest in Direct Impact Initiative which remains unrivalled in terms of socio-economic empowerment from a legislator 

​While many politicians wait for federal allocations, Chinedum Orji pioneered the Direct Touch Initiative with visible impact in the very fabric of our communities across the three LGAs of the Constituency. They ​include amongst others the construction of eight mini-stadiums, water projects, and rural electrification.

The ​human capital projects include the free ICT training of over 500 Abia youths and the consistent provision of scholarships to indigent students, plus  renovation of schools and the vocational training of women and youths.

​In his  two-term membership of the Abia House of Assembly, Chinedum Orji left imprints which will remain etched in the history of Abia's socio-economic development. He did not just represent people, he invested  in them. This "Direct Touch" is exactly what Ikwuano/Umuahia North and South Federal Constituency needs at the federal level to ensure our constituency gets its fair share of the "national cake

More significantly and as a matter of strategic significance is that Chinedum Orji understands and is schooled in the dynamics and politics of legislation at the national level, and therefore he would not like the present newbie occupant of the seat be overwhelmed or swallowed up in the huge edifice and maze-like corridors of the National Assembly. He would hit the ground running to usher in more purposeful, people oriented representation. 

He brings to the table a rare combination of diligence, resourcefulness, and deep seated humanity. His candidacy transcends partisan lines; it is an opportunity to restore this Constituency to its rightful place of influence and progress.

Unequivocally, Chinedum Orji is the best candidate for Ikwuano/Umuahia North and South Federal Constituency and   deserves the collective support of all  across the political spectrum to restore the Constituency to the path of progress and  tangible development 

Even as  Rt Hon Chinedum Orji stands like a collosus in the race for  Ikwuano/Umuahia North and South Federal Constituency, it is understandable opponents would waste their energies attempting to chip away at his credentials of goodwill, experience and pro-people philosophical orientation. They need however to repent and join this moving train