A former House of Representatives member, Sam Onuigbo, says the 2027 Abia Central senatorial district election will not be determined by party sentiments but by the track records of candidates.

Mr Onuigbo stated this in Abuja on Tuesday. According to him, the electorate in the Abia Central senatorial district is sophisticated enough to vote along party lines.

Addressing the challenges of running on the platform of the All Progressives Congress in a state currently governed by the Labour Party, Mr Onuigbo said the focus would be on who can deliver.

“Abia Central is populated by well-educated people who can make decisions based on what they have seen. It is a hub of intellectual and industrial activities, housing the state capital, Michael Okpara University of Agriculture and the industrial hub of Osisoma.

“It is a district that has produced great people like Dr Michael Okpara, former Governor Theodore Orji, the first Speaker of the House of Representatives, Jaja Nwachukwu, and a former national chairman of PDP, Vincent Ogbulafor.

“It also produced the family of the director-general of the World Trade Organisation, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. It is a sophisticated environment where people can easily distinguish what is real,” he said.

Mr Onuigbo, who represented Ikwuano/Umuahia North/South federal constituency for two terms, expressed confidence that his previous performances would speak for him at the polls.

He argued that, after nearly 27 years of unbroken democracy in Nigeria, voters had reached a level of maturity that enabled them to examine a candidate’s verifiable accomplishments.

The former lawmaker further said that periodic, tenure-based elections had also empowered the electorate to examine their candidates, elected officers and leaders.

He said that the several projects he facilitated while in the House of Representatives were a testament to what he can do if he becomes a senator.

Mr Onuigbo listed some of the projects to include the construction of the first Federal Secretariat in Abia, rehabilitation of Umuahia–Ikwuano Road and restoration of delisted science programmes at Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike.

“There are numerous erosion control works that I did before you start talking about blocks of classrooms, water projects, electricity projects and, of course, supporting people through scholarships, through helping them to become somebody.

“Without sounding immodest, when people juxtapose these accomplishments—major projects, capital empowerment and infrastructure—against my tenure, it will be very easy for them to make up their minds.

“The Nigerian electorate should be able to distinguish between genuine representatives and those with a penchant for deceiving people over time,” he said.

Mr Onuigbo also said that President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda had pointed the country in the right direction by providing a solid platform for APC candidates to campaign on performance.

(NAN)