The Enugu Voters League (EVL) has condemned Senator Ekweremadu for playing politics with the death and burial of two eminent sons of Enugu West Senatorial Zone, thereby showing disrespect to the entire Enugu West Senatorial Zone and violating one of the long-standing traditions of the zone which is to show respect for the dead.
Senator Ekweremadu, it was reported had attended the burials of Obiora Onyia and Emma Onyia two illustrious sons of Udi, where Ekweremadu was received respectably but not in any special way by the bereaved families. But no sooner had Ekweremadu left the burial, and to the dismay and disappointment of the deceased’s families, Senator Ekweremadu took to the pages of the newspapers, lying, manipulating and exploiting the burials and the pain of the deceased’s’ families for his selfish private political gain.
According to Chief Wilson Okolo Obaeze, the President General of Enugu Voters League (EVL), “Senator Ekweremadu showed extreme insensitivity, extreme selfishness, and crass classlessness by exploiting the burials and pain of the Onyia family to score cheap political publicity points. Senator Ekweremadu should be ashamed of himself! What he did is a taboo in our land and it is unforgiveable!”
According to Chief Obaeze, “Senator Ekweremadu lied when he allowed the impression to be created in the newspapers that the people of Udi “trooped out en masse to receive him”. This is a pure lie as nobody came to that burial to particularly receive Senator Ekweremadu. People came to the burial to honour the dead .It really is nauseating for the senator to lie that all the people that came to the burial to honour the dead were really there to receive him (Ekweremadu). It is ridiculous and outrageous!”
“Also Senator Ekweremadu lied when he claimed that the people “endorsed him at the burial”. How could people who came to a burial to mourn the dead turn around to “endorse” Senator Ekweremadu at the burial? This is only a figment of the senator’s arrogant imagination! It is an abominable lie! The truth is that no such thing happened and no such thing could have happened at a burial! A burial is a burial and not a political event for God’s sake! Apparently the senator has such a warped opinion of himself that he has begun imagining that everybody is endorsing him, even at burials. We have numerous witnesses who also attended the same burial, and they all state that there was no such incident despite the senator’s claims in the newspapers”.
“It is also unfortunate that Senator Ekweremadu even claimed that the dancing troupes that provided entertainment at the funeral where there solely for him. Is it not normal for dancing troupes to provide general entertainment at burials everywhere in Igbo land? Why then does the Senator claim that the dance troupe that entertained at this particular burial was there (not for the burial and not to honour the dead), but to honour him, Senator Ekweremadu? This is such a woeful and disgusting display of arrogance of the first order. This is megalomania without boundary!
Mr. Charles Okolie, Secretary Genberal of of Enugu Voters League (EVL), in his own contribution noted that “Senator Ekweremadu also lied when he claimed that he was accompanied to the burial by Peoples Democratic Party, PDP stakeholders, when in fact no such thing happened. According to Okolie, “the fact is that Senator Ekweremadu went to the burial with a bunch of wretched and colourless sycophants including one Chief Mike Ugwu, a now disgruntled and hungry ex member of House of Representatives from many moons ago and a non-PDP member; and one Chief Anayo Onwuegbu, a loser and comedian and a professional candidate for governor much to the amusement and entertainment of the people of Enugu State, and one Dr. Nnamdi Ene, another disgruntled loser, prodigal and non-member of PDP. This is the colorless crew that accompanied Senator Ekweremadu to the burial, and these are Ekweremadu’s so-called “Peoples Democratic Party, PDP stakeholders”. It is laughable because two out of the three are not even members of the PDP. It is also unfortunate that these three individual in apparent acquiescence of Senator Ekweremadu began making political speeches at the burial before they were unceremoniously stopped and almost manhandled by angry mourners”.
According to Mr. Okolie, the elders of the town may be meeting to make a traditional pronouncement against Ekweremadu, Onwuamegbu, Ugwu and Eneh over their dishonourable behavior and desecration of the burial of two distinguished sons of Enugu West Senatorial Zone .
In the meantime the Enugu Voters League (EVL) has declared that they must punish Ekweremadu at the polls, insisting that Ekweremadu no longer deserves to represent Enugu West Senatorial Zone at the Senate.
“We are mobilizing. The people are mobilizing. We are looking forward to meeting Ekweremadu at the polls. He has been in the Senate for too long anyway (12 years). It is time for someone else to contribute their own quota. We must vote Ekweremadu out of the Senate”, Chief Obaeze assured.