Anambra Leaders Oppose Stella Oduah’s Senate Bid

Alex Enumah in Abuja

Some leaders of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) have expressed reservations over the decision of a former Aviation Minister, Stella Oduah, to contest for a senatorial position in the 2027 general election.

The leaders, acting under the group Concerned Anambra North Stakeholders (CANS), based their reservations on an alleged N2.5 billion fraud case recently concluded at a High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), as well as alleged certificate discrepancies.

In respect of the fraud allegations, the leaders argue that the recent court case, leading to the winding up of her two companies by Justice  Hamza Muazu of the FCT High Court, and the forfeiture of about N2 billion to the Federal Government of Nigeria, in a plea bargain arrangement, as well as the alleged unresolved inconsistencies in her academic records constitute a red flag for APGA to risk yielding its platform to her.

Recall that Justice Muazu had in a judgment on March 26, pursuant to a plea bargain agreement, convicted Oduah’s two firms – Sobora International Limited and Global Offshore and Marine Limited – after she pleaded guilty on their behalf, issued an order winding them up and further ordered that the N1.2 billion paid as restitution, along with the N780 million recovered during investigation, be forfeited to the federal government.

Besides, the leaders alleged that the former minister provided “false statement” in documents she submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) under oath for the 2015, 2019, and 2023 general elections in stark violation of Sections 66(1)(i) and 315(5)(a) of the Nigerian Constitution.”

They claimed that Oduah has consistently made inconsistent claims about her academic records, qualifications, and credentials since 2015, which she has allegedly failed to address.

They petitioned the Governor of Anambra State, Professor Charles Soludo, urging him to use his position as the national leader of APGA to prevail on the leadership of the party not to hand its ticket for the Anambra North senatorial district to Oduah, in view of the alleged unresolved questions about her credibility.

In the petition dated May 4 and signed by Emmanuel Uduaka and Sylvester Nnalue, CANS stated that it aimed to prevail on APGA not to commit the error of yielding its platform to the former minister and also prevent her from participating in the party’s upcoming Anambra North senatorial district primary election in view of the future negative consequences to the party.

CANS stated that it petitions to bring to Soludo’s attention, “the discrepancies and outright concealment in the documents and credentials presented by Senator Stella Adaeze Oduah to Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) under oath in her previous INEC Forms C.F.001/Affidavit in support of personal particulars of persons seeking election to the office/membership of senate for the 2015, 2019, and 2023 general elections.

“Those forms and the false information there are already documents she put in the public domain and have, in law, become public documents, which can no longer be withdrawn and remain potent against her at all times.

“We crave the indulgence of Your Excellency to ensure that Senator Oduah is subjected to strict documentary proof of all her claims on primary school attendance and certificate.

“We strongly believe she never wrote and passed any primary school leaving examination and was never issued with any First School Leaving Certificate contrary to her claims in the aforementioned documents submitted by her to INEC, police, and the courts. This will lead to litigation and subject the party to Section 29(5)(6) of the Electoral Act.”