A political group, the Coalition of Anambra South Progressives (COASOP), has lamented the decaying state of infrastructure in the Anambra South Senatorial District following the death of the senator representing the district, the late Senator Patrick Ifeanyi Ubah.
The Nigerian Tribune gathered that the death, which occurred eight months ago, has left the district without representation. The Coalition, in a press conference held at Gelly’s Garden in Awka on Monday, bitterly complained that this has left the zone in dire straits.
Speaking further on the development, the leader of the Coalition, Mr Obi Chukwuemeka, called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to quickly kickstart the process for the replacement of the late senator, giving the commission two months to do so.
The Coalition, which comprises various political parties, also called on political parties in the state to zone their tickets for the replacement of Ubah to Nnewi North Local Government Area, where the late senator hailed from, stating that it is equitable and right to do so.
Part of the text read at the conference stated: “As you may be aware, the Anambra South Senatorial District has been without representation in the National Assembly for some time now due to the unfortunate passing of our indefatigable senator, the late Senator Ifeanyi Ubah.
“This void has left our people without a voice in the highest legislative body in the land. It is imperative that we take immediate action to address this anomaly—not just addressing the anomaly but doing so in such a manner that the status quo is maintained and justice is seen to have been done.
“In light of this, we call on INEC to set the stage by fixing a date for the immediate conduct of a credible by-election to fill the void. Our constitution does not envisage a situation whereby a constituency is left without representation.
“It has been more than seven months since the death of our dear Senator Ifeanyi Ubah, and in all this time, Anambra South has been denied the right to have a say in various governance issues affecting the federation.”
The group added: “Infrastructure is decaying in Anambra South while our youths and women yearn for empowerment, but because we do not have a representative in the Senate, we have no means to access what is due to us.
“Furthermore, we are aware that the 2025 federal budget has been passed, and the absence of a representative has robbed us of our constituency allowance. We are also aware that by Q2 of 2025, the budget process for the 2026 budget would begin. INEC must ensure that this abandonment of Anambra South ends immediately.”
It called on APGA, APC, PDP, LP, and every other political party desirous of producing candidates for the by-election to see it as a call to duty and selfless service to field one from Nnewi North, to assuage the loss of the people who lost their son in active service.
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