Rep member gets 7-day ultimatum to apologise over viral video of widow beneficiary of his covid -19 stimulus package or face legal action 

Rep member gets 7-day ultimatum to apologise over viral video of widow beneficiary of his covid -19 stimulus package or face legal action

By Steve Oko

Member representing Ohafia /Arochukwu federal constituency, Hon. Uko Nkole, has been given a seven -day ultimatum to apologise over the embarrassing  viral video of a widow beneficiary of his coronavirus stimulus package to his constituents.

Recall that last week,  the social media was awash with the video of the widow, Mrs. Agbogho Nwaigwe receiving relief materials from agents of the lawmaker who also asked her some incriminating questions to spite her son.

 

But the video which emanated from the facebook page of one Ndukwe Joseph Akubueze said to be a fan of Nkole was later deleted following a public outrage against the lawmaker.

Meanwhile, the  son of the widow, Mr. Sunday Nwaigwe who gave the ultimate Monday at a press briefing in Umuahia, said the viral video had caused the family “an incalculable damage”.

Nwaigwe who was a former Special Assistant to Gov. Okezie Ikpeazu on Grassroot Mobilisation, claimed that mischief  rather than compassion   motivated the lawmaker for the gesture.

He queried the decision of the lawmaker to single out his mother out of many beneficiaries of similar gesture in the constituency as the only person whose video would be posted.

 According to the Personal Assistant to the Commissioner for Special Duties on Joint Projects, Chief John Okoro, the primary aim of the federal lawmaker is to make public mockery of him and his principal because of their political difference.

Nwaigwe who said Nkole decided to treat him as his political foe because he would always like to tell him the bitter truth being his kinsman, called on the National Human Rights Commission to investigate the viral video and “see if the honourable lawmaker has acted honourably”.

He said Nkole had not been able to give a good account of himself at the green chamber,  wondering how he would deliver if given the opportunity to govern Abia State in 2023 assuming his rumoured governorship ambition turned out to be true.

However, Nkole has denied authorising the posting of the said viral video, and completely dissociated himself from the video.

He also denied nursing any governorship ambition in 2023, alleging that some persons are out to stain his image.

Below is the full text of the speech read by Nwaigwe at the briefing :

“Gentlemen of the press, I want to welcome you to this press briefing today, April 20, 2020 , and urge you to help me tell the world about how a federal lawmaker made mockery of my widow mother because of coronavirus relief materials.

“My name is Sunday Nwigwe from Amaeke Abam in Arochukwu LGA of Abia State. It happened that last week, the member representing Ohafia /Arochukwu federal constituency, Hon. Uko Nkole decided to give out some relief materials as stimulus package to his constituents to cushion the effect of the covid -19 lockdown. My mother, Mr. Agboho Nwigwe was among the beneficiaries of the gesture as he sent some of his agents who came to our house in the village and gave my mother 20 cups of rice, few packets of indommie noodles and N5000 cash.

“Unknown to my mother who was home alone when the lawmaker’s emmisaries came, they recorded a video of what transpired including some mischievous implicating questions aimed at making jest of our family.  They later posted the embarrassing video on the social media obviously to spite me simply because  I do not share the same political views with the lawmaker even though we belong to the same political party.

“My only sin against Nkole is that I have always asked him to rise up to his responsibilities as a federal lawmaker and bring federal presence close to the constituency. He feels I always criticize him.  But why won’t I criticize him when he has no bill to his credit  close to five years he went to Abuja?  Apart from offering costly wine to his visitors during Christmas, Nkole can’t point at any tangible project he attracted to Amaeke Abam or even the entire constituency since his election. As my brother I have always told him to sit up because if he succeds  we shall be proud of him  as our son  but if he fails, he would have smoked our collective opportunity as a clan. That is my only sin against Nkole.

And I keep wondering if this is how he intends to run the state in 2023  assuming  his rumoured governorship ambition turns out to be true.

“So, in his calculation to get at me and make public caricature of me, Nkole  decided to send his  relief material to my mother and asked his agents to record the video . If his intent is not to make jest of my mum and disparage my boss, why post the video? Was my mum the only widow in Abam that received his nonsense relief material which I have since returned to him ? God will judge every motive.

“I want to bring it to Hon. Uko Nkole’s notice that he has violated the fundamental rights of my mother by posting the provocative video  without her consent. It’s sheer wickedness and immoral to make such a mockery of a widow simply because he wants to settle political scores.

“I call on the National Human Rights Commission to have a look at  the viral video and see if the honourable lawmaker has acted honourably. This goes to show the true colour of men who claim to represent us in government.

” I therefore, demand unconditional VIRAL apology from Hon. Nkole and his agents for posting the video which has caused my family a lot of embarrassment.  What is the essence of sharing relief materials  : Is it to help the beneficiary or make mockery  of him /her? Twenty cups of rice, few packets of indommie noodles and N5000 can never equate the incalculable damage and embarrassment the video has caused us.

“However, if after seven days , Hon. Nkole fails to meet the above condition, we shall consider other lawful means of seeking redress over the scornful violation of a window’s right.”