The Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Hon. Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, has denied allegations of dolling out dollars to a yet to be identified group to launch a media campaign for her to unseat the Speaker of House Representatives, Hon. Abbas Tajudeen, saying she’s too busy
The minister in a statement issued Monday by his Chief Press Secretary, Gabriel Emameh, described the allegation as dirty politics taken too far, while challenging them to come out with proof.
She described the allegation as point-blank lies sponsored by her political enemies who have no line between darkness and light; morality or absurdity.
Onyejeocha stated: “So, these baseless allegations did not in any way come to us as surprise; we have had wind of several plots beforehand to launch a media campaign against her, should the judgment at the Tribunal turn out in her favour. That is the scenario being enacted in their desperation to pull her down.
“The campaign is coming just a few hours after a pro APC group sent a congratulatory message to the Honourable Minister on her victory at the Tribunal, urging her to return to the National Assembly.
“Ordinarily, the infertile statement and spurious falsehood would not have been given due attention but for the uninformed, we wish to say that the statement is a product of disquiet from her political enemies.
“It’s the wild imagination of convoluted, distorted, warped minds of mischief makers and conflict entrepreneurs who are out to pitch her against the leadership of her party, the All Progressive Congress.”
The minister pointed out that while it was her right, like every other Nigerian, to challenge the outcome of an election she was not satisfied with, as provided by the constitution, they should also be reminded that she was already at the Election Petition Tribunal before she was appointed a Minister.
Onyejeocha wondered if she would have abandoned her pursuit to regain what was stolen from the APC as a family for politicians with parochial interests, greed and an unbridled sense of entitlement or for the opposition party.
The minister noted that she was currently focused on her national assignments assigned to her by President Bola Tinubu at the ministry and also by the leadership of APC as a co-chairman of the party’s national council for the governorship election slated for November.
Onyejeocha added: “My victory at the Tribunal is not only the case, that she has not said a word about her future, has left them restless. So, the need to embark on mischievous propaganda to distract her or possibly force words out of her lips became necessary. Hon. Nkeiruka will not be distracted.
“That anyone could wake up to allege that Onyejeocha is ungrateful for her appointment, then it could only be imagined that the whole narrative is a well calculated attempt orchestrated by her political enemies to picht her against the people.
“The objective of the plotters is to create a false image for the Honourable Minister, thereby heating up the polity.”
Onyejeocha said her sin was that she was appointed a minister and thereafter won her petition at the tribunal.
“We have no doubt that discerning and well-meaning Nigerians are conscious of the ignoble role of these men who should be ignored. Our prayer is that her detractors will soon come to terms with the futility of their actions and succumb to the supremacy of the will of God, the Almighty,” she stated.