How Opara Assaulted Me For Supporting Amaechi -Uchendu Federal lawmaker representing Emohua/Ikwerre Constituency in the House of Representatives, Chief Andrew Uchendu, has revealed that former Speaker of House of Representatives, Hon Austin Opara allegedly assaulted him two weeks ago at Abuja Airport for standing behind Governor Chibuike Amaechi. Chief Uchendu in a chat with newsmen in Port Harcourt, claimed that his colleague representing Ahoada-West and Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Federal Constituency, Honourable Asita was witness to the incident at Abuja Airport. Recalling what happened on that fateful day, Hon. Uchendu stated, “some two weeks ago, I took the 11am flight of Arik Air to Abuja from Port Harcourt. On board the plane, I met the former Deputy Speaker, House of Representatives in the cabin and we had a good flight and arrived Abuja. At the hall, I walked over to the newspaper stand to pick some copies of the dailies. On completion of that, I turned and got accosted by Hon. Austin Opara and he asked me, ‘you granted an interview where you said that I, Austin Opara knelt down and begged Rt. Hon Rotimi Amaechi, when he was Speaker of Rivers State House of Assembly to help make me, Austin Deputy Speaker of House of Representatives’ and I answered in the affirmative.’’ Chief Uchendu further stated that shortly after he narrated the role he played as Chairman of the political tink-tank in Ikwerre ethnic nationality, a position he holds till date, Hon. Austin Opara abused and cursed him severally without justifiable reasons. “ I reminded him that both himself (Austin) and I didn’t know that today would come, and that he should recall that I was the chairman of the political tink-tank, which he was a member of, and I remain the chairman till date, and all these issues were made available to me, I was in charge. “He (Austin Opara) then accused me, cursed me, saying that how can an old man like me tell lies, and I challenged him to invite me to an appropriate venue and time, then I would then give him the full details of what transpired, and how he even pleaded”, Uchendu stated. Chief Uchendu also revealed how Opara pleaded at the Ogbakor Ikwerre Convention and also told the Ogbakor Ikwerre to thank Governor Amaechi for assisting him to become the Deputy Speaker, House of Representatives in the former administration. But just as Chief Uchendu was about to walk away from Opara after the hot exchange, Uchendu claimed that the former House of Representatives Deputy Speaker pulled him back by the angle, pushed him aside and threatened to slap him. “ I could not say much than to challenge him to do so if he was a man. He held me and pushed me before the airport security staff stopped me from retaliating, and all these was happening in the presence of Asita O Asita”’, he said. Uchendu alleged that he refused to retaliate in order not to degrade his status and office.” “I felt if he had better exposure from home or he had learnt anything in the high office he occupied, he would have known that the arrival hall of the Abuja International Airport was the most inappropriate place to confront me, not to talk of engaging in any physical assault on my person and I believe that I heard him (Opara) say,’ look at this old man who is more than 70.’ I am sure he had no respect for old age and I wish him luck’’.
Posted on: Sun, 06 Oct 2013 10:20:09 +0000
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