Enugu State chapter of All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) now poses extreme threats to the ruling party in the State ahead of 2023 general elections, owing to the qualities of its aspirants.
While background of such figure like Frank Nweke Jr, competent and highly-connected ex-Minister of Information, is already known, there are somewhat obscure figures, now vying for different positions on the party’s platform, who are great fighters.
Jude Ogbonna, publisher of alutaexpress.com, is one of those aspirants. Considering his antecedents, although not very long, its clear that APGA would be having a worthy representative in Aninri Constituency after the young blogger is elected in the party’s primary election slated for May 28.
RECORDS OF JUDE OGBONNA (2012-2022)
Once admitted in Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka in 2012, Jude Ogbonna took but little time before he cast himself as a hardball, playing his way to top echelon of “king-makers” in school politics.
“He was both deeply loved and hated, but he didn’t care at all …a stubborn and inordinately ambitious guy. I remember one time he won the seat of Secretary General in the department” Miss Amarachi Nwanneakolam, pretty girl generally believed to be Jude’s girlfriend, said.
“He wasn’t interested in the position at first; his mind was onto higher places at SUG level. But one day, few days to the elections, someone joked that no person alive could defeat Geoffrey, a highly popular front-runner in the election. Just like that. Jude took it seriously, enlisted without preparations; without due consultation. He just jumped into it. I still can’t understand it, but everyone saw Geoffrey dropped his ambition and backed out of the race at last minute. Jude soundly defeated other candidates on the day of election”, said Miss Nwanneakolam said.
While a student in Awka, Jude Ogbonna was active in mainstream politics, winning several positions in APGA and APC, and working for candidates either as a coordinator or a publicist.
He attended as delegate one of the political party’s primary elections in the Anambra gubernatorial race of 2017, winning over many powerful people who insisted that he was not qualified because he was from Enugu State.
Of all the little victories, this aspiring Assemblyman relishes the most his roles in 2020 council election in Enugu State.
As usual the election was conducted under open manipulation, with the State’s electoral umpire willing to write the results in favour of the ruling PDP. Jude ran with the ticket of APC as councillorship candidate in Oduma ward 2, Aninri.
But the natives were soon going to look in utter disbelief on the election day, February 28, 2020, when policemen bundled into their vehicles Hon. Abel Chukwu, former Speaker of Enugu State House of Assembly, the ENSIEC ad-hoc officials, and two other prominent businessmen. Jude arrested them at the home of one of the wealthy men where they were manipulating the results. It was the biggest spectacle, the like of which Oduma has never seen before.
A fearless fighter, the young blogger has confronted the arrogance of public officials in the past, noted examples being his battles with Hon. Josef Onoh, the former chairman of Enugu Capital Development Authority (ECDA) and then sitting councillor of Nenwe ward 3, Hon. Chidi Victor which appeared in some dailies like Vanguard newspaper and countless online outlets.
BACKGROUND
A native of Amagu in Oduma, Aninri Local Government Area of Enugu State, Jude Chinonso Ogbonna was the eleventh issue and third son in a polygamous family of 12 children.
He obtained his First School Leaving Certificate (FSLC) and WAEC at Central School Oduma and Global Secondary School, Onitsha respectively. In 2012 he enrolled to study English Language at Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, and served (NYSC) in 2017/18 session.
He contested for councillorship seat of Oduma ward 2 in 2020; he contested for chairmanship of Aninri Local Government Area in 2022 council elections under the platform of All Progressives Grand Alliance. He has been cleared by his party to run for House of Assembly in the 2023 general elections.