Nearly two months after defecting from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Stella Adaeze Oduah (Anambra North), has not effected the defection on the floor of the Senate.
Even entreaties made to that effect by the Senate President , Ahmad Lawan during plenary Tuesday this week , was not acted upon by the Senator during plenary the following day (Wednesday).
Senator Stella Oduah had in the heat of litigations against her by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission ( EFCC) over alleged mismanagement of N9.4billion as Aviation Minister during the President Goodluck Jonathan administration, hurriedly defected to APC on August 21, 2021 after a Federal High Court in Abuja threatened to issue bench warrant for her arrest and arraignment.
The threat of bench warrant came the way of the embattled Senator on July 12, 2021 when Justice Inyang Ekwo on the strength of submissions made by the EFCC counsel , Hassan Liman, ordered that she should appear in court on 19th of this month or forced to do so through arrest by bench warrant .
Rattled by the judicial ambush and legal fireworks launched against her, Oduah quickly ran to the National Secretariat of APC in Abuja in company of the Deputy President of the Senate, Ovie Omo – Agege, Governor Hope Uzodinma of Imo state and APC guber candidate for the November, 2021 Anambra governorship election, Senator Andy Uba etc, for political refuge.
Being an all inclusive party, the APC-led by Chairman of its National Caretaker and Extra Ordinary Convention Planning Committee, Governor Mai Mala Buni of Yobe state, accepted Oduah into its fold through a statement signed to that effect by the party’s National Director of Publicity, Salisu Dambatta.
Oduah at the occasion which was widely reported in social and conventional media platforms, said she dumped PDP for APC in changing the political narrative of the South East ahead of the 2023 general election and in particular, ahead of the November 6, 2021 gubernatorial election in Anambra Spstate.
But after the euphoria of the occasion that day , much has not been heard from Stella Oduah as regards her new political party..
Political watchers infact thought that since the Defection was done in August when the National Assembly was in recess, Oduah would follow up by making official announcement to that effect on the floor of the Senate .
But throughout the three weeks the Senate sat after its resumption on 14th of September to Wednesday , 13th October when it suspended plenary for 2022 budget consideration at Commitee level , no letter from Oduah was received by the Senate President for perfection of the defection on the floor of the Senate.
Worried by the development, the President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, during plenary Tuesday this week, called on Senator Odual to move to the side of APC Senators in the Hallow chamber having defected to the party .
But that was not to be since Oduah has not officially informed the Senate of the Defection through required letter to the Senate President , a development that made Lawan to ask the Chief Whip , Orji Uzor Kalu to fast track the process for that to happen the following day ( Wednesday) which however, not happened.
Findings by the Blueprint from those close to the embattled Senator revealed that she is being cautious about her political move because of her date in the Court of law in Abuja on the 19th of this month and the November 6, Guber election in her state. One of the Senator’s close political aides who pleaded for anonymity, said the outcome of the October 19 court appearance in Abuja here and November 6, gubernatorial election in Anambra state will determine her final say on the defection..
“Oga for now does not want to do that ritual of moving from one side of the aisle in the Senate to the other for the sake of defection but wait for the outcome of gubernatorial election coming up in her state next month and also the direction of her prosecution in the Court of law here in Abuja.
“If the candidate of APC wins in the election, Oga will do the needful in the Senate by officially announcing her defection but if APGA or PDP win, she may not be moved into doing that,” said the source ..
When reminded that sitting on the fence tactics in the Senate chamber will deny her of participation in debates as clearly seen with the one done on general principles of 2022 budget which she didn’t participate in for fear of being asked again to move to the APC side , the source said before Senate’ s resumption of plenary on November 9, Oduah ‘ s appearance in the court of law and Anambra Guber election must taken place.The outcome of which, she added , “will shape her final decision on the issue of officialising her Defection on the floor of the Senate “.
