By TINA TIMOTHY

The Professor Uzodinma Nwala’s 80th Birthday Committee has debunked former Senator Victor Umeh’s alleged statement on Obiano and EFCC currently making the rounds and trending on social and print media, saying the statement ‘did not contain an iota of truth’.

In a statement issued in Enugu on Monday, March 21, 2022 and signed by its Coordinator, Dozie Chukwuokolo PhD, the committee stated emphatically that the former Senator never spoke on Obiano at Professor Nwala’s birthday ceremony.

The statement reads: “The attention of the Prof Uzodimma Nwala's 80th Birthday Committee has been drawn to news item trending on social and print media that former Senator Victor Umeh who attended Prof Nwala's 80th Birthday in Enugu on Friday, 18th March 2022 at Kobb’s Event Center, ShopRite, Enugu spoke at the event on Obiano and his present arrest and detention at EFCC. The trending statement is titled: “Obiano Did'nt Build Projects With Sand, He Did Well As Gov — Sen Victor Umeh”.

“The Prof Nwala’s 80th Birthday Planning Committee is hereby saddened by the statement which did not contain an iota of truth. In other words, there was never a time such statement was made by the former Senator at the event and could not have been made or allowed considering the impeccable character of Prof Timothy Uzodinma Nwala and the corporate integrity of the AlaIgbo Development Foundation which he chairs or presides over as President.

“It must be further clarified that the former Senator was only allowed to speak when he volunteered to launch Prof Nwala’s Book: “T. Uzodinma Nwala: The Philosopher-Statesman”, during which he briefly spoke on Prof Nwala and his immense contributions for the development of the Igbo Nation. The former Senator had also added that he had known Prof Nwala for the past 25years and that he is one of the few Igbo prominent persons that has not compromised or been compromised. The former Senator ended his brief speech and bought five copies of the Book with N250,000 which he later paid cash and left.

“It must be stated that uttering such comment at the event would have attracted sharp criticisms and booing from our respected guests with capacity to disrupt the August occasion. Beside that, it would have also diminished the impeccable reputations of Prof Nwala and ADF as upholders of the principles of good governance and accountability in public governance. It was to forestall this kind of grandstanding that we refused to make the event a political one. How can an Igbo elder and senator be caught in such cheap lies one may ask?”