A fresh political storm is brewing in Anambra State as stakeholders under the Concerned Citizens of Anambra Central have accused Senator Victor Umeh, representing Anambra Central, and Senator Neda Imasuen of collecting bribes to support an alleged unconstitutional emergency rule in Rivers State.
In a scathing rejoinder signed by Chukwuebuka Ekpechi, the group alleged that the two Labour Party senators received a total of $10,000 each in bribes at an “Iftar Prayer” gathering at Senate President Godswill Akpabio’s Maitama Guest House. According to them, the event served as a covert meeting where selected senators were financially induced to endorse the controversial emergency rule in Rivers State.
The stakeholders accused Umeh and Imasuen of betraying their party and electorate by aligning with the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led federal government in what they described as a “dollars bazaar.” They claimed that both senators pledged their full support for the emergency rule and were present in the Senate’s closed-door session where the decision was finalized without the required 72 votes for legal approval.
“Senator Umeh should name any other Labour Party senator who attended the Tuesday night meeting where he claims he was merely ‘praying for peace.’ If he insists he wasn’t bribed, let him tell Nigerians who sponsored his multiple TV appearances where he fiercely defended the APC-led Senate’s unpopular policies,” the statement read.
The group further questioned Umeh’s sudden alignment with the APC, accusing him of acting as the unofficial spokesman of the Senate and the federal government. They demanded explanations for his strong defense of the National Anthem Bill—a legislation hurriedly passed without public scrutiny—and his fierce attacks on Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who opposed it.
The stakeholders did not mince words, directly accusing Umeh of working against the Labour Party’s principles and preparing to defect to the APC. They pointed out that Imasuen’s political mentor, Senator Mathew Urhoghide, has already joined the ruling party, making his defection a matter of “when, not if.”
Reaffirming their stance, the stakeholders declared:
“We will not sit idly by while Senator Umeh betrays the trust of the people who elected him. Posterity will judge his actions.”
The allegations corroborate an explosive report by SaharaReporters, which previously revealed that some senators received hefty bribes to back the controversial emergency rule in Rivers State.
With these weighty accusations hanging over them, will Senators Umeh and Imasuen come clean, or will history remember them as politicians who sold their mandate for dollars?
PIONEER NEWS 