By Mephy James
Former member of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Sam Onuigbo, has formally declared his intention to contest the Abia Central Senatorial seat under the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Onuigbo submitted his Expression of Interest and Nomination forms during the week officially signalling the commencement of his campaign for the party’s senatorial ticket ahead of the next general election.
Speaking with journalists shortly after the submission, the former two-term lawmaker said he had already begun consultations and mobilisation efforts across the six local government areas that make up the Abia Central Senatorial District.
According to him, the submission of the forms marks the beginning of the process, which would be followed by the party’s screening exercise and the APC primary election.
“I came to submit my nomination and expression of interest forms to represent Abia Central Senatorial District. I have already started the process by ensuring that people in my constituency endorsed the forms, and today marks the beginning,” he said.
Onuigbo expressed confidence in his chances of securing both the party’s ticket and victory at the general election, citing his relationship with the people and his record in public office.
The former lawmaker stated that his previous performance in office remains his greatest campaign strength, noting that he remains the only politician to have secured re-election in his federal constituency.
“I have earned the trust and confidence of the people through purposeful representation and service. The people will base their decisions on what they have seen,” he stated.
He also reaffirmed his commitment to people-oriented representation through what he described as the “EAR” principle — Effectiveness, Accessibility and Responsiveness.
According to him, his style of leadership has always been centred on remaining accessible to constituents and responding to their needs within available resources and opportunities.
Onuigbo assured supporters that, if elected to the Senate, he would sustain and improve on his record of service delivery and constituency engagement.
“There will be no change in my commitment to the people except continuous improvement in service delivery,” he said.
Despite the APC not being the ruling party in Abia State, Onuigbo maintained that he was optimistic about the party’s chances in the senatorial district, insisting that the electorate would ultimately decide based on credibility, accessibility and performance
