Anambra-South Senatorial Aspirant Akai Egwuonwu Shuns Interview With Journalist

 

RAYMOND OZOJI reports

As political permutations and jostles for the replacement of late Sen. Dr. Patrick Ifeanyi Ubah at the Red Chambers of the national assembly gather serious momentum, contenders and pretenders are neck deep in grandiloquence brandishing flamboyant manifestos. 

Journalists on the other hand are snooping and nosing around for news from those seeking to be elected into public office as it is peculiar and characteristic of election seasons.

 Politicians too make frantic efforts to be in their best behaviours especially as it concerns granting interviews to tell the people why they are seeking to be elected into public office irrespective of whether the journalist or media representative is from a well-known media organisation or not, or if politicians have their own media crew or social media influencers. 

That was the awful experience of an award-winning journalist who approached one of the Anambra-South senatorial aspirants Chief Akai Egwuonwu for an interview on his mission to replace Ifeanyi Ubah at the Senate and to represent Anambra-South senatorial district. 

Chief Akai Egwuonwu had given the journalist appointment for 11am in office at Zara Stores Awka on 14th December after the journalist approached him the previous day at the APGA Regional Headquarters Agu-Awka where the All Progressives Grand Alliance had a historic welcome home ceremony for the national chairman Barr. Sly Ezeokenwa. 

The journalist had traveled all the way from Enugu to meet the 11am appointment with Chief Akai Egwuonwu in his office at Zara Stores only to be treated shabbily by the senatorial aspirant who feigned ignorance of the scheduled meeting with the journalist even when he got to his office few minutes before 11am. 

The journalist met the Amichi-born business mogul in his office and introduced himself rather than being offered a seat, the senatorial aspirant began bombarding the journalist with questions upon questions; reminding him that everything has gone online and nobody reads hard copy newspapers. 

In spite of the outrage, the journalist observed the highest level of decorum and self-comportment; telling Chief Akai Egwuonwu that he was in his office for the interview on his mission to represent Anambra-South at the Senate. 

All his efforts to get the business tycoon to commence the interview with him were unsuccessful as he looked at the journalist with ignominy asking him what he thinks he can do differently when he already has over 30 Social Media Writers writing for me. 

Chief Akai Egwuonwu therefore shunned the interview with the journalist saying that he may not even publish report of the interview. 

That the journalist should go and come back when APGA must have given him the ticket and candidacy of the party for the Anambra-South senatorial bye-election. 

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