Former Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, has said that she is seeking a return to the House of Representatives to complete projects and programmes she started for the people of Isuikwuato/Umunneochi Federal Constituency of Abia State.
Onyejeocha made the disclosure in Enugu Monday during the consecration and inauguration of John Chimaobi Egbo as the new Bishop and General Overseer of the United Church of Christ (Fountain of Peace).
The former minister resigned her position in April to pursue her bid for the House of Representatives seat, which she represented from 2007 to 2023 before her appointment to the Federal Executive Council.
In her address, Onyejeocha said that she did not voluntarily abandon her legislative mandate but was denied the opportunity to continue serving her constituents, maintaining that she won the 2023 election, which she contested on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The former minister had challenged the outcome of the election before the National Assembly Election Petitions Tribunal in Umuahia, insisting that she defeated the incumbent lawmaker, Amobi Ogah of the Labour Party (LP).
In September 2023, the tribunal nullified Ogah’s election and declared Onyejeocha the winner. However, the Court of Appeal, Lagos Division, overturned the tribunal’s judgment in November 2023 and affirmed Ogah as the duly elected member representing Isuikwuato/Umunneochi Federal Constituency.
Despite the legal setback, Onyejeocha said she remains committed to the development of the constituency, noting that several projects she initiated while in office remain unfinished. Among them, she cited a 15-kilometre road project designed to improve access and stimulate economic activities in the area.
“I am running because I still have a lot to offer my people in terms of representation,” she said. “My people trusted my commitment to service, and that was why they voted for me in 2023. I am eager to return and continue working for them.”
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