The All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in Anambra State has criticized the Labour Party and its allies for fielding Mrs. Justina Azuka, widow of the late Justice Azuka, as their candidate in the upcoming House of Assembly by-election for Onitsha North 1 Constituency.

Describing the move as exploitative and insensitive, APGA said it was a recipe for further emotional and financial frustration for the bereaved family.

Justice Azuka, a Labour Party member representing the constituency, was kidnapped and later murdered last year despite the payment of ransom.

Mrs. Azuka is reportedly being sponsored by Senator Tony Nwoye, Idu Emeka, and the Labour Party to take over her late husband’s seat in the Assembly.

Reacting to the development, Coordinator of the APGA Media Warriors, Evangelist Chinedu Obigwe, said the decision to field Mrs. Azuka for the August 16 by-election was ill-advised and politically motivated.

“This is a widow who should be mourning her husband and focusing on raising their children, but instead, she is being dragged into a political contest that could end in disappointment,” Obigwe said.

He accused Senator Nwoye and his associates of using Mrs. Azuka for political sympathy, adding that they would likely abandon her if she failed to win the election.

“If they truly cared about her and the children Justice Azuka left behind, they would raise N50 to N100 million to set her up in business and empower her to secure her family’s future,” he stated.

Obigwe described politics as a “gamble” and warned that the cost of the campaign—likely between N100 million and N200 million—would be a waste if she lost the election.

“After the election, if she doesn’t win, they will move on and leave her to deal with the emotional and financial burden alone,” he added. “That’s when the cobwebs covering her eyes will clear.”

He urged the political actors to stop using her as a pawn and let her uphold the legacy of her late husband by focusing on the welfare of their children.

Obigwe praised the widow of the late Senator Ifeanyi Ubah for rejecting calls by Senate President Godswill Akpabio and Senator Ali Ndume to contest the Anambra South Senatorial by-election.

“She made the right decision by turning them down and choosing to care for her children instead,” he said.
“In contrast, Justina Azuka has made a bad decision she may come to regret after August 16.”

He accused Senator Nwoye, Idu Emeka, and their allies of playing “sympathy politics” with the late lawmaker’s death, calling it a “sacrilegious sin.”