By Celestine Okafor (Editor-in-Chief) @CelestineOkaf11
Renowned international scholar and robotics expert, Professor Barth Nnaji, has debunked trending news reports on social media that he contested for the Labour Party gubernatorial ticket for Enugu state but lost to Hon. Chijoke Edeoga, a former House of Reps member, ex-Commissioner and current flagbearer of the party in the state.
Professor Nnaji and Edeoga were among the governorship aspirants of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) that participated in the recent governorship primary in Enugu where Mr Peter Mba eventually emerged candidate of the party.
Nnaji, in a statement by his Media Assistant, Chijoke Ogbodo, said the report was false, as he has never been a member of the Labour Party and therefore couldn't have participated in a governorship primary of a political party he does not belong to.
The statement by Chijoke Ogbodo reads thus: "There is a report making the rounds on the social media claiming that Professor Bart Nnaji, CON, NNOM, FAS, former Minister of Power and also former Minister of Science & Technology, contested for the gubernatorial ticket of the Labour Party in Enugu State but lost to Honorable Chijioke Jonathan Edoga, an erstwhile Member of the House of Representatives who has been a Commissioner in the State.
"Following the publication, a lot of people from different parts of the world have been making inquiries to ascertain the true state of affairs. I would like to state categorically that Professor Nnaji is not a member of the Labour Party, and has never been. Therefore, there is no way he could have possibly participated in a struggle for the party’s ticket for any public office.
"His preoccupation right now is the development of the electric power sector, which is a sine qua non for rapid national economic growth but is in a poor shape. Given his status in Nigerian society and antecedents on the international stage, it is only natural that people from all walks of life visit him regularly wherever he is. The near countless visitors include politicians and their supporters from various parties. As someone well reputed for an open-door policy, he cannot stop any set of persons from associating with him.
"It is, to repeat, a stretch to allege that Professor Nnaji is a member of the Labour Party, let alone contest unsuccessfully for the party’s gubernatorial ticket. The public is urged to ignore the false report." NNL.