By Tony Adibe
The All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) candidate for the 2027 House of Representatives election contesting to represent the Dunukofia, Njikoka and Anaocha (DNA) Federal Constituency in Anambra State, Barr. Prince Chukwudi Oli has emphasized that if elected to office, he would not empower his constituents with tricycles popularly known as Keke-Napep and motorcycles for the purpose of commercial transport business.
Oli spoke when he was answering questions from journalists shortly after attending the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Enugu State Council Press Week 2026, which was held at the International Conference Centre (ICC), Enugu, on Thursday, where he stood in for Prince Arthur Eze, who was inducted into the NUJ Hall of Fame. Oli also bagged the “NUJ Legal Excellence and Humanitarian Impact Award.” He insisted that buying Keke-Napep and motorcycles for his constituents would mean degrading them and exposing them to the daily hazards on the roads.
NewsBits reports that the 2026 Press Week was themed “Media Accountability and the Future Democratic Trust: Confronting the Crisis of Confidence Ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 Elections,” while the sub-theme was “Media Innovation and Energy: The Role of the Media in Driving Innovation and Sustainable Growth in the Energy Sector.” The former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hon. Geoffrey Onyeama, was chairman of the occasion.
Oli maintained that empowerment was not all about buying keke and motorcycles for people to engage in commercial transportation despite the inherent risks and dangers. He said: “I mean true representation is not street lights provisions; it’s not about sharing keke-napep or motorcycles. That’s not my idea of representation. My idea of true representation is touching lives and making people feel the impact of democracy, and that is what I am doing.”
Prince Oli said that if elected to the Green Chamber of the National Assembly, he would adopt practical and positive measures that would touch the lives of his constituents in more meaningful ways, such as sponsoring bills that would translate into laws that would impact the people positively, provision of food, quality healthcare services, building entrepreneurs, among others. “My representation is embedded in the provision of health; provision of healthcare services, provision of food, building entrepreneurs and sponsoring and passing bills that will translate into laws,” he said.
The legal practitioner further said: “By my training, I am a legal practitioner, and I will do legislative drafting. If I tell you that with as little as N12,000 you can register someone in the Primary Healthcare Centre and we have about 51 wards; and register about 5,100 people with less than N65million; You give them free access to healthcare services; you can feed them, and you are empowering people by creating entrepreneurs.”
Oli, who is popularly known as Oba Ezeafia, said his constituency is second to the largest in the entire Nigeria with 51 wards, and 715 polling units across the constituency comprising Dunukofia, Njikoka and Anaocha. He said since the INEC blew the whistle for commencement of electioneering, he has been, under the banner of APGA, actively conducting widespread consultations, community engagements, and meet-and-greet sessions across various local wards, including Agulu, Ifitedunu, and Adazi-Ani.
Oli reiterated that any of his constituents who might expect him to share money on election day would be highly disappointed because he does not believe in vote-buying. He stressed that so far he and his team have been disbursing funds to traders in the markets within his constituency to enable them to add up to their petty trading.
“We are going to the market and empowering traders with as little as N50,000 naira per each trader and they are happy. They are doing a whole lot. And I have told them that I won’t share money on the day of the election. I have told our people that if you want a representation that is embedded in quality, in humanity remember on that day of election, when you get there you vote for me, Oba Ezeafia. And that’s all I want to do in my humanitarian service works,” he said, adding: “My constituency is second to the largest we have in Nigeria; consisting of 51 wards and about 715 polling units.”
Admitting that he is relatively a greenhorn in politics, Oli also spoke about his motivation before going to contest.
“I told them (his people) that I came out to run this election because I feel politics should be viewed from a humanitarian angle; from a point of service. A servant is responsible and responsive; a servant reports to the people he is serving. Representation should all be about serving,” he said, adding: “I have looked around, and I am just fairly new in politics, and how God has elevated me; gave me the APGA ticket in the keenly contested primary election. I’ve looked around, and I have noticed that people are poor. They need a better life.”
Coming from Agukwu Nri in Anambra State, Oli said he is fully involved in grassroots community leadership and political organizing within the DNA Constituency. A careful glance at his brief profile indicated that Oli attended the College of the Immaculate Conception (CIC) in Enugu and obtained his legal qualifications from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) and the Nigerian Law School. Besides law, he operates as a property developer and entrepreneur.
According to him, his public engagements frequently focus on women’s empowerment initiatives, community development, and partnership with local religious and civic institutions.
NewsBits, however, reports that Oli did not give names or numbers of the markets or how many traders so far have benefited from the N50,000 trading scheme, which, he said, he has been disbursing to traders in markets within his constituency. He also could not say for how long he has operated the scheme and when it is likely to be concluded or if it is going to be a continuous exercise. Phone calls made on his MTN line, text messages, and voicemail sent to his WhatsApp number were not answered at the time of filing this report on Friday. There was no independent means of verification that his N50,000 trading scheme was being shared with traders in his constituency.
