The president of Oranto Petroleum Limited, Prince (Engr) Arthur Eze, has called out a former honourable senator at the Nigerian National Assembly, Sen. Andy Uba, over the latter denial of collecting N50mllion loan from the former.
Recall that in a statement to the media few days ago, Sen. Uba claimed he was owing the businessman a dime as the claim were false.
Uba was a senator representing Anambra South Senatorial zone and the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in last year’s governorship election in Anambra State.
“For the avoidance of doubt, I never borrowed N50million from Prince Arthur Eze.
“Both of us only attended a church service at St. James Anglican Church Uga, Aguata L.G.A, Anambra State during my senatorial campaign, in the build-up to 2015 general elections.
“In the course of the said church service, Prince Arthur Eze donated N50million to support my senatorial political campaign on the altar and the entire congregant was engulfed with joy and happiness which made the officiating priest extend a warm handshake of gratitude and appreciation for his kind gesture,” he claimed.
However, in a swift response made available to Freelanews and signed by the company’s media consultant, Chief Oliver Okpala, there was no iota of truth in Uba’s claims.
“The attention of the Media Consultants to Oranto Petroleum Ltd. and it’s President, Prince (Engr) Arthur Eze, OFR has been drawn to a gross misrepresentation of facts via a press statement issued by Senator Andy Uba denying the fifty million naira loan he obtained from Prince Eze.
“We would have treated this statement as one of those documents only fit for the garbage and not respond, but as an organisation with utmost respect for the rule of law and public decency, we wish to put the records straight and confine the statement which is full of blatant lies to where it rightly belongs.
“We are indeed shocked by this act of absolute falsehood, twisting of facts, pure lies and crafty denial by Senator Andy Uba that Prince Arthur Eze did not give him a loan.
“He rather claimed that Prince Arthur Eze gave the fifty million naira to his church for his campaign,” Chief Okpala wrote.
He wondered why would someone, who wants to donate money to Sen. Uba for your campaign will go and give it to the politician’s church.
“We therefore have some pertinent questions for Senator Uba.
“If someone wants to donate money to you for your campaign, will he go and give it to your church or he would give you the money directly?
“Better still won’t the person go to your campaign office and make the donation?
“It is on record that Prince Arthur Eze was a guest of the church, St. James Anglican Church Uga, Aguata L.G.A, Anambra State, which Senator Uba is now using as a ploy, during their thanksgiving ceremony. Senator Uba, as an indegene of the place was also at the occasion. Prince Arthur Eze made a donation to the church in the presence of Senator Uba. Now that he is embattled, he wants to manipulate the minds of the public, by claiming that the loan he took is part of the donation Prince Eze made to the church. Does that make any sense?
“This was a loan that was given to him in Prince Eze’s house and not at the church, via a cheque issued through, Oranto Petroleum Ltd’s account- Prince Eze’s company. Senator Uba’ s name was written on the cheque.
“If it was a donation to the church as now being claimed by Uba, why was the cheque issued in his name?
If it was a donation to the church, why was Senator Uba the one who went to withdraw the money and keep it to himself without giving it to the church?
It should be noted that the cheque was issued to him in February and he withdrew the money that same month, while the Thanksgiving Ceremony took place in April. Senator Uba should tell the world the nexus between these two months regarding the loan he took.
Do people who want to make donations to a political campaign have to go to the church to make such donations?
Is the church a political play ground or a field for holding political rallies?
These are very critical questions that Senator Uba must answer.
If the money was truly a donation to the church why hasn’t he handed over the money to the church or is he the custodian of the church’s treasury?
It must be emphasized that the cheque he received from Prince Arthur Eze has nothing to do with the Church. Prince Eze wrote the cheques differently and separately, that of the church was written in the name of the church and that of Senator Uba in his name.
So they are two different things and Senator Uba should not try to deceive the public.
If the money actually belongs to the church why is the money with Senator Uba?
How can a man who should be honourable degenerate and go so low to the point of cheap lies?
This has indeed shown that he is not a honourable man.
In the church premises he openly confessed that Arthur had given him over 200 million naira for the said campaigns.
Now, Senator Uba has opened up a new catastrophic channel of conflict where the church would come and ask him to give them their money.
This attempt to escape payment of the loan with mountains of falling and failing lies exposes him as a pathological liar and someone who cannot be trusted.
If Uba can seek to turn true life events and occurrences on its head just because of 50 million naira, then one wonders how he got to the Senate.
It is shocking and reprehensible that someone at his level who has been a Governor of a State – even though it was for just 3 days, a Senator and a former Special Assistant to the President on Domestic Affairs is finding it difficult to pay back a loan of fifty million naira and is now bringing himself into a state of national opprobrium and odium over such a paltry sum.
It was indeed a political blunder for such a person to have risen to the Senate. His actions and crafty denial shows that he does not have respect for the rule of law, especially as the courts have delivered judgements on the matter.
Why didn’t he proceed with the appeal he filed on the matter? He withdrew that case because he must have been told by his lawyers that there was no way he could escape paying back the loan.
In the judgement, the Judge said Senator Uba did not adduce any reason why he should not be made to pay back the money.
A man whose cars were taken away in the open glare of all, in an enforcement move by a court of competent jurisdiction, is saying that Prince Arthur Eze has exposed him to public ridicule, malicious damage and therefore consulting his lawyers. This is laughable!
Furthermore, he should know that the reports that surfaced in both conventional and Social Media were from the judgements of courts of competent jurisdiction, the High Court of Anambra State in suit No: AG/94/2016 and the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory Abuja. The ensuing enforcement of the courts orders was not a fiction or creation by the media. Senator Uba at his level should know that truth is a defence in a case of libel or slander.
The media houses that wrote the reports have the court judgements from Anambra and the FCT High Court. Does Prince Arthur Eze have control over the media or tell Journalists how to do their job? What was reported was the fact and journalists have the constitutional duty to keep the public informed.
Why is Senator Uba connecting Prince Eze with the media coverage of a court judgment and subsequent enforcement.
The journalists also took photographs of the vehicles as they were been taken away when they accompanied the execution team from the court to his premises. So what does Senator Uba want to hide? His crying wolf now amount to stealing in a marketplace and hiding the stolen item with one’s hand behind one’s back. It would not work!
Is he denying that an Execution Team had not come to his premises to enforce a court judgment?
Besides, the court judgments are open to the media and any interested member of the public.
The media houses quoted the judgement and the judges who delivered the judgements.
No matter the circumstance, no right thinking person should degenerate into this obloquy. Senator Andy Uba should quickly retrace his steps and pay back his debt before it is too late.
It is of note that it was through the instrumentality of Arthur Eze that Andy Uba won election to the Senate when he pleaded with Ifeanyi Uba to step down for Andy Uba.
Prince Arthur Eze’s exhibition of philanthropy benevolence and providence to the Uba family of uga are so monumental as they are uncountable to mention
Ojelabi, the publisher of Freelanews, is an award winning and professionally trained mass communicator, who writes ruthlessly about pop culture, religion, politics and entertainment.
