According to reliable reports, the Speaker of Ebonyi State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Francis Nwifuru, on Wednesday called on Senator Julius Ucha to withdraw what he described as the malicious allegations made against his person or provide evidence to the lies.

Senator Ucha had on Tuesday addressed some journalists in Abakaliki in which he alleged that Nwifuru threatened to attack him and his property if he fails to step down for him.

Recall that Governor David Umahi of Ebonyi state had over the weekend endorsed Speaker Nwifuru to succeed him come 2023. The endorsement has however generated reactions from both Sen. Ucha and other governorship aspirants on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Reacting to Ucha’s claims, Nwifuru in a statement signed by his press secretary, Leo Oketa demanded that the senator retract his statement or provide evidence to the allegation.

The statement reads in part:

“The noble attention of the Honourable Speaker of Ebonyi State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru has been drawn to a false, misleading, disreputable, and spiteful comment made against his person by Sen. Julius Ali Ucha, during a press conference yesterday, April 26, 2022.

“While addressing the public during his press conference, Sen. Ucha noted, that he HEARD that Rt. Hon. Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru said, that he (Mr. Speaker) will attack him and his property in the State and other aspirants because he has been endorsed.

“Drawing from this unfortunate development, I have been directed by the Honourable Speaker of Ebonyi State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru, to deflate and condemn in the strongest possible terms, the spiteful comments from Sen. Ucha, as fallacious and laden with everything dishonorable.

“Rt. Hon. Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru typifies everything peaceful. His reverential and unassuming personality negates every single word employed by Sen. Ucha in his comments.

“While it is a given, that a miniature amount of people will not accept the glorious endorsements of Speaker Nwifuru by our superlative Governor, leaders, men, women, and youths in Ebonyi State including the Ezza Nation, it is, to say the least, proper, that Sen. Julius Ali Ucha who had before now, been perceived as a respectable stakeholder in the State, should not base such dreadful and false accusation on flimsy hearsay.”