By Emeka Okwara
Senator Peter Onyelukachukwu Nwaoboshi who was recently released on the orders of the Supreme court after over 12 months imprisonment arrived Delta State Thursday to a tumultuous welcome from supporters and well wishers across party lines.
This was the respected senator’s first visit to the state after his incarceration by the Appeal Court which had earlier sentenced him to seven years in jail for alleged fraudulent practices.
A huge crowd of supporters, relations and other stakeholders in the state cutting across parties and class was on hand to receive Senator Onyelukachukwu Nwaoboshi whose plane touched down at the Asaba International Airport, Delta State, at 1.30pm. He was accompanied by two serving All Progressives Congress, APC, senators from Delta State, Senator Joel Onowakpo and Senator Ede Dafinone.
Senator Nwaoboshi who needed to complete the journey home on road to his town in Ibusa was moved by the huge cheers from residents and people of all walks of life that greeted his convoy as it went through Asaba, the Delta State capital.
At Ibusa, where he was warmly received by his family, friends, siblings and political associates from APC, PDP, Accord Party, Labour Party and others, a close associate remarked, “So today, after the much-failed efforts made to curse a man whom God has already blessed, that man has come to take his rightful place as our leader. He’s the APC leader in the Delta North; he’s Delta North’s political leader no matter the party you belong and he’s the man who everybody gives the respect as Anioma original leader.”
The New Diplomat reports that Senator Nwaoboshi was earlier welcomed by the leadership of Anioma and different social-cultural groups and thousands of supporters who converged at the airport to receive him on arrival.
The Senator had in a brief media interaction, expressed his joy to be home again and condemned his incarceration and imprisonment by the Appeal Court for twelve months and six days as illegal.
Recall that in July 2022, the embattled senator was sentenced to 7 years in prison after he was convicted by the Appeal Court in Lagos, but exactly one year later, the Supreme court on July 7, 2023 nullified his conviction on the grounds of illegality.
The Supreme Court’s judgment acquitting Senator Peter Nwaoboshi of money laundering and fraud charges filed against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC)’s was another dent on the image of the anti-graft agency which has seen many of its cases overturned in court in recent times.
