Former Aviation Minister Stella Oduah to run for senate

Princess Stella Oduah, a former minister of aviation will contest for a seat in the upper chamber of the National Assembly, 2015, according to reports from theCableNg. 

Oduah had earlier been dropped from President Jonathan’s cabinet after she allegedly approve without following due process, the purchase  of two BMW armoured cars for N255 million by the National Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), a senate report revealed. 

Oduah who comes from  Akili-Ozizor in Ogbaru LGA,will first have to dislodge the current senator, Mrs Margaret Okadigbo ─ widow of Dr. Chuba Okadigbo ─ who fought all the way to the Supreme Court before she could take her seat in 2013, two years after her election. 

The former aviation minister is also believed to enjoy the backing of the PDP chieftains and is not expected to find it difficult to get the party’s nomination.

An associate of the former minister told the website that Oduah decided to give the senate a shot because she believes she still has “a lot” to contribute to national development. “Look at her record at the aviation ministry in less than three years. Never in the history of Nigeria has there been such a revolutionary approach to the development of the aviation industry in terms of infrastructure and safety,” he said. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) recently said she was still under probe over the BMW car affair, but she insists she did not commit any fraud. 

Princess Stella Oduah was recently given the chieftaincy title of Ada Eze Chukwu for her “outstanding service to Nigeria” by the traditional ruler of Ogbaru, Igwe Nelson Ethmal. She has also been honoured with an “award of excellence” by Ndigbo Lagos.