On Monday, there was singing, dancing, prayers, and tears of gratitude across 13 wards in Nkporo, under Ohafia Local Government Area of Abia State. For women and elderly residents across the wards the day was not just about cash and relief materials. It was about being remembered. At the centre of it all was Chief Ikenna Nicolas Ukwa, the APC House of Representatives candidate for Arochukwu/Ohafia Federal Constituency, whose humanitarian outreach turned market squares into celebrations and reminded constituents that leadership can still wear a human face, reports Ekuson Nw’Ogbunka, Our anchorman from Abia reports. Excerpts.
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From early morning, crowds gathered in their wards. The atmosphere was festive. APC faithful, ward women leaders, and community stakeholders filled the venues as representatives of Ukwa arrived with bags of relief materials and envelopes of cash.
Though Ukwa was represented by the APC Abia North Deputy Chairman, Chief Mba Imo, his message was clear: “The welfare of women will remain a central pillar of my legislative agenda.” The words were met with applause.
Organisers stressed that the outreach was not a last-minute election stunt. It was, they said, another chapter in the work of the Ikenna and Jenn Ukwa Foundation, a non-profit Ukwa co-founded with his wife, Lolo Jennifer E. Ukwa, which has been supporting vulnerable persons across Arochukwu and Ohafia long before 2027 campaigns began.
Chief Mba Imo told the crowd that giving has “become part of him.” He recalled years of consistent interventions: paying school fees, registering students for external exams, and supporting widows and artisans.
The foundation, he said, is currently sponsoring indigent pupils and students at primary, secondary and tertiary levels. For many families struggling with school costs, that support has meant the difference between staying in class or dropping out.
Beyond education, the foundation has distributed food items to vulnerable households, provided business grants to women traders, and given artisans working tools to expand their trades and achieve self-reliance. Nkporo, with its large population of women and elderly, has felt the weight of the current economy. The timing of the intervention, therefore, struck a chord. Beneficiaries described it as “timely” and “God-sent.”
The women did not mince words. “We have seen his good works over the years. He has paid school fees for our children, supported widows, empowered many families and today he has remembered the elderly,” one beneficiary said. Another group chorused: “This kind of love and compassion is rare. We thank God for giving us a son like Chief Ikenna Nicolas Ukwa.” For many, the cash was immediate relief. For others, it was proof that someone was watching.
Chief Imo assured that if elected, Ukwa would go beyond periodic handouts. The plan, he said, is to introduce sustainable empowerment programmes that will improve livelihoods and ease the daily burden on families. The repeated emphasis on women was deliberate. In Ukwa’s blueprint, women are not just beneficiaries. They are the engine of households and communities, and supporting them means strengthening the entire constituency.
The Ohafia LGA APC Women Leader and ward women leaders present described the event as evidence of Ukwa’s “people-oriented leadership.” They said it reflects the kind of representation they want in Abuja. The event ended with prayers for Ukwa and his wife. Women sang thanksgiving songs, lifting their voices for the couple and for what they called a leader with a servant’s heart.
The women also made a political pledge: to mobilise overwhelming support for Ukwa in the 2027 general elections. They cited his consistency, accessibility and commitment as reasons for their loyalty. Community stakeholders present said the intervention was more than charity. It was grassroots development in action — touching the most vulnerable first, not last.
In Nkporo on Monday, excitement was not manufactured. It was earned. Through cash, food, and a message of hope, Chief Ikenna Nicolas Ukwa reminded his people that leadership, at its best, is service. And for the women and elderly who went home with relief, that service came exactly when it was needed.
