Presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 election, Mr. Peter Obi, has endorsed the candidacy of Mrs. Justina Azuka, widow of late Hon. Justice Azuka, for the bye-election to replace her husband who was recently kidnapped and murdered.
The bye-election, which will hold on Saturday, August 16, 2025 is to fill the Onitsha North 1 Constituency seat in the Anambra State House of Assembly that has been vacant since the abduction on 24 December 2024 in Onitsha and gruesome killing of Hon. Azuka by his abductors in February this year.
Mr. Obi, a former Governor of Anambra State, paid the late legislator’s family a visit on Wednesday, August 13, 2025, in the run up to the election.
In an X (Twitter) post, he said that Mrs. Azuka is qualified to fill the vacancy and has the desire to serve the people, stressing that voting the mother of three young children in would not only be “an investment in competent representation but also a collective act of solidarity that will help ease the pain and heavy burden of her loss.”
In the post titled “Standing with Mrs. Azuka for Onitsha North 1 Constituency,” Mr. Obi further pointed out that by supporting Mrs. Azuka to win the election, people will be sending “a clear message that in the new Nigeria, we will be compassionate, we will care for one another in times of difficulty, and we will uphold justice alongside competent leadership.”
Mr. Peter Obi’s post in full, reads:
Standing with Mrs. Azuka for Onitsha North 1 Constituency
Today, I visited Mrs. Justina Azuka, who recently suffered the tragic and gruesome loss of her husband, Hon. Justice Azuka, at the hands of kidnappers.
In the face of this unimaginable pain, Mrs. Azuka has chosen the path of service, stepping forward to contest the Onitsha North Constituency 1 seat in the House of Assembly, to serve the remaining 13 months of her late husband’s tenure. She is a young mother of three — the eldest just 7 years old, and the others only 5 and 3.
I have always maintained that leadership without compassion is meaningless. True leadership must balance competence with humanity. Mrs. Azuka is an HND graduate in Public Administration — qualified, competent, and a woman of strength, resilience, and commitment to serve.
I call on all well-meaning citizens, at home and beyond, to rally behind her candidacy. Supporting her is not only an investment in competent representation but also a collective act of solidarity that will help ease the pain and heavy burden of her loss.
She has my full support, and I urge us all to stand together to ensure that this capable and committed daughter of ours is elected on Saturday, 16 August 2025. In doing so, we send a clear message that in the new Nigeria, we will be compassionate, we will care for one another in times of difficulty, and we will uphold justice alongside competent leadership.
A New Nigeria is POssible. -PO
