Fred Latimore Oghenesivbe
Of a truth, this topic is not what I intended for my numerous readers this week but had to make a dramatic u-turn to address this pressing political issue which, to my mind, will make a very big difference in our collective quest for credible candidates for the Ethiope East Local Government elections, particularly for the office of the Chairman of the council.
The October 25 LGA elections in Delta State is very important to the people of Ethiope East which is why various interest groups are pressing for the nomination of a credible candidate who has the required pedigree in local and state politics to come on board so as to facilitate the socio-economic and political transformation of the LGA. As we know it today, several communities are in serious need of development, youth empowerment and integration. Some communities have been ravaged as a result of the agitation by our youths who have been short-changed by greedy and self-centered political actors.
Within the last couple of days, a lot of pleasant political trends have evolved and one of such is the stepping down of Chief Tony Oboroh for Chief (Mrs) Faith Majemite Oniemor as a timely response to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Ethiope LGA leaders’ adoption of Majemite as the preferred candidate for the October 25, 2014 elections. We know the political pedigree of Chief Oboroh both at local and state levels. He also has good track record as the peoples’ Chairman who built a befitting Secretariat for the Local Government Council and equipped it with modern gadgets and facilities. Ordinarily, Chief Oboroh is super fit to get the overwhelming votes of the people for a second tenure. But alas, he displayed a rare show of political sportsmanship by ungrudgingly giving his blessing to ONIEMOR to take the party’s ticket as the choice of the party and that of our teaming youth in Ethiope East and all political pressure groups across political caucuses and divide.
Earlier, Mr Imarah had pitched tent with Olorogun Oboroh to give any candidate a run for anything that is worth the political scheming and craft. As it is today, it follows that Imarah and Uncle Tony Tess will now join hands with PDP to garner sufficient votes for Mrs. Majemite via the instrumentality of political pressure groups and the well oiled party structure and machinery. This is good and in line with the quest of the good people of Ethiope East for a paradigm shift from politics of bitterness to that of collective responsibility. We thank Chief Oboroh and Imarah most sincerely for their great vision, foresight and sacrifices at this time of our resolve to form a more formidable political and economic frontier that will ultimately facilitate uncommon socio-economic and political transformation of the LGA.
Flowing from the above, constituents believe that if Olorogun Oboroh could reason with our traditional institutions and the party leaders to the extent of voluntarily given up his candidacy even after paying so much money to procure the party nomination forms, there is therefore no one else in the LGA that cannot reason along the same line. This piece therefore is to call on Chief William Onakpoma, one of the contenders and illustrious sons of Kokori Community from Urievburie axis to emulate the good steps taken by Olorogun Oboroh and Imarah by voluntarily stepping down for Chief Mrs. Majemite who the people of Ethiope Ethiope and PDP leaders considers to have the combined qualification of being so well grounded politically and possessing the solid healthy political connections at the state level, so as to facilitate the rebuilding of our communities and LGA within the shortest possible time. We need someone who has the ears of those at the corridors of power. We need someone that can project our desires and collective aspirations for prompt results. We need to move out of this dark underdevelopment occasioned by the reckless management of our resources by crafty political vampires and wasters of huge people targeted resources.
Chief Onakpoma’s pedigree and respect in our LGA and State will rise as soon as he takes the bold step of stepping down for Mrs. Majemite within the shortest possible time, before the PDP primaries so as to have ONIEMOR as the unopposed consensus candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in Ethiope East Local Government Council elections come October 25. Uncle Onakpoma should not allow some greedy and deceitful political actors who are already sinking politically to drag him into the unknown. He is a man of dignity and honour and it is hoped that very soon our people will look around and compensate him for joining forces with our people to ensure that our consensus candidate in the person of ONIEMOR of Agbon Kingdom is sworn in as the first female Chairperson of Ethiope East LGA at this age and time.
Chief Onakpoma served AGIP meritoriously and retired as a prudent and excellent management staff. His enviable contributions towards Kokori and Agbon Communities are there for the records. He has been an ardent follower and political student of our late political sage, Chief Patrick Bolokor and has always preached politics of give and take. He is not the type of politician that wants to acquire political power via the “do or die” tactics. In his interview with the Vanguard Newspapers political correspondent in March 2014, he said:
“I am neither an impatient nor a greedy man. I may be ambitious but never the inordinate type. I am not blinded by the lure and pull of power. I am a complete party man who plays by the rules in the acknowledged spirit of a team player. You see, what is destroying many politicians and party politics is the subjugation of the individual, the elevation of the self over the corporate interests of the majority. In all I do, I look up to God. The water that I will drink will not flow out of my reach”.
Chief Oboroh, Onakpoma, Imarah and all other candidates are valuable to us but the consensus choice at this time happens to be ONIEMOR and for smooth transition of power at the LGA level it is essential that we collectively achieve this desire. Mrs. Majemite has superlative pedigree in local and state politics which is why she must come on board so as to facilitate the socio-economic and political transformation of the LGA. At the appropriate time, we shall also in unity file behind our House of Assembly and House of Representatives candidates subject to the dictates of our people, party leaders and state political hierarchy and super structures. One thing is clear, this time around no political actor will impose himself or herself on us through the application of fire power, use of acute force, intimidation or coercion. Only political actors with good track records and credible stewardship shall have our support. PDP as a re-branded party will not and shall not give us unscrupulous and unpopular candidates, not for money, not for any affiliation whatsoever. The best candidates are good enough for the people of Ethiope East and West Constituencies. As we know it today, several communities are in serious need of development, youth empowerment and integration. Some communities have been ravaged as a result of the agitation by our youths who have been short-changed by greedy and self-centered political actors.
These unrepentant representatives of our people through various political manipulations, intelligent concealment of public funds meant for local projects and youth empowerment inflicted acute poverty and undeserved hardship on our people. Worse hit by the reckless diversion of our people’s collective financial resources is the political town of Kokori in Ethiope East Local Government within the jurisdiction of Ethiope Federal Constituency. It is on record that some political actors over the years trained our youths in the criminal act of political violence for their personal gains. They dump our vibrant youths each time they ascend to political power through the instrumentality of crude politics, use of force, coercion, threat to life and other criminal vices. They capitalize on the poverty and illiteracy defects of our teaming youths to use them as mere ladders to climb to political relevance without sufficient or adequate compensation in terms of utilizing funds provided by government to improve their well-being.
They used our Youths as donkeys which convey them to the top of their political relevance, holding various enviable political offices only to turn their back and mock their poverty and pitiable life style. They do not want anyone else to rise to positions of relevance in our communities. These conscienceless political actors have consistently since the advent of constitutional democracy in Nigeria in 1999 subjected the rest of us to second class citizens and praise-singers who are not good enough to enjoy the good things of life except to drink local gin “ogogoro” in our empty stomach. These cabal of unscrupulous so-called “political leaders” globe troth with their families, concubines in business and first class airline cabins having fun in “Disney world” and in tourist centres in Europe. They pump champagne with reckless abandon while our youths, mothers, young girls and school children sleep in empty stomachs in filthy environments.
In the light of the above, the time is ripe for us to do the needful in presenting candidates whose consciences are still alive to represent us at various levels. A political actor whose conscience is “dead” can never and will never serve the people as he or she ought to. The bitter truth is that some of our political actors’ consciences are completely decay. Chief Onakpoma is a core progressive and should therefore join this collective crusade for a great “change” and strict departure from politics of bitterness and acrimony. We beg of him to timetiously give his much needed “blessings” to Mrs. Majemite to do a good job for us at the Council. I have no doubt in my mind that he will see seasons with the issues articulate above and thread the part of honour.
Dr Fred Latimore Oghenesivbe, is a renowned political resource person and Head of Political Communication and Propaganda Management of Faith Majemite Solidarity Movement (FMSM). He is also the National President of Agbon Peace and Economic Transformation Initiative (APETRI) and Cell Leader of Goodluck Support Group (GSG) of the Green White Green Vanguard (A socio-Economic and Political Advocacy Group) accredited by the Presidency as Public Commentators on President Goodluck Jonathan’s Transformation Agenda.
