Why I Want To Be Senator of the People, Ned Nwoko
ASABA/Nigeria: Frontline Peoples Democratic Party, PDP Delta state chieftain and arguably the leading contender for the Delta North Senatorial seat in the 2019 general elections, Prince Ned Munir Nwoko, has once again expressed his great desire to become the Senator elected by the people of Delta North to represent them in the Senate, pledging that he wants to be a Senator of the people, elected by the people and for the people.
Prince Ned, who spoke exclusively after the recently held Delta North enlarged stakeholders meeting at Orchid hotel in Asaba, also showered encomiums on Governor Ifwanyi Okowa and described the Governor as ‘A good man, who was serious about delivering the dividends of democracy to Deltans,’ adding that as a Governor from Delta North, he has made Anioma people proud with his style of governance, which has not only ushered in committed governance to the people but has already delivered more dividends of democracy in virtually all sectors than any previous administration within the period of his first term and made his second term endorsement inevitable and secured.
The former member who represented Aniocha/Oshimili Federal constituency in the House of Reps from 1999-2003, affirmed that his decision to seek the mandate of Anioma people to become the Senator of the Delta North Senatorial zone, is firmly grounded on his burning desire to rescue Anioma from the alleged rogue representation and exploitative leadership which had been the lot of the people at the national level in recent years, even as he pledged that he would bring his vast connections and consummate legislative experience, garnered from his very meritorious term as a Member of the Federal House of Representatives, to bear if given the nod by Anioma people to become their Senator in 2019.
Nwoko lamented that the Anioma as a people have been politically short-changed in the area of national representation and there was the dire need for those who have the capacity and connections to once again take up the responsibility of re-positioning the Anioma nation in its pride of place amongst the other representatives from across the country, adding that he stood a better chance based on his antecedents and pedigree to rescue Anioma from the tokenism representation so far and deliver a very robust, engaging and result-oriented service, which will impact more meaningfully on the lives of the people than what obtains presently.
Commenting on the reassuring admonitions of Governor Okowa that a level playing field would be provided for all contestants to all elective positions during the party primaries, Ned Nwoko commended the governor for his courage, honesty and display of true leadership in assuaging the fears and laying the speculations of many aspirants to rest, especially in the declaration that any Chairman at any level found to be exhibiting advantageous bias in favour of any particular candidate, will be sacked.
While lauding the Delta State Governor for being transparent and a good man who has shown neutrality as party leader, in managing and responding to the political activities of aspirants jostling for various positions in the forthcoming election, Nwoko however added quickly that the leaders of the PDP at the various levels, contrary to speculations of bias and favouritism to certain aspirants, have really shown themselves to be independent in their handling of party affairs.
“You see, the Governor is a good man. It takes a man of impeccable political character to not only show democratic leadership, but to always re-echo his conviction to conduct credible and transparent primaries for the PDP. Governor Okowa won his own primaries and his elections in 2014, clean and clear. It was done transparently and everybody saw it clearly. That is where I stand; let the right thing be done. Let the era of imposition and political impunity be over in the overall interest of the people. And I, Prince Ned Nwoko am banking on the People’s Mandate, because I am for the people”, he said.
“I am very happy because the Governor has been saying that he will ensure a level playing field for all aspirants and I think what he said today is in furtherance to that. What we need to do is to keep talking to all the party leaders; the party chairmen, the party secretaries, the state exco. I don’t quite believe that the chairmen are tilting towards anybody, they have remained independent and I hope that the Governor continues to preach independence to them.”
Speaking further on Governor Okowa’s admonition to aspirants not to malign their opponents but to engage on issues based campaigns in the interest of party unity and harmony and bordering on their personal conviction, strength and capacity on what they can deliver to the people if elected, Prince Nwoko hailed the governor once again for recognizing the potential damage that such campaign of calumny could do to the party and while noting the political truism all manner of propaganda and language are bound to be deployed and utilized in a campaign season like this, however assured that he has personally cautioned his own team to exhibit the highest level of decorum and decency in their engagement and response to all issues and should always seek to promote the capabilities and objectives of their principal at all times.
“I have always told my people to tell the truth at all times about the things we can do and are capable of doing for Anioma people. There is no gain in telling the people lies and saying what you know you cannot do or do not even have the capacity to achieve. You have nothing to gain by deceiving the people with lies and I have been very emphatic in telling my people to always make sure that they tell Anioma people the truth at all times and not join issues or malign anybody in the name of politics, no matter what those people say about me” he noted.
Nwoko, who further shed light on some of the initiatives he would pursue if elected as Delta North Senator, pointed out that in Delta state, one of the main oil producing areas is the Ndokwa Federal Constituency, even as he vowed to put an end to the environmental issues and problems of the area, adding that his well-known forthrightness in his crusades for justice for corporate bodies, governments and individuals over the years, have not only given him a major advantage in seeking the best dividends for the oil producing areas but have also prepared him well to engage the multinationals and achieve the enforcement of international best practices in the business of oil exploration in the region, through the apparatus of pro-active legislation, when he emerges, with the support of the people, as their Senator in the 2019 general election.
Speaking specifically, Nwoko said; “the people of Ndokwa/Ukwuani aixs have suffered a lot of environmental degradation from the activities of Oil companies; from Oil Spillages and more importantly from Gas Flaring. So I must make sure that it is stopped. However it is done; either I confront the Oil gurus in their countries or in Nigeria here, it must be done. They cannot continue to do what they are doing here and getting away with it, without anybody stopping them.
“We must make sure that they apply international best practices. They all have Oil companies operating in America, United Kingdom, Russia and in the Middle East and they do what is right there. But ask yourself why is that they don’t apply the same standards here? It is because of failures in some leadership. Our people compromise easily and I would make sure that that doesn’t happen anymore with the solid support of the people,” he said emphatically.
The Senatorial hopeful furthered said that the Dualization of the Asaba-Benin Expressway that he birthed while in the House of Representatives, will be revisited in order to fix the decaying road. “The road between Asaba and Benin, I got it dualized when I was at the House of Reps; that road is falling into disrepair especially towards Benin end. So we must make sure that that is done,” he said confidently.
Prince Nwoko, who apologized for his uncharacteristic lateness to the meeting due to technical hitches that involved his initial flight plans and compelled him to hire a second chattered flight which required transferring his entire crew to the new aircraft before braving the bad weather and embarking on the journey to Delta for the meeting, commended the People’s Democratic Party, PDP in the State for the regular Senatorial meetings saying, “There is always need for such avenues to reassure the party members that we are still together. This is the time to reawaken the consciousness of everybody. We all have civic duties to participate in what we are doing, not just as party members but as followers and supporters.
“So you can see the mammoth crowd showcasing the support that the party has. I apologize for not starting the meeting with them due to the challenges we had with our flights. But as they say, it is better late than never and what we have done is to show the level of sacrifice we are willing to make for our party and our people, by making sure we arrived and met and participated in the meeting,” he said in a satisfied tone.
Prince Ned Nwoko then enjoined all electorates to get their voter’s card stressing that, everybody’s vote must count. “Everybody must come out and vote. If you don’t have a voter’s card, please get it because this is the time to get it.” he charged Anioma people.
Source: https://flashpointnews.wordpress.com
