Ahead of the forthcoming gubernatorial election, Organized Ndokwa Effort (ONE), has charged electorates in the oil producing states to vote in the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the region so as to maximise the benefits of belonging to the governing party at the centre.
The organisation also congratulated President-elect, Gen Muhammadu Buhari, on his victory at the recently held presidential election, noting that his emergence will usher in the much desired genuine improvement of the entire geographical sphere of Nigeria and a departure from a government which restricted benefits to only the few elected, their immediate families, friends and cronies.
A press statement signed by the coordinator of ONE, Svt. Rodney Odibe Odili-Obi, cautioned that the oil producing states cannot afford to be in the opposition now, stressing that Oil producing States should warm up to the government at the Centre starting from the next election.
Odili-Obi, who also doubles as a member governing board of Association of Niger Delta Trawler Owners and Operators (ANDTOO) further asked the people of the region to take their destiny into our hands.
The statement said “Deltans cannot afford to allow our great State to emerge in an opposition Party. There are so much to gain when Delta State belong to the ruling party. For instance, the Delta North geo-political district, like any other district across all States of the Federation is in dire need of many public infrastructures and benefits that are a part of the statutory responsibilities of the Federal Government. Securing them for any community becomes competitive since they are never sufficient for every locality, nationwide within each budgetary year.
“The comparison between a member and a friend of a family may help our understanding and possibly redirect us to a better prosperity. The basic difference between being an intimate friend of the family and being a member of the family is that the friend is usually restricted from family meetings whenever important issues are being discoursed or significant benefits are being shared.
”According to local proverbs, ‘whenever a family meeting exceeds midnight a friend who is like a brother goes home’. For us not to be like strangers in the family we need to flow into the caucus of the ruling party at the center. Thus, Delta State wisely deserves to be family with the new ruling party at the Federal level. Our great State has never been in either an opposition or minority Party.
“While we are expecting the President-Elect to extend a hand of fellowship to all who voted for him and those who didn’t, we also should show good faith by deliberately warming up to the center by how we vote in subsequent elections.
“All Oil producing States have a great role to play in mobilising to follow the existing trend of remaining in the new ruling party. There is very great wisdom in sustaining this way.
The statement continued “one only plays to win when he plays a game he knows so well. Sadly, the first apparent collateral damage from the recent electoral loss is that the ‘1st eleven’ for Senate President and the House of Representative’s Speaker is most unlikely to come from either the South-South or South East as these positions cannot come from the new opposition or minority Party which these two zones already represent.
“We should not make the matter worse by continuing to stick to the losing path of the new minority party. Delta and other oil producing States should be cautious and wise to warm up to the government at the centre starting from the next election.”
Congratulating Gen. Buhari on his victory at the polls, Odili-Obi said “we strongly stand for what he represents and the direction the people of Nigeria have chosen to follow. Nigerians voted for the new order and the President-Elect has promised to be exemplary in leadership and provide a platform for everyone to participate because he cannot do it alone.
“He should not forget how his opponents polarized Nigeria along religious and ethnic lines by creating obnoxious election campaign strategies; I therefore advice that he should make haste to cancel all the wrong insinuations by unifying the people.
“As the Constitution governs a Nation so do principles govern a person like the President-Elect who is indeed a true leader in an uncommon mold of personal principles similar to that character that is found in Mandela or Mahatma Gandhi.”
He added that the silent and unsung champions of Buhari’s victory are “those who are not from his ethnic leaning yet voted for him and the new order, including those Ijaws who chose him instead of their own son. Those people who refused to join the bandwagon despite all threats and persuasions in their areas; that insignificant percentage is worthy of his remembrance.”
He further lamented the neglect suffered by Ndokwa/Ukwuani, ethnic nationality, which hosts a large Gas fired Kwale-Okpai Independent Power Plant (IPP), in the last six years.
He said “the federal revenue from huge quantum of Oil & Gas in Ndokwa locality with the largest Gas deposit in the entire West African region obviously attaches us more to the ruling party at the Federal level; yet we have a need to step down power from the IPP to our host community, under the tenures of either past or serving Senators of Delta North; but even when linked to the then ruling Party for over 6years; our local people could still not see light.
“How can we then support any personal ambition that cannot guarantee performance to meet the desire of our people? Community is greater than any single individual. No one is born a slave if free in the heart and no one is free if a slave in the heart. One is only free if living as freed.”
“It is most significant of note that the step-down of Power being a transmission project falls directly under the purview of the Federal Government. It clearly means that this infrastructure is the exclusive preserve of the Federal Government to provide.
“After several years of strong agitations to transmit power from the Kwale-Okpai IPP our efforts almost ended up fruitless thereby evidencing that intervention is not determined by your ethnic brother but by qualitative and committed leadership that the center can offer.”
