Elections are over and it is time to govern. We can continue fighting those elected or choose to advise and criticize with a view to helping direct the ones who will listen on how to do well for all of us.
The Urhobos are an intelligent people. Both Goodluck Jonathan and Buhari have chosen those with Urhobo blood in them to be their mouthpieces in the persons of Reno Omokri and Festus Keyamo. Rume Ima Niboro an Urhobo man was also Jonathan’s mouthpiece at a certain time. That same tribe of which I am one just chose Omo-Agege to be their Senator. This tribe are well aware of the mace theft allegation as well as the fact their icon Ibori is PDP. This tribe overwhelmingly voted for the Igbo/Anioma Okowa to be governor over their Urhobo son Ogboru. Yet for the position of Senator, they chose Ovie Omo-Agege. Only one other APC representative in Francis E Waive got the nod for house of rep as all other positions went to the PDP. Are you to tell the Urhobos and others of Delta Central who to choose to represent them? How pompous and presumptuous are you?
In the same vein, the Senate, APC, PDP etc in its wisdom, etc came together and elected their principal officers. Over half of these senators witnessed the “theft” of the mace as well as the accusations against Ovie Omo-Agege as they were members of the 8th Assembly. They know the accusation that it was Omo-Agege’s thugs that came into the hallowed chambers. Yet, when it was time to choose their LEADERS, they overwhelmingly chose Ovie Omo-Agege as the Deputy Senate president. hmmmm. The landslide victory over Ekweremadu shows both PDP and APC voted en masse for “The Mace Thief”. That is, even the PDP we are killing ourselves for chose Ovie Omo Agege of APC and Buhari supporter-General over their own Ekweremadu. Should this not give people pause and make them THINK?
Now, elections are over and it is time for governance.
What people who choose to QUESTION MY INTEGRITY are saying is that I must go against the wishes of my people who chose Omo Agege over my preferred Barr Evelyn Omavowan Oboro his opponent and continue to oppose him because HE STOLE A MACE. Is that even reasonable?
Note that as an Urhobo man, I have never flinched in my support for PDP. However, it is not the same for some of my people.
Goodluck Jonathan government favoured the rise of our neighbours like Ijaw’s Tompolo. Itsekiri’s Ayiri Emami. Itsekiri’s Micheal Diden and the NIMASA guy (I forget his name.) and these folks then pit their people’s names in various “militant list” which allowed them receive “amnesty payments”, Urhobos were totally left out. They saw neighbours turn millionaires. This is even though Urhobos voted Jonathan en mass. The rise and appointments and contracts to everyone else but Urhobos opened the way for first Ewherido and then Omo Agege to tell the people “PDP has nothing for you. Let us try APC.” Omo-Agege went further to tell them “under Jonathan, we had nothing. With Ijaw Deziani etc, he still appointed Orubebe, an Ijaw man as minister. With Buhari, I will be SENATE PRESIDENT or Deputy Senate president”. Jonathan’s late appointment of the Urhobo Eru as a minister was too little too late. But still Urhobos voted Jonathan and voted PDP Atiku and PDP Okowa but voted Omo-Agege to go and become the Senate President or Deputy Senate president, positions no Urhobo man has attained before.
So for a people whose land has oil and then gas and whose gas has provided electricity and wealth for Nigeria, whose wood (African Timber and Plywood) and rubber gave Nigeria great foreign exchange in the sixties and seventies, NO PRINCIPAL OFFICER of Nigeria in a democracy has ever been Urhobo. OMO-AGEGE IS THE FIRST TIME A PEOPLE CAN HAVE THEIR OWN IN A SEMI COOL SPOT. Note that Edos have been senate president and have been petroleum minister etc but not Urhobo.
The above was to let you understand the deep feelings back home that fuels Ovie Omo-Agege’s rise and the reason it is tomfoolery and political suicide for me to at this time oppose OUR FIRST URHOBO DSP who has been accepted by both parties and their senators and for what? That he stole a mace? psst!!!
The thing that befuddles is that the majority of people attacking Omo-Agege, and now me for congratulating MY REPRESENTATIVE, their people also voted for Buhari party members and henchmen.
With all the statues built by a certain governor and criticism he has received, still he was elected a senator under APC. But for the crisis in his party, that state would have remained in APC column. Facebook fiends go on attacking people while their kinsmen in the towns and villages send titans like …. and his turban to the Senate. Many of these people have a worse corruption history that mace theft pales under. And NO. I have never criticized their ascension. Every tribe needs their FLAWED TITANS. Why they cannot understand that my tribe needs their FLAWED TITAN as well beats me.
Shebi a SOPHISTICATED TRIBE voted ….. a known drug lord as Senator? Shebi a people’s spiritual and temporal leader with his Awolowo glasses is a knowb drug lord? Yet they hold him up as their leader and his words remove performing governors and prevent their second term in favour of a dodgy fellow but I should CAST DOWN MY SENATOR because he stole a mace. I hear.
Everyone is as strong as his people perceive him as and want him to be. It is in Urhobo land I may be buried, not Abuja or Lagos. (if I choose to be brought back home) It is one line with which a senior bros that is PDP used to recruit me to the defense of Omo-Agege. He said “wetin Omo-Agege do wey bad reach Ndume them own? Forget PDP and APC and Go and support our senator to be DSP or we no reach to get post for Nigeria? Use your platform for your people”
Still I vacillated and never put up a post as a sign of respect, not for PDP, but for those I have fought alongside for PDP.
But elections are over. My people chose Ovie Omo-Agege. Is my pee wetter than Urhiapele river or my hair longer than our palm fronds? Do I know more than my people?
I can choose to keep fighting Ovie Omo-Agege or I can choose to be strategic and join the majority of my tribesmen to celebrate the emotive election of my tribesman to a national position.
But note. I am not unaware that once again a majority tribe is left out cruelly from positions. Like in Delta where I have joined in championing fairness to all senatorial zones in governorship and in appointments, I have dreamed of a Nigeria where when elections are over, national spirit and fairness would guide in choosing those to serve in positions. Trump is not appointing people from only states in which he won. I continue to frown at the greed of the Northerners in wanting all positions, from CJ to Senate president to president through SFG to top military positions to themselves. My voice will continue to berate this GREED.
But for now, I will join my people to celebrate the first national position of an Urhobo. The sands of my land and water I drank will not forgive me if I join others to crucify a man only trying to like others succeed politically.
Congratulations Ovie Omo-Agege. You have made history amongst our people.
God bless Urhobo land. God bless my Itsekiri, Ijaw, Isoko and Anioma (Igbo) neighbours of Delta state. God bless Nigeria.
Source: Facebook
