Leadership is undoubtedly a thankless vocation, especially in a Third World country like Nigeria. Or how else does one describe recent unmitigated attacks directed at Senator Uche Ekwunife (Iyom), representing Anambra Central since the Court of Appeal nullified her election and ordered a re-run.
Her opponent from the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Chief Victor Umeh, has since resorted to campaign of calumny to tarnish her towering image. But, a good candidate is like a good product. It is never abandoned on the shelf. It takes God to take you to where your destiny is no matter what people say about you.
Perhaps, things have gone so bad with us that apart from the inability of some people to recognise and appreciate good leaders and their deed, they even, by deliberate play fail to give credit where it is due. Take for example, Chief Victor Umeh’s petition to the Independent National Electoral Commission to stop Ekwunife from participating in the rerun election based on the state chairman of the PDP, Prince Ken Emeakayi’s declaration on Monday, January 4, of the readiness of the party to present its candidate for the rerun, adding that the National Working Committee of the PDP had scheduled a congress to address the issue raised by the judgment of the Court of Appeal, regarding nomination of the party’s candidate for the election.
The same PDP state chairman, Prince Emeakayi, in a paid advertorial published on page 9 of The Sunnewspaper, Thursday, January 7, 2016 captioned: SUSPENSION OF PDP PROGRAMMES AND ACTIVITIES IN ANAMBRA STATE, suspended all programmes and activities of Peoples Democratic Party in Anambra State, including the congress scheduled for Thursday, January 7, to Saturday January 9, 2016, until the release of Chief Olisa Metuh, the party’s National Publicity Secretary.
With this costly decision on the part of the state PDP Chairman, Ekwunife formally defected to APC because of her desire to serve her people and the lack of interest by the PDP in winning the forthcoming rerun election for Anambra Central Senatorial District ordered by the Court of Appeal.
There is no gainsaying the fact that Iyom, as fondly known and called, has a say on how she successfully goes about her political career. If, therefore, the ranking lawmaker decides that the searchlight for the rerun Anambra Central Senatorial election be beamed on the people of the zone through APC, one wonders how else she can show love to her people other than to remain with the PDP and watch her legacies being destroyed by political jobbers. Unwarranted attacks and campaign of calumny by her main opponents may have become a pastime for some people but the age-long tradition that criticisms must be tenable have been thrown to the wind.
The former National Chairman of APGA, Chief Victor Umeh should know that opponents of the party are happy anytime there is fracas in the state, or how does one explain the last paragraph of the statement made by the Chairman of the All Progressive Congress (APC), Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, while receiving the Tony Nwoye – led faction of the PDP in his office, published in the Daily Sun of Thursday, November 19, 2015 page 12 thus: “We all know that APGA is dead, I pity the governor and I thought you people should have even brought him with you, your challenge and assignment when you go back is to convert him”, he rounded off”.
Therefore, I adopt the Igbo corrective language “Ikwu amaghi ibe-eziya” to say at this juncture that it is definitely not time for muck-raking and mud-slinging. It is time for all hands to be on deck to move Anambra State to greater heights. I am sure it is the wish of Iyom Uche Ekwunife that she competes with someone who will not only match her enviable political track record, but if possible, surpass it. Blackmail, character assassination and absolute falsehood are an ill-wind that blows no one any good.
If the truth must be told, Ekwunife’s performance and achievements as Honourable member of the House of Representatives afforded the people eight years of growth, dividend of democracy, peace and stability in the hands of God and a leader we all fully trusted. Her success at the 8th Senate to become the Chairman, Senate Committee on Petroleum (Downstream), and member, Senate Adhoc Committee on Works was no happenstance, but a result of careful planning and good foundation which elicited unconditional loyalty, love and confidence of colleagues, coupled with her charming and charismatic personae.
The distinguished Senator has been described by Enugu State Governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, as the new face of representative democracy in Nigeria. This came just as a former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo described her as an amazon of change in the nation’s democracy. This and other good qualities of hers on Tuesday, December 29, 2015 got her the nod of stakeholders from Anambra Central Senatorial District to return to the senate as they vowed to massively canvas for votes for her in the forthcoming rerun in the zone.
Ekwunife expressed displeasure about the Court of Appeal verdict but she is confident that another opportunity had presented itself with the forthcoming rerun to prove that she won the March 28, 2015 election. She also urged her constituents to be calm and law-abiding in their approach to the election.
Speaking further, she said: “I see this forthcoming rerun poll as a challenge for the emancipation of our senatorial zone. Therefore, we must not allow external forces to dictate our political destiny. These are trying times, but history will judge because the mandate of the people cannot be compromised under any circumstances”.
“I know that you are all angry about the Court of Appeal judgment, but plead for calm and resolve to translate this anger into good conduct and massive votes for me in the rerun election”.
When we talk about democracy, we are talking about people who have the temperament; those who have the democratic principles like Ekwunife to handle things in the country. Ekwunife is aware that another race is starting in Anambra Central, and by the grace of God, she will return to continue with the plan she has for the people.
Will someone please tell the former APGA National Chairman, Chief Victor Umeh, to reduce the velocity of his blabbering in the crazy race to please the goods which he has publicly acknowledged? Of course, there is no denying the fact that all is not well with the brand of politics we play here while our democracy is under constant threat by powerful forces. But we are yet to reach that laughable height where the exalted position of a senator will be condescendingly farmed out to a political trader. By now, shouldn’t we all be shocked that the law works in reverse gear here? In a society where power is might and the law has become a tool in the hands of those that wield it.
In all this, it is imperative to advise those who are bent on removing Ekwunife by hook or crook to be mindful of the fact that the will of God cannot be reversed. The best we can do to obtain God’s favour is to believe in Him and imbibe the truth, love our neighbors more than we love ourselves and eschew evil and selfishness. Indeed, the senatorial ambition of Chief Victor Umeh, is reminiscent of the attitude of our Super Eagles’ players who never know when to quit; or insist on being fielded even when their soccer future is clearly behind them.
0 comments :
Post a Comment