e also indicated interest for
the House of Assembly, all on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party,
PDP.
They
all went about soliciting the support of
party executives and delegates who will vote in the primaries, in the
process spending huge amount of money, printing posters, T-shirts, erecting
billboards, and incurring other incidental expenses.
However,
weeks to the conduct of the primaries, stories started fettering in that some
aspirants have been endorsed by either Abuja or Asaba. The rumours were given
flesh, when some of them did not even make any attempt to reach out to the
supposed delegates, who were to vote in the party primaries.
As the
primaries got underway across the nation, it became obvious that something was
seriously amiss in Ika South, where attempts at organizing the House of
Assembly primaries were foiled. It was later reported that Dr. Emmanuel
Uduaghan was hell bent on having Barr. Martin Okonta and
Doris Uboh returned, without any consideration for the feelings
of the people of Ika South Constituency, which he “represents” in the House.
It was
widely reported that Okonta, even long before the commencement of
electioneering campaign had boasted severally that whether the people of Ika
South are dispose to it or not, he was returning to the House, as the powers
that be at Asaba was behind him.
The
reported scuffle with and the alleged insult by Okonta against Dr. Ojougboh,
his estranged political godfather, lends credence to his desperation and those
foisting him on the people of Ika South, to return to the House, even as
the people are complaining seriously
about his below average performance as their representative” in the last eight
years.
Okonta’s
banking on governor Uduaghan’s resolve to impose him on Ika South may perhaps
explain why he did not bother to canvass for the support of the people,
particularly members of his party, the PDP in the area prior to the primaries,
which never took place. He may have wrongly concluded that Uduaghan will
“arrange the electorate” who will come to Ika South to vote for him on the
election day.
However,
according to findings by Ika Weekly,
one of the aggrieved aspirants for the House of Assembly seat in the local
government area is taking legal steps to stop the Independent National
Electoral Commission, INEC from recognizing
the candidature of Barr. Okonta, and therefore fielding him as the PDP
candidate in the House of Assembly April polls. The said aspirant has
approached the court to interprete whether it was right for a particular
aspirant to be imposed on the party without going through the process of party
primaries, which was followed to chose other candidates for all elective
positions across the country, including the one that produced President
Goodluck Jonathan, who is the presidential candidate of the PDP.
It is
being alleged that a serving commissioner in the State Executive Council, from
Ika area is in the thick of the high powered conspiracy to foist Okonta on Ika
South. The said commissioner, it is reported, is desperately working to ensure
that Okonta is returned by any means possible, so that the position is maintained in the next dispensation, even as
it is widely held that this
commissioner’s stay in government has not benefitted anybody.
Ika Weekly was reliably informed that
it was at the home of the commissioner that money was distributed to party
leaders to “work for the return” of Dr. Uduaghan; at the last governorship
re-run election in the state in January.
According
to one aggrieved PDP leader who spoke to Ika
Weekly on the ground of anonymity “We are waiting for Martin Okonta at the
general election, which is some weeks away from now. We will see how he is
going to win the election. We are also waiting to see the political magic he
and his desperate sponsors are going to perform for him to win. How can the
governor be so insensitive to remain adamant
on imposing a man, who for eight
years was unable to impact positively on the constituency he claims to represent. It is not a hidden
fact that in 2003, when Dr. Ojougboh brought Okonta into political limelight,
he was more wretched them many of our impoverished people. Today, he has amassed so much wealth for himself
that he can confidently insult every Ika person
including Cairo who raised him from the gutters of poverty.”
Another
prominent party chieftain in the area wondered why a man who has been a
legislator for almost eight years including being the number 3 man in the
hierarachy of power in the state, will not do things right but chose to allow
himself to be imposed by another persons who is not even from Ika South. “If he
had done well, he would have opted for the support of his people rather than on
a governor who is having serious credibility problem with Ika people, in terms of performance,” he fumed.
As the
clock ticks, bringing election date closer, unfolding events will determine if the will of the people of
Ika South will prevail at the end, with the one man, one vote or the desire of
Asaba godfathers will stand. Only time will tell” another party faithful
stated.
For
one of the party executive members in one of the wards who was very direct “The
people of Ika South should unite in their resolve to tell Martin Okonta that he
has failed and has had his time with the destiny of the people. They should collectively vote him
out. It is outing in the last eight years is a complete disaster for Ika South.
It is sharing of Okada for people will not endear him to them. So for eight
years. The only dividends of democracy is the sharing of motorcycle to some,
persons. How much is Okada. This man na wah o” he stated.
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