The erstwhile Rivers State House of Assembly candidate for the Oyigbo State Constituency under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the just concluded 2019 general election, Prof. Onyemachi Nwankpa, has urged his supporters to continue to be steadfast and loyal to the Wike administration, as development is sure to spread out to every nook and cranny of the state including Oyigbo despite their loss in questionable circumstances.
He stated this in an exclusive interview with this medium over the weekend in Oyigbo.
He alleged that despite being robbed of his mandate by the Social Democratic Party, (SDP) candidate, in the person of one Promise Nwankwo, ably assisted by the military, the legislator is no match for him.
Prof. Nwankpa however said he has taken the development with equanimity as according to him, “election is not a do-or-die affairs, stressing with a proverb that, when a bush meat escapes today, tomorrow is another hunting adventure”.
He maintained that there is God’s factor in everything in life and that one should be able to believe and trust God in all things.
“If God had sanctioned it that I will be in the RSHA this time, nothing would have stopped it and what could not come today can still come tomorrow”, he declared.
Prof. Nwankpa also assured that he can still serve his people in other capacity if there is life.
He however advised the National and State legislators to be committed to their present offices and never to betray the confidence reposed in them by their constituencies.
On his take on Nigeria’s 20 years of democratic practice, the academician said it was nothing to write home about.
According to him, “democracy is when the people are free to speak out their minds on any issues or when their leaders are afraid of the reactions of those they are ruling. When justice is not only implemented but seen to be implemented to the fullest”, he said.
The PDP candidate said the cause of the problem confronting the nation can be shared by all segment of the society. “It is a case of leadership, fellowship and system failure. The cause is shared among us,” he stressed.
He made it clear that a system which imposes mediocres on the people who eventually get little or nothing from such person when voted into office, whose only preoccupation will be to ensure the maintenance of their coveted seats at all costs instead of looking forward to how they leave a legacy for the people they came to serve.
On the approval of the local government autonomy by the federal government, Prof. Nwankpa expressed mixed feelings over the development.
According to him, “Local Government autonomy has its plus and minus. The plus is that it will bring development to the grassroot level depending on the resources available to the council area.
On the minus, there is no system to checkmate the performance of the local government chairmen, saying not even the local government legislative Assembly can do that through their oversight function due to the inherited system in Nigerian politics.
“They would rather use the opportunity to line their pockets to the detriment of the people”.
He however, advised that the state government should be able to still put an eye on them in order to put a check on them, with or without autonomy.
The former PDP candidate stated that the Rivers State House of Assembly would be in a better place to monitor the local government authorities despite the approval.
On the National Assembly lopsided election of its principal officers, Prof. Nwankpa said there was nothing wrong with that even if all the principal officers come from the same family. What is important is merit, competence and performance on their jobs.
He made it known that spreading the positions on the identified six (6) geo-political zones of the country will throw up all manner of persons to occupy sensitive positions to the detriment of the country.
According to him, “What is important is for the legislators to be committed to the delivery of their constituency projects, campaign promises as well as its oversight functions to keep the executives on their toes”.
Prof. Nwankpa used the opportunity to congratulate the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike and the members of the Rivers State and National Assembly candidates over their electoral victory and successful inauguration, urging them to hit the ground running as the people are anxiously expecting much from them.
