Secret Reporters No place to hide
Fejiro Oliver
I write this with all pains in my heart. I write with this hurt because this is not a man I ought to tell these words below or report to the President. But my love for Delta State cannot allow me see an imposter coming to fool my people once again and mute will be my name. I refuse to allow the Urhobos have another unfruitful son of theirs spoil their chances in the race to Dennis Osadebey House. Even if they must lose the election, let it be gallantly and honorably and not woefully under the campaign train of this non performer.
Whoever has woken up from his alcoholic sleep and told Senator Emmanuel Edesiri Aguariavwodo to run for the 2015 guber election in my dear State should better go back to slumber and pray for a better dream. Whoever looked into the crystal ball and told Aguariavwodo that the road is clear for him to contest the 2015 election should begin to pray for forgiveness for taking the poor man’s money and deceiving him.
Pray, what is he coming to do in Delta State when the little assignment he was sent to deliver in Abuja has yielded ZERO result? Permit me to give you an exclusive brief of this imposter who has come again to deceive us with is failed dreams of governing a mini Nigeria like Delta. In 2013 when he contested for the Delta Central By-election following the death of Senator Pius Ewherido, he promised able representation. Here was a man I covered his election and even went to his house in Ughelli when he won the election; told him about NTA Sapele being off air, and he promised to bring it back on air few months to office. As if he had anything to offer, he brought out his phone to call the then NTA DG over the issue, but stopped on the ground that he had not been sworn in, and that I should wait till that is done.
Immediately he was sworn in, Aguariavwodo not only stopped picking calls but stopped replying messages. Here was a man who will miss my calls and call back; here was a man who promised to bring a television station in his constituency and exactly one year after, the television station is not only off air but moribund. That said, what has been his contribution to the Urhobo nation since he climb the hallowed chamber. Let’s begin.
If there is any Urhobo who should be ashamed of daring to sing his names into the ears of Delta for 2015 governorship race, such a man should be Aguariavwodo. Just one year into the Senate, when he is yet to find his feet, he comes back to us dropping the name of Mr President as being the one sending him on this impossible mission. What does he take Deltans for? Does he think we are all fools to listen to his tales by moonlight of being the President’s messenger to Delta State? What messenger?
Mr President should begin to disassociate himself from this man, who cannot win a ward election as it stands now. Mr President should know that we decided to give him the honor of agreeing to cue behind the PDP to vote for this failed Senator because of the love we have for him and not Aguariavwodo; and our love must not be taken for granted. Let it be known to all Deltans that when he was chosen by the President to fly the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) banner on October 5th 2013, the message was sent through the Governor Emmanuel Ewetan Uduaghan. What has suddenly gone wrong that the governor is no longer kept in the know on this new strange song composed by the Senator? What a beautiful liar he must become to peddle the name of our President to back up his self ambition.
The Urhobos should begin to reject every message brought about by Aguariavwodo and his foot soldiers. The Senator I know before 2013 do not have the money to pick the Delta State guber form, since his ouster as the NDDC boss; and we should begin to ask him how he has suddenly become wealthy in just a year being in the Senate that he can now oil the machinery of a governorship campaign. His only newspaper, the Urhobo Times was almost folding up, before the President and Governor decided to plead with other aspirants to step down for him. Your guess is as good as mine. He must have swelled his accounts with our constituency allowance waiting for this moment, when he will tell us how foolish we have been for sending him to represent us. Little wonder he has not been able to build on the legacies of Ewherido.
Aguariavwodo should be made to know that the Urhobo nations are not fools, neither are the generality of Deltans going to buy into his ideas of being an Abuja candidate. Has he no elders in his village to warn him on this political journey to doom that he has embarked on? For crying out loud, there are more worthy candidates from Delta State who are closer than the President and have the ears of the first lady, than he who just got into Abuja on consensus ticket. If anyone should be brandishing the Presidential ticket, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa who has been in the Senate for years and Ndudi Elumelu who has been in the House of Representatives should be the ones, or Dr (Mrs) Ngozi Olejeme who is a friend of Mrs Patience Jonathan, not a newbie like Aguariavwodo.
Come to think of it, why is he always coming into the race of an election late when serious candidates have finished consulting? During the Senatorial by-election, he came in late and on Presidential order, the Urhobos forgave him and gave him their votes. Few days to the elections, when well meaning Urhobos and our Anioma brethren have finished their consultation, he jumps into the race. Where was he when Obaisi Ovie Omo-Agege, Olorogun David Edevbie and Olorogun Kenneth Gbagi were going round the nooks and crannies of the State, meeting those who matters and seeking political endorsements from Deltans. Where was he when these Urhobo politicians staked their lives for the Uvwiamuge declaration? If all of them had behaved like him, and declared their intention this late like he has done; will there be any Urhobo so far to challenge other well meaning candidates for the race.
Mr. President, please call Senator Aguariavwodo to order and stop him from using your name to campaign, lest the Urhobos turn their anger on you, as wanting to impose a man who will find it hard to win a Chairmanship election free and fair on them, by giving their votes to the opposition come 2015. There are far more worthy aspirants who you can endorse but definitely not a failed politician like him. A man who cannot resurrect a dead NTA Station in his constituency cannot offer any meaningful governance to Deltans.
In 2007, this was the same way he went about dropping the name of the President to vie for the guber election but never succeeded. Is he telling Deltans that without any support from the Presidency he does not have the political clout, goodwill and followership to win a guber election? We need no lecture further on his type of person, as he has clearly made it clear that he is not only self incompetent to run Delta State, but also an appendage of the President. While no one condemns any endorsement by the President; it is regrettably condemnable that a supposed governorship aspirant will put on his hope of succeeding on such endorsement.
We may be forgiving as a people but not stupid as a tribe. In an era when aspirants are known by their pedigree, let Aguariavwodo come before us to present us his score card, either as the Managing Director of NDDC or the current position he currently occupy. Without waiting for the score card, I humbly submit that they are not enough to govern a complex State like that. Even a commissioner who has served four years under the Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan administration will make a better leader with good leadership skills than this ‘sit down dey look’ Senator.
Real politicians are known to be stable and unwavering, but not Aguariavwodo. His lack of focus made him to leave the juicy position of NDDC MD to contest for the Delta State guber years ago, under the pretense that he was told by former President Olusegun Obasanjo to do so, only to be roundly defeated and was not compensated with any post. For those who followed the political games of that time; it goes to show that he has no influence even in the State or National level. His ascension to NDDC was based on the help of the Urhobo Progress Union (UPU) and same UPU helped him to the red chambers. A man with such low influence will do UPU and PDP lots of evil, should he dare to pick the PDP governorship nomination form. Even the UPU cannot help him, neither can the name dropping of the President save him from a shameful defeat should he chose to go ahead with this inglorious dance of shame.
While no one begrudges his ambition; every ambition must be expressed at the right time. For Senator Emmanuel Edesiri Aguariavwodo, this ambition is not only belated, but selfish and dead on arrival. His ambition using the President as his shadow is a slap to the office of Mr Goodluck Jonathan and a way to tarnish his image towards 2015 in the eyes of the gullible ones who may have bought into his idea that he is truly a product of Aso Rock. The earlier it is nipped in the bud, the better for the presidency and best for entire Deltans. Urhobos should besiege him to begin to account for the locust and palmer worms’ year he has spent in office. Until this is done, this dream of the Senator is a still born that will NEVER see the light of the day.
Even as a returning Senator, Urhobos and the PDP should not give their ticket to him. Delta Central cannot also afford to send him to the Red Chambers when we have a vibrant man like Ighoyota Amori alive. While many may crucify Amori for being an Urhobo traitor, he is a million time better than the Senate bench warmer called Edesiri. In the few years that Amori has been in power, we all can tesitify of how he has transformed his little village of Mosogar into a city. With Amori in the Senate, the Urhobos can close their eyes, rest assured of pulling enough Federal projects into the district. With him as Urhobos representative, the Senate will be made to know that there is an Urhobo man among them; not just because he will showcase the Urhobo traditional wears during sittings, but because he has the capacity and oratory to propose bills and see to its conclusion. Urhobos reject Aguariavwodo for Senate and Governor and let Amori go.
These little things matter…
Fejiro Oliver, Managing Editor of Daily Voice NG and Media Consultant can be reached on +2348022050733, +2348160067613 (SMS ONLY) or secretsreporters@gmail.com. Engage him on twitter on @fejirooliver86
