By James Udor Ebe, Esq.
It is no longer news that Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has released the list of those who are contesting election into the House of Representatives for Oju/Obi Federal Constituency alongside other persons contesting into various federal positions across the country. And yesterday being 28th September, 2022, the electoral umpire has also lifted embargo on campaign for 2023 general elections by political parties.
While the released list is subject to further changes depending on the outcome of the ongoing litigations by some aspirants who have challenged the outcome of their parties’ primaries, below are the names of the persons who will be slotting it out in the 2023 general election for the position of member, House of Representatives for Oju/Obi Federal Constituency, as cleared by INEC:
1. OBEGA IKPE BENSON—A
2 OCHI KINGSLEY, ADIARHU —-ADC
3. OGEWU DAVID—-APC
4. OCHI ISAACS OKWORI—APGA
5. OCHELLE ADIMA SAMUEL—LP
6. OGWOCHI ISAAC ODE—NNPP
7. ADIKPE ARUBI FELIX—NRM
8. OKWU SAMSON —-PDP
9. OKPABI AOKUDEDE—PRP
10. OGBOLE MATTHEW EBERE—SDP
11. ELIJAH OJOWU OGBAJI—ZLP.
Ordinarily, the above persons will be presenting Igede electorates with various choices or alternatives to vote their preferred candidates on the day of election come 2023, interestingly, these choices or alternatives are not easy to come by, due to some political exigencies, personality traits/complexes, primordial and clannish considerations and other extenuating factors. I will attempt to expatiate more on these factors in the course of developing this article but permit me to concede here that such attempt would by no means exhaustive, as these factors are as complex as the present Igede nation itself.
First, there has been argument that the position of House of Representatives for Oju/Obi Federal Constituency should move from Obi LGA to Oju LGA in the spirit of equity, fairness and brotherliness. According to the proponents of this argument, Obi LGA will complete her twelve-year term in 2023 (2011 -2023), just as Oju LGA had had her turn from 1999-2011. Therefore, to the holders of this view, it is only fair to have a balanced share of the position by the two Local Government Areas to engender peace and tranquillity in Igede land. And in doing this, the proponents of this view argue that the new rotation should naturally begin from Oju LGA where it began from, since the return of democracy in 1999.
However, there are dissenting views to the above proposition. Those against the proposition have forcefully argued that zoning is unconstitutional as it is an internal affair of a political party (in the instant case, PDP). They further argued that there is no any agreement by the two Local Government Areas that the new rotation of the position would begin from Oju LGA where it started from in 1999. Therefore, to them, since there is no agreement that Oju should begin the rotation after Obi LGA must have had her twelve-year term, Obi LGA should begin the new rotation.
The implication of the argument that Obi LGA should begin the new rotation is that, if any person who is contesting the position from Obi LGA eventually wins, there are chances that the person/Obi LGA will clamour to do another twelve-year term from 2023 until 2035 before Oju LGA can rightfully and conventionally demand to have their own turn of twelve-year term from 2035, if Christ tarries…hmmmmm. This life no balance sha.
Watch out for Part 2….
© James Udor Ebe, Esq.
