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| Bulus Nnamdi Ndu |
In the
simple politics of memory, there may not be clear-cut boundaries and no precise
beginnings and endings as to where and how we started and where we are headed, but
above and beyond primal concern with politics, the most creative analysis of
local politics is that even in the best of circumstances, marked by good
politicking, there are events that often come around to the point of view that
while certain segment of a political unit reinforces and consolidates on their
advancement and progress, some are seen fighting for survival in a scrambled
environment that, in a sense, does not divide itself per se, but cleanly divided
by people inhabiting it.
I
emphasize the above point to emphasize further the dangerous dimension of the
emerging habit and thinking on the political structure in Obollo that accounts
for everything that is wrong with us, which have made it much worse than it
would have been otherwise, and would continue to fester if we fail to unite to
renew and preserve our future by restarting a new pattern of behaviour and
thinking. To see through the narrow boundaries to which we are now moving is to
see clearly the underlying flaws that open up strips of such thinking and
habits.
About
the thinking and habits: The thinking is that Obollo has the number and since
democracy is politics of numerals, we have allowed this thinking to blossom in
the widespread conceit that we can easily dictate the pulse and pace of Udenu
politics, and unfortunately this thinking, for the most part, doesn’t hold of
out convincingly anymore since our politics is emblematic of a reverse
democracy where the “big man” decides for “us”.
The
habit, however, is that Obollo is bound together by complex network of people
where majority are by instinct more attune to the idea of throwing “principle”
to the wind and selling any “interest” to the highest bidder, and therefore
stand for nothing. This of course can stand for two things, only one of which
will support the argument better: That for Obollo, a town seeking the remaking
of a battered image and escape from “political rape”, the potentially most
dangerous forces against her are not necessarily the ones from the “outsider”
who entice us in time of campaigns how his great-grand mother had lived with
us; but to critically mull over the issue is to feel even more relax in the
acceptance that we are where we are and things are the way they are due to the
fault lines between the people and the town. This is a way of saying that we
are our own enemy!
Fast
forward to 2019:The coming election year is generating predictions that
“Obollo” may pick the ticket from either the ruling PDP or the opposition APC
for the Udenu local council’s seat in the State Assembly. The validity of this
is the extent to which the predictions turn out to be accurate at the end of
the day. But at the basic level of assumptions is the likelihood of it coming
off true. I like to thank the good people of Obollo for their resolve; I also
thank Hon. Chinedu Onuh for his
friendship and support. In the main, whatever the direction in which we can
push this, we need to ask one other question: What are the expectations? I ask
this question considering the juxtaposition of a rapidly growing people and a
slowly developing town.
If we
must move beyond the bounded reality, I am inclined to argue that the first
task of whoever gets elected to represent us, and for being the highest ranking
political officer from Obollo will be to first give expression internally to
cultural patterns which implies the cultural coming together of Ndi Obollo to
provoke a consciousness and acceptance that Obollo is a project that that need
to be worked on. Also is the need to see such opportunity as a medium to
provide a platform from which to support so many “betrayed interests”, and as a
time to strike a balance between the wrongs of the past and our future dreams
of a prosperous Obollo.
In the
light of the forgoing, I wish ,therefore, to express my gratitude and
appreciation to His Excellency, Gov. Ifeanyi
Ugwuanyi, for his good works and for being a gentleman all along; and a
gentleman in this sense could also mean a test of his resolve and his sense of
judgment in knowing the good and the wrong. I have argued and if this piece
aspire to achieve anything, it should essentially be to draw the attention of
His Excellency to a “political document” which he was signatory to, and which
has over the years facilitated and contributed to the smooth sharing of
elective positions in Udenu Local government area, and within which the people
of Udenu North draw their strength to justify their claims why the House of
Assembly slot should be zoned to them and here is why: For administrative
convenience and for sake of equity, Udenu local government area is divided
along the following:
UDENU
NORTH (Obollo, Amalla and Ogbodu Aba)[Number of shot at State
Assembly>None].
OLD
ISI-UZO (Obollo-Eke)[Chief Willy UgwuOkpe>Obollo-Eke>4yrs/1979-1983]. Hon.
Emma Agbo-2yrs(1991-93); Hon.Igadike O Igadike-2yrs(1991-93).
UDENU
SOUTH( Orba and Udunedem Devt.Centres)[1999-2019>20yrs.
Given
the above analysis, and even without referring to the said “document”, conventional
wisdom demands that the next Assembly Man must come from Udenu North that
commands nearly 40% votes in Udenu Local government area. In view of this, I
humbly request His Excellency as an upright man to see reason with us and
hearken to the voice of reason.
God
Bless Enugu State!
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