SPOTLIGHT: IKIOGHA'S RACE TO THE GREEN CHAMBERS

Bayelsa State and Yenagoa/Kolokuma/Opokuma Federal Constituency is in another defining political moment as politicians, once again stake the cards to get elective positions.

Interestingly, both popular and unpopular persons are in the race to grab power with ambition to either shape and reshape personal or public life. The commonest perception is that many aspirants are merely out for the personal motive.

It is against this common perception, that many electorate are clamouring for aspirants who can deliver on campaign promises to the people. This general wish, no doubt is what propelled Chief Diekivie Bovie Ikiogha to offer to serve at the House of Representatives, the Green Chambers, on the plank of the peoples Democratic Party (PDP), from 2015.

Aside his personal decision to contest, wide consultations within the constituency served as a booster. The essence of consultation was to align his aspiration with that of the entire constituency. This is because the entire areas in the Constituency share, and need to consistently share a common aspiration and take their destiny in their own hands.

Since the re-enthronement of democracy in 1999 until 2014, our contingents to the National Assembly, have tried their best to project the people's demands. However, like the literary Oliver Twist,the electorate have continued to cry for more.

Indeed, the crave for more is not just literary, but a depiction of the need for more effective representation in order to address the underdevelopment, poverty and despodency in our communities.

These unpleasant conditions of living, have been the worries of concerned Bayelsans.

Against this background, Chief Diekivie Bovie Ikiogha has set out to serve at the House of Representatives, haven served in executive positions in Bayelsa State. The aspirant and his teeming supporters strongly believes that the Constituency's mandate will afford him more opportunities to articulate the constituents' demands and those of the State, at the national level.

Furthermore, Chief Ikiogha is eager to represent the constituency at the Green Chambers, so that he can put arsenals together with the people, to fight for a fare share of the national revenue, derived largely from their crude oil and gas in order to improve the living conditions of the people.

It is therefore, the place of the Peoples Democratic Party and the electorate to give him the mandate to enable him render

service and result-oriented representation at the National Assembly. The PDP and the electorate need to beware that others send their best instead of back-benchers and boxers. Thus, to avoid a repeat of the ugly past of ineffective representation, a resourceful front-liner like Chief Ikiogha is the right choice.

A mandate to Ikiogha is a solution to the cries about lack of access to representatives, lack of functional constituency offices as well as inadequacy of Federal Projects in our areas.

With the mandate to Chief lkiogha, there is hope that he would work jointly with the people to put the peoples' sorrows behind them.

This, perhaps accounts for why stakeholders zoned the Yenagoa/kolokuma/Opokuma FederalConstituency Seat to Yenagoa Local Government Area and Senate to Kolokuma/Opokuma in the forth coming 2015 elections. Indeed the patriots who introduced this fair-sharing formular, to promote peace, good neighbourliness and sense of inclusion among Yenagoa, Kolokumo/Opokumo and Southern Ijaw Local Government Areas, deserve commendation.

Let's not forget so soon, that these three local government areas were all in Yenagoa Local Government Area as brothers. Thus, the age-long political bond and brotherhood that once bounded them need to be sustained.

Further, we frankly appreciate the electorate in the three LGAs, especially, those in our Federal Constituency for buying into the fair zoning arrangement, which should come to stay.

The zoning approach, apart from promoting peaceful elections, will also make it easier for the electorate to decide on candidates of their choice.

It will be recalled that Chief Diekivie Bovie Ikiogha had received overwhelming support for Chairmanship election, on the platform of the then National Republican Convention (NRC) in 1993, when the entire Federal Constituency was under the old Yenagoa Local Government Area, but was botched by the Late General Sani Abacha coup. This, mandate that never was, nodoubt will once again be given by the constituents.

Hence, Chief Ikiogha is passionate about offering himself oncea gain to the people, to make good that old mandate, but in another capacity.

To realise his people-oriented intent, and our common aspirations, all that he is soliciting for is the constutuents' mandate, to represent them at the Green Chambers of the National Assembly.

As a departure from the styles of some past representives, he says when voted into the House of Representatives,he would be open to wise counsels, remain humble and accessible to all constituents. He has also assured working with the people to take what belongs to them from the national coffers, as the national economy is oiled by our oil and gas resources.

This, he is optimistic, will be achieved through consistent, aggressive and persuasive approaches to present demands, using effective lobbying strategied and networking with colleagues and the executive arm at the federal level, to get what is ours.

In the same vein, Chief lkiogha intends to collaborate with Bayelsa State Government, to step up development in the constituency. Again, he says he will partner with corporate organisations, especially oil and banking companies in the constituency, to promote environmental, agricultural, infrastructural and human capital development.

If these and others in the agenda of this aspirant are all it takes to give the people of Yenagoa/Kolokuma/Opokuma Federal Constituency a new lease of life, then Diekivie Bovie Ikiogha, DBI for short, implying Dedicated, Benevelent and Interactive, is the man who the Green Chamber fits.

BY
BY ETETE ENIDENEZE, arpa, aimim, gnipr
MEDIA/PUBLIC RELATIONS PRACTITIONER.
HEAD, MEDIA/POLITICAL COMMUNICATION,
IKIOGHA'S CAMPAIGNS
EMAIL: [email protected]