UMAHISM : GOOD GOVERNANCE AS A BANNER OVER OPPOSITION.

All over the world, the preference for either two-party or multi-party system over one-party system is hinged on the necessity of opposition parties as a catalyst for good-governance in any given democratic setting. Apart from serving as an alternative platform for acquisition of political power, the basic roles of the opposition in a democracy are to cooperate with a focused administration or ruling party in the delivery of good governance to the citizenry; and to prevent a ruling party from derailing or straying away from its mandate of delivering good governance to the people. The implication of the foregoing is that the tools of the opposition in any given political setting are cooperation, constructive criticism and other lawful methods of provided by the constitution.

The impacts of the cooperation of the opposition as necessary performance-enhancement fillip was witnessed in America during the economic meltdown which occurred under the administration of President Bill Clinton; and is being witnessed in Nigeria lately in the efforts of the Buhari administration to win the terror war being fought in the North-East! In the other vein, the results of the recent Brexit polls in Britain as well as the make-up of the current leadership of the National Assembly in Nigeria are instances of how the opposition can restrain a straying ruling party through lawful or constitutional methods.

In Ebonyi state, the inauguration of Gov. David Nweze Umahi's administration on 29th May, 2015 coincided with the onset of the most inclement economic weather in the history of Ebonyi state, nay Nigeria. The situation was one that reduced the hope of payment of wage - bills to a mirage and the promise of capital projects to mere fantasy. Gov. Umahi as a realist engaged the labour unions in Ebonyi state in a roundtable discussion. An agreement was reached to bring the malicious labour wages which were foisted on the new administration through political vendetta within the realm of feasibility to enable Gov. Umahi do the projects he promised Ebonyi people. The Divine Mandate administration of Gov. Umahi hit the ground running investing every joule of it's energy, the comfort of its top functionaries and every resource at its disposal in Umahi's avowed bid to develop Ebonyi, a state where every sector competed for priority attention. The result of the unsparing focus and commitment of Engr. David Nweze Umahi's administration to the delivery of good governance to Ebonyi people was that during his 100 days in office, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Engr. David Babachir Lawal, after a project inspection tour of Ebonyi state during which he was accompanied by leaders of the All Progressive Congress at the national level as well as the chairman of APC in Ebonyi state, Hon. Ben Nwobashi, in a frank confession of truth invited All Progressive Congress governors to emulate Gov. Umahi's style of delivering good governance. In other various project tours of Umahi's Ebonyi state, other chieftains of APC at the federal level and apolitical professionals like the minister of Agriculture, Chief Audu Ogbe, the minister of Health, Prof Isaac Adewole, the governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria. Dr. Godwin Emefiele, the Assistant Inspector - General of Police in charge of zone 6 et cetera have continued to pour encomia on Gov. Umahi for the exceptional transformations witnessed in the road, agricultural, health, general infrastructure, economic, security, and other sectors which have turned Ebonyi state into tourists' as well as investors' destinations! In like manner, Gov. David Nweze Umahi had while addressing people who paid him Christmas homage in December, 2016, praised President Muhammadu Buhari for his anti-corruption policy, success in the terror war, transparency, agricultural revolution e.t.c.

I have refreshed our memories with the above instances to demonstrate that in the face of good governance as we have in Ebonyi state under Gov. David Nweze Umahi, the ideal role of the opposition is to cooperate with the ruling party to enable the government consolidate on its achievements for the benefit of the masses which should be the paramount interest of every politician or political party. At this juncture, it suffices to say that the reinvention of the blackmail industry in Ebonyi state by elements of an unpatriotic splinter group of the opposition APC led by one scarcely-known Eze Nwachukwu, a man whose bogus claim to the position of "Acting chairman" of Ebonyi state chapter of APC is hinged on an allegedly forged letter, is condemnable. Their penchance to denigrate APC leaders at national and state levels as well as federal government officials whose offences were that they commended the good projects of Gov. Umahi in Ebonyi state gives them out as people unfit for the leadership roles they covet. It is an act of infidelity for Nwachukwu and his group to post photo - shopped pictures of footpaths and bamboo bridges in Ichele, Ado and Etenyi all in Benue state on the Internet and label them as "Roads in Ebonyi state" while they drive through and savour the well-paved concrete, illuminated and secured roads built by Umahi under the most inclement economic weather in the history of Ebonyi state! The veiled intention of Eze Nwachukwu and his group to discredit the on-going democratization of the local government system in Ebonyi state under the pretext that Ebonyi state legislature did not subject the bill for the amendment of Ebonyi State Independent Electoral Commission to public - hearing is an infantile lie which should be totally ignored. The truth is that the invitation to the public hearing on the bill was well advertised on notice boards, through electronic media and escalated through various social media platforms. I was present during the well-attended public hearing which followed the costitutional procedures. Anyone who has problems with the law should seek redress at the law courts and not on media platforms.

From all indications, it is certain that in about two years, the administration of Chief David Nweze Umahi has through his people-centred actions and projects distinguished himself as a man who sought power in order to do good; vindicated his supporters; and earned commendations from the opposition in Ebonyi state and beyond.