Chief Atanoma Udhowo is a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the chairman of Delta Youth of Today (DYT), a socio-cultural association in the Delta South Senatorial District. In this interview with reporters in Asaba, the Delta State capital, he speaks on the senatorial aspiration of Dr Sylvester Onoyona and other issues. OKUNGBOWA AIWERIE reports
President Buhari has just signed the Electoral Act 2022 into law, which contains a provision for electronic transmission of results. What’s your comment on this development?
For us at the Delta Youth of Today, we are happy that the committee that packaged this law, which was led at the Senate by our own Ovie Omo-Agege has succeeded in coming up with landmark legislation after years of being in the woods. If given teeth to bite, that law will birth a new order in our national life as it concerns good governance because the people will have the latitude to choose leaders of their choice. The peoples’ votes will count for the first time and the people of Delta State in particular will be able to vote for candidates of their choice. We had suffered denials in the past because votes of electorates never counted; that is why you see we are backward because usurpers of power abound in our political space. There will be no more votes from ghosts in the riverine areas where bogus votes were perpetually announced by fraudulent politicians. The new electoral law, if made the standard for our elections will birth a new beginning for our nation.
Your association has endorsed the aspiration of Dr Sylvester Onoyona to represent Delta South senatorial district at the National Assembly. What informs this decision?
Over the years we have known Dr Sylvester Onoyona as a good material with the capacity to serve his people. He has been engaged in community services, humanitarian services, and support for the people across the board, not only within the senatorial district but to all that crosses his path. He has a record of excellence in his chosen career, business and his interpersonal relationship. He is also youthful and he is honest. These qualities make him a formidable candidate for our party. Besides, he has no baggage whatsoever.
Do you see him clinching the APC ticket at the primary?
He is the most popular among all the aspirants. The way things are at the moment, he would probably secure the ticket unopposed because he has no formidable opposition. Dr Onoyona is the man with the Midas touch and the people of his constituency are very well aware of this. The Isoko, Urhobo, Ijaw and Itsekiri who are the main tribes in Delta South senatorial district have already adopted him as their candidate.
How do you rate past senatorial representation in the district?
Below average! The Delta South senatorial district has been perpetually undermined in the scheme of infrastructure development in the past, owing to the ‘cash and carry’ politics being played by those who masquerade as leaders of our people. At all levels of representation, our people have been neglected, marginalised or forgotten because rather than attract Federal Government projects to the area, our ignoble representatives go for contracts to acquire property all over the place to the detriment of the development of the senatorial district. In spite of the abundant natural resources in the Delta South, we have nothing to show for it, in terms of infrastructure.
Do you think the narrative will be different with Dr Onoyona in the saddle?
The difference will be clear with Dr Onoyona as our senator come June 2023 going forward because we trust him. He has promised us mass housing projects across the district; being a successful investor in estate management. He will provide not less than 20,000 low-cost housing units in the district, taking advantage of the Federal Government’s investment in that sector of the economy. Onoyona has assured us that his representation at the Red Chamber of the National Assembly would be impactful. He has also promised to provide empowerment and employment for our youth population. In fact, poverty alleviation would be one of his major thrusts as a senator representing the district. Capacity building for our people, going by his promise, will be on the front burner; you know as well as I do that we need to build capacity for our youths not only to meet up with the growing trend of job creation but to also make them employable in the labour market. In addition, his Delta Youth of Today (DYT) regularly engages in a talent hunt within the district to unlock the latent potentials of our youths. Our aim is to grow a youth population that will be self-sufficient to enable them to actualise their dreams and be less vulnerable to exploitation by political jobbers.
Are you saying your association believes that Dr Onoyona would deliver on his promises?
Yes, we believe in all his promises because he is a gentleman with outstanding records of integrity and accountability. We have implicit confidence in his person and capacity to fulfil promises. Therefore, he is a candidate to trust. We are not interested much in political parties but in personalities and what they represent. We won’t allow the political bourgeoisie to deceive us anymore; we are taking the destiny of our senatorial district into our hands and our votes must count in 2023 going forward.
Do you think other constituents will vote for an Isoko candidate?
Why not? We have good relations with everyone in the district and have supported them for a long time and they shall the election of Onoyona as a payback time for the Isoko bloc. The Delta South constituents are not greedy people; they are good neighbours with understanding and strength of our diversity. We are one and we live together. Onoyona is a candidate for all.
How do you intend to support Onoyona’s aspiration to represent your constituency at the Senate?
Our association has adopted the Jehovah Witness house-to-house and door-to-door model of the campaign. We have unleashed our members on the people, for massive mobilisation, enlightenment and education on why Dr Onoyona should be supported and subsequently mandated at the polls to represent us in the Red Chamber. We are using this direct contact with the people to campaign for the man whom we trust. We are also trying to educate the people on the need to take advantage of the Continuous Registration Exercise by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to enable them to vote during the next general election. So, all of this is what we are doing to ensure that our candidate wins nomination first and subsequently the main election next year.
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