Excitement radiated among the people of Isoko North local government area of Delta state when the Secretary to the Delta state government, Comrade Ovuozorie Macaulay led a delegation of Federal and state legislators, political appointees and other party leaders on a thank you tour across all the 13 wards in the council area.
The tour, according to sources, was embarked upon to give an account of stewardship and express gratitude to the people for voting en masse for all the Peoples Democracy Party (PDP) candidates during the 2011 general elections.
The SSG’s entourage had in attendance, Senator James Manager, representing Delta South senatorial district, Hon. Leo Ogor Okuweh, representing Isoko federal constituency in the House of Representatives and Deputy majority leader, Hon. Tim Owhefere, representing Isoko North constituency in the state Assembly, Mr. Joe Ogeh, Commissioner representing Isoko in the Delta state Oil Producing Development Commission (DESOPADEC), Mr. Patrick Ferife, commissioner of Lands Survey and Urban Development, Mr. Idisi, transition committee chairman of Isoko South local government area and Mr. Mike Ogwah, Special Assistance to the SSG among other party stalwarts.
The carnival like “Thank You” visit which lasted for two days, witnessed a large turn out of party faithful, supporters and followers who gave the entourage a rousing welcome, despite some pockets of youths protest at Ekiugbo-Iyede which was brought under control.
While addressing PDP members at Ellu, Aradhe-Ovrode wards at Ellu, Ofagbe, Okpe-Isoko, Bethel-Oyede, Otor-Iyede, Ekiugbo-Iyede, Emevor, Owhe, Otibio, Owhelogbo and Ozoror wards, Macaulay commended them for voting for all the party candidates during the 2011 general elections.
He appealed to them to continue to give their unflinching support to the Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan’s administration as well as all Isoko elected and appointed political office holders. He also assured the people of the passionate commitment of the present government to better their lots through execution of people oriented projects.
Macaulay, who stressed emphatically that the visit was not a political campaign but a thank you visit, listed some of the state government on-going projects in Isoko land to include construction of modern primary and secondary schools, roads, pipe-borne water among others, just as he pledged that projects and other social amenities would be provided for the people.
In a statement made available to Blank NEWS Online shortly after the two days visit, the SSG expressed gratitude to all who made the visit a success, saying that it was not only when the votes of the people are needed that they should be visited, adding that the sister Isoko South council area will soon take its turn in the thank you visit.
On what informed the visit, the SSG stated that “The world is dynamic, society is dynamic and politics is a dynamic venture. Before now, when they say politician have come, it means they have come to ask for votes, we say this is not the right thing to do. You can’t always go to the people only when you need their votes. You must go to the people to say thank you. You must go to the people to give account of your stewardship. I have been in office in the past two years or based on your vote I was appointed. This is what I have done this two years or this is what I’m going to do. You must find time to go and appreciate the people who voted for your government that made you to be in power or made you to have the position you are occupying. These are the basic of this visit.”
Comrade Macaulay, while saying that they have to appreciate the people of Isoko North who in spite of all odds voted for PDP, recalling that during the rerun, somehow “We narrowly missed this local government because certain persons were deceived and some of us felt we should move higher to play state and national politics and we left home and things happened behind us. So we came back and the people believed in us and in the last than three months we have returned them back to their root which is the PDP. So this is what formed the basis for this visit.”
On his part, Isoko federal constituency representative in the House of Representatives, Hon. Leo Ogor Okuweh thanked and commended the party members for their votes even as he opined that a lot of development projects have been influenced to the area and promised that the people will continue to feel the positive impact of governance.
“It goes to show that the Isoko people quite understand. Going round to appreciate the wonderful support they gave to our party. All said and done I think the turnout was not too bad. Well we are quite open. You must agree with me that information is power, we are transparent, we have adopted a very good mode of operation and so we don’t keep secrets from each other because the priority that is in our heart is the development of Isoko nation and politics is all about sharing resources and what we are looking at is the Isoko interest and we have actually put our personal interests behind, knowing fully well that the Isoko interest is our priority, so we open clear communication lines.”
Asked how well he has impacted on the lives of the people as a federal lawmaker, the Deputy Majority Leader at the House of Representatives said, “First you must know that the provision of section 4 (2) of the constitution has made me a lawmaker. As lawmaker it is my responsibility to make laws for the good governance of this country but if you want to talk about my responsibility as a parliamentarian, I wouldn’t probably want to speak about that because you should be the judge on that but if you want to talk of projects I have influenced, they are unaccountable. You have them, wonderful jobs going on all over the place, street lights, road construction, water and a host of others. I think I owuld want to give myself a pass mark but that judgment should be yours and not mine.
On the youth protest at Ekuigbe-Iyede during the thank you visit where the entourage was booed, Hon. Ogor Okuweh has this to say “There are bound to be some disagreement in all situation of this nature, you can’t run away from the reality of that. When you have 100 per cent acceptability you know there’s something wrong. But as good leaders saddled with the responsibility of moving Isoko forward we would look at some of those voices and be able to meet them at their point of need because politics like I told you is all about resource sharing. Probably they are not satisfied with the level of distribution of resources.”
On his part, Senator James Manager representing Delta South Senatorial District of the state at the National Assembly, disclosed that he has influenced several projects into the area as a lawmaker. “Anywhere you see NDDC projects as they are dotted all over the places, these are projects I influenced directly or indirectly because I’m the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Niger Delta including NDDC for the past five to six year. If we don’t budget for them the projects would not be executed. And don’t forget I came from a background of developing an area, I was Commissioner for Work in Delta State and the achievement I recorded are there for the records so am yearning for the development of my people.”
The Senator described the thank you visit as very unique. “Unique in the sense that we haven’t done this before. We used to gather everybody together to thank them. It happened in my first outing. I brought everybody together in Oleh, I thanked them, in my second tenure I brought them out at the Senatorial District level in Warri and I thanked them but this particular one is taking the visit to the people in the ward proper and that’s why it’s very unique. By the grace of God I want to see if I can, because going round the 91 ward that make up in my senatorial district is not easy but if I can, I want to replicate this thing everywhere because it would avail me the opportunity to feel the pulse of the people.”
