Asks Allison Abanum
The question of who sits on a state’s number one and most powerful seat is a question that cannot be taken lightly or answered in a flippant manner. It is a question that comes with lots of burdens and thought exercises. It is the type of question that requires one to not only be philosophical and idealistic, but also to be pragmatic and realistic, even when those seem to contradict one another.
Recent happenings in the glorious state of Delta – a state of and for the people with the biggest heart in the country – have made this question resurface, albeit in a more nagging manner; in a manner that comes with the urgency associated only with grave issues of which it is one. And once again, it is important to ask, Is David Olorugun Edevbie the man for Delta State come 2023?
The social media is reputed more for its ability to make things go viral than for any other thing. This ability has made social media also be a watchdog in society. A missing person can be found through it, likewise the berating of bad governance, and the rejection and endorsement of would-be leaders. It is then not surprising when photos of a serving senator and a gubernatorial aspirant kneeling before the self-acclaimed leader of the Niger-Delta region (Chief Edwin Clarke), and an ex-governor (who is also the first Governor since return to Democracy and by extension, the father of politics in the state) went viral after being uploaded to social media.
While we may not know exactly what led to the posture taken by this serving senator in the now viral photos, it is not difficult to draw deductions. There are very few things that can make a serving senator who also eyes the most powerful seat in his state kneel before these two people. Social media and its users have also made these deductions. With influence, one can get power. Edwin Clarke has both. James Ibori has both.
Edwin Clarke as an Old man is widely known in the country and even beyond for his fierce outspokenness and for the fight for equity, equality and justice. His speeches and interviews he does deliver with amazing sense of humour which has made some of his expressions a darling of our comedians. He is also a man who due to his being a voice to the voiceless and an oppressor to the oppressors of the oppressed draws large loyal followership. He is like a father to many. He is a father to all and that is why he must tread with caution here.
The father as the head of the family always has the eyes of the people on him and thus must not falter. While a father will always welcome all his children with outstretched arms; while it is not advisable for a father to turn away his child who comes knocking at his doors with his knees to the floor, a father must always in all circumstances tell his children the truth.
Furthermore, a father must be ‘for no one and also for everyone’. A father must realize that his blood runs through the veins of all his children and that the child who strikes the most facial resemblance with him does not have an extra gallon of his blood running through his veins.
Chief Edwin Clarke as a matter of fact must see this as one of those instances where a man’s integrity is being tested and must not falter as faltering here will be a fatal blow to his image as an upright man. It takes years to build a reputation but seconds to destroy it. Chief Edwin Clarke must bear this in mind and not allow tribal sentiments to becloud his reasoning. It will be disappointing for a man who can brave bullets to tell the truth to people who do not want him alive to be afraid of tell the truth to his own son.
Chief James Ibori was the first governor of the state since the return of Democracy. He is the father of politics in the state. He is the father of the great people of Delta state and he is a father well loved by his children. Any discerning mind knows that the children will listen to the voice of a father they all love. But sometimes, the father needs to listen to his children, who he not only loves dearly, but who also does the same for him.
Gauging the pulse of social media for the past few days will bring out one result and one result only – David Edevbie is the man of the people; David Edevbie is the man for the people; David Edevbie is the man for Delta State come 2023. It takes only a strong will and extremely strong resolution for a child to say, “I do not care whether you’ve knelt before my father, I’m not going with you, but with the other person.” This strong will and motivation is not a type that can be bought either with cash or with mere eloquence but by wonderful and provable track record. It is a type only integrity and hard work and deep-seated trust can offer.
David Edevbie is a man of integrity and thus is able to command this type of loyalty and be a repository of this type of trust. His wonderful sojourn in the banking and finance sector prior to his grand entry into politics and his indelible footprints in the previous political posts he has held attests to this. That is why across various social media platforms, people, especially the youths – the future of the state – are saying with a voice “you can kneel from here to infinity but David Edevbie is our man for 2023.”
And this is not just a mere exuberance of youthfulness. This is a sign of children who have learnt well from their father. It is a sign of attentive youths who like their Ghanaian counterparts will reject bags of rice for employment opportunities for what is a bag of rice to an unemployed citizen? Remember the teach me how to fish rather than give me a fish saying?
Chief James Ibori is the father and founder of the Natural Law of Justice in Delta state. He saw the inclusion of the laws of rotation of power to the constitution of the State’s People’s Democratic Power of which he is a major stakeholder. Implementing this, he handed over power to our own Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan who comes from Delta South (owing to the fact that he, Ibori comes from Delta Central). After Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan came Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa from Delta North. Now, it follows Constitutionality and the Natural Law of Justice and Fair Play that power should go to the Delta Central, where the cycle started with Chief James Ibori and the only thing which could have hindered this, which is the non-availability of a qualified candidate from the area is non-existent. If there is anything like over-qualification, David Edevbie is overqualified for the seat.
The social media has made the world a global village which means that the cry of one in Delta State can likewise provoke tears in the eyes of another in Imo state, so it is not surprising when the voices of non-Deltans were heard across different social media platforms demanding that the good people of Delta State should abide by the fair play rule. It is not surprising that many non-Deltans are calling on Chief James Ibori to use his influence in a positive way by making sure that the right person, right in all ramifications, gets into office. And this is not a call for God-fatherism which one goes for crawling on his knees with bottles of expensive wines in his hands but a call to the conscience of a man who can make things happen to make positive things happen. The fact that the call also comes from non-Deltans underscores its importance. It goes to tell that many have witnessed the negative effects that accompanies the absence of fair play in the political scene and not many are keen to see such things happen in their dearest Delta State. It goes to say, we are watching; the world is watching.
Chief James Ibori, as a good father, cannot throw away both the constitution, the natural law of justice and the voices of his children for such petty things like grandiose and over-acted humility that comes with kneeling and crawling on knees. Chief James Ibori is not so hungry and thirsty that two or three bottles of wine can be used to buy him over. The good people of Delta State knows who they want to pilot their affairs for they know what they want for their state. And no amount of kneeling, no amount of pleading can change this – David Edevbie is the man for Delta state come 2023. Let He that has ear, let him hear.