Okowa’s critics’ politics of bitterness

WHEN a miscreant defecates on ancestral shrines and dances naked in the market square to the amusement of onlookers, it attracts sanctions; to avert a future occurrence and anger of the god’s and prevents a retributive plague built on sycophantic jesters.

Most critics of Okowa put on toga of ethnic, tribal, sectional and primordial sentiments; they have eyes but can’t see, have ears but can’t hear, they read but lack understanding.

The truth is within but exhibit falsehood to feed a deceptive flesh. Okowa is the governor of Deltans, irrespective of beliefs, social, political or ethnic affiliation. Though elected from the platform of PDP, he took oath to protect all; he is not a partisan governor but leader of the state. The time of partisan politics ended with the elections and it’s time for governance not distractions.

Deltans irrespective of political affiliation have a governor in him who cares, a fact the vindictive critics don’t see, they replace patriotism with partisanship, and can this bareness lead to fertility? They must forgo partisanship by supporting Okowa programmes.

The verbal diarrhoea diagnosed in their provocative writings, print and electronic media attacks lack facts and reason, it is powered by greed for power than serve the state, they plant discord in place of unity, strife in place of peace and raise ethnic and primordial sentiments to discredit quality, and these actions castrate knowledge and stagnate values that sustain a people.

Opposition politics is not about recklessness but responsibility; it is not about tribal sentiments but people’s welfare, truth and not falsehood; it’s about alternative ideas, which they lacked.

Their wasp ideology is conjecture of a drunk in hallucination, amnesia that lacked moral and logical reasoning. Alhaji Ibrahim Waziri of blessed memory enjoined Nigerians in 1978 to practice politics without bitterness because the danger of ethnic politics, tribal goals at the expense of national integration threatens peace, cohesion and development.

Our diversity is strength as one ethnic group cannot be an island, without neighbours we are vulnerable. This is where those agitating for tribal or ethnic governor are goofing because in our multiplicity of different ethnic groups, we replicate unity in diversity.

Governor Okowa has lived to expectation not by relying on his blood ties to Anioma and Delta sections to claim leadership but on pedigree as a servant leader to promote unity in discord, peace in strife and teach us how to fish.

These robotic critics like a couple who never see anything good in one another when divorced, are laced in bitter recriminations and sentiments, they were rejected at polls but cling to frivolities in tandem with dictates of their sponsors.

Incidentally, they were all PDP members but because of same clandestine divisive and selfish tendencies, became dehydrated and fled to weak parties to be venerated as godfathers to fulfill inordinate ambition.

The PDP of ideas, internal democracy cannot accommodate these undemocratic traits. We cannot be tied to this fantasy in a state known for strides under PDP governance, sustenance and continuity is what we need, this is what progressive transformation means and Okowa aware of our past is salvaging the present to secure our future.

We must admit these heights, as not doing so is desecration. These critics with reckless manipulations for facts are poisonous venoms who want to be noticed and heard when not necessary, in a party wedding they want to be the bride, in a funeral party they want to be the corpse.

These are detrimental to growth and unity as no social creed preaches discrimination; we are created equal before God. When party candidate’s campaign for votes on ethnic basis rather than competence as was done by opposition parties in the last elections, then our humanity is poisoned.

Governor Okowa alienated himself from this divisive politics, he understands our problems are not ethnic but leadership and knows human blood has no ethnic or tribal coloration.

Poverty, unemployment, corruption are satanic vices that negate development, a leader needs courage and tenacity to take difficult decisions to fulfill hopes and aspirations, these are manifestations of Okowa leadership.

The up grading of three technical colleges in Agbor, Ofagbe and Sapele are indices of a leader who understands that science and technology are the tools against ignorance and unemployment.

The dreadful leprous fantasy of wastage, incompetence and partisanship must be discarded. Democracy is choice of majority and tyranny of a few cannot be equated with leadership, Okowa wants us to brake from the circle of deceit, ethnic bigotry, corruption and sectional interest.

This is the elixir that channels our indecision into decision, hopes into reality and future secured. We must discard their puerile negativity in serving our state, people, through Okowa’s transformative leadership. • Prince Abugo is special assistant to Okowa on Social Advocacy.