Urhobo News

• LAYS OUT HIS AGENDA
• PROMISES TO MAKE OKPE/SAPELE/UVWIE FEDERAL CONSTITUENCY MORE PROSPEROUS

Prominent Delta lawyer and politician, Kingsley Akpederin, has attributed his House of Representatives bid to the decision of Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) stakeholders in Okpe/Sapele/Uvwie Federal Constituency and the need for the party to put forward its best in the 2027 elections.

‘’Politics is collective and the bid for public office and especially that of which stage to aspire to represent is not left out. The NDC being one which is attracting massive interest now has decided to put forward its best as much as possible. I did not even know that many stakeholders of the party and especially those of my area of Okpe/Sapele/Uvwie Federal Constituency have been having a conversation as to whom to encourage for the House of Representatives position’’.

He told journalists in Abuja how the position was concretized during a caucus meeting at the party’s state secretariat, for him to represent the party in the federal constituency.

‘’I must reveal that at the beginning of consultations to decide on whether it is the House of Assembly or the House of Representatives I should go for, the support for the latter was substantial. I needed to expand the conversation beyond the Sapele Constituency before coming out fully. Now that the party stakeholders clearly endorsed me for the position and that I should immediately do the switch before the ruling party sponsors someone to hijack it with their resources, I have taken the bold step to declare for the House Representatives for the Okpe, Sapele and Uvwie Federal Constituency. I have undergone the party’s screening process with the national leadership in Abuja and we are good to go. The people of OSU Federal now have the opportunity for some breath of fresh air and a completely different orientation in representation that places premium on constant feedback with the people’’.

Akpederin said that he was ready to put the issues of Sapele Port, more financing of the Federal University of Petroleum Resources, Effurun and the Petroleum Training Institute, Effurun, the need for a forward movement on the Petroleum Refinery, Ekpan, the dire state of the Sapele/Effurun Highway which reconstruction has been so slow and Amuokpe Agbor Highway Dualisation project on the front burner of national attention.

‘’There is a dire need for our people to have those who represent them to be persons who are prepared to sacrifice all to see that the area is selflessly represented. When those who represent a people are not preoccupied by what they can get from the office for themselves but motivated by the needs and interests of the masses, then the people they represent are in for positive impact. Let me just point out the recent example of Certification and Compliance Processes for five deep seaports, one each in Lagos, Ondo, Akwa Ibom, Cross River and Rivers. This leaves Delta State out of the equation. A State with some of the best natural harbours in Nigeria like Sapele, Warri, Forcados, Koko and others that should be the maritime hub of the country has been neglected. This is an example of what happens when we don’t put strong advocacy voices on the National stage to generate the necessary attention to the areas of strength and comparative advantages of your area. If we in Delta put out our best forward on the National stage like the National Assembly which the House of Representatives is an integral part of, the issues of our areas would continue to be on the front burner of National attention. The issues of the Sapele Port, more financing of the Federal University of Petroleum Resources, Effurun and the Petroleum Training Institute, Effurun, the need for the for a forward movement on the Petroleum Refinery, Ekpan, the dire state of the Sapele/Effurun Highway which reconstruction has been so slow, Amuokpe Agbor Highway Dualisation project, and so much more that the people OSU Federal Constituency desire to be championed can receive national attention if the representative in Abuja actively and continually advocates for them and possesses the negotiating capacity to see them to fruition’’.

One area that representatives have not focused on, according to Akpederin, is the need to defend the people against the unprofessional conducts of the officials of some federal agencies including law enforcement and even the military agents against our people.

‘’When some personnel of the Nigeria Police Force for example violate the rights of our people, they have to be taken up if not impunity would make them continue maltreating our people. I therefore intend to set up a Human Rights Protection office which is to handle matters where our people’s rights are violated by whoever be it law enforcement agents or others. The focus would be on the voiceless and those without the resources to challenge such oppressive acts among the people and residents of OSU Federal Constituency. There is so much to do and we need a total departure from a leadership that is not bothered about what happens to the downtrodden in the society’’.

The legal practitioner said there were no doubts as to his preparation for the primaries and the 2027 National Assembly Elections.

‘’I am absolutely prepared to and have the capacity for this position. As a legal practitioner with substantial experience in political activism since my University Benin days in the 1990s and so much experience in advocating for an agenda for the people after, there is so much that I can bring to the table. The Okpe, Sapele and Uvwie Federal Constituency is in a strategic position in Delta State and Nigeria. It is the gateway to the Niger Delta and a large portion of the riverine part which is potentially the maritime goldmine of Nigeria and the region which produces a large chunk of oil and gas for Nigeria. Both Sapele and Uvwie (entrance to Warri) represent the geographical bridge to the Niger Delta coastal areas. Nigeria is missing so much in not realizing the huge economic potentials of the Niger Delta area to making Nigeria great. The focus is wrongly just about crude oil exploration and extraction. The OSU Federal Constituency is also supposed to be the Petroleum and petrochemical refining hub of the country if we seize the opportunity of proximity to the raw materials on the one hand, and its natural advantage in land and sea transport’’.

He stated that his House of Representatives bid should not be taken for granted

‘’I am prepared to the best of my ability and the task is to continually reach out. For the general election, we have several months to still reach out to the people of the OSU Federal Constituency. We are prepared to present ourselves to the people as the trusted alternative to the current leadership which has largely made the people disillusioned about politics and the governance of Nigeria for a couple of years now. Restoring the greatness of Nigeria and making meaning for the lives of the masses is possible’’.

He however said that contesting for public election was not a physical combat that can engender fear.

‘’I am in the race for the people and the people supporting me amounts to them supporting themselves. I am therefore not scared of others. I see them as partners for the public good. It is an intra-party contest and whoever emerges would need the support and cooperation of the others in promoting the party and thus enhance her chances in the coming general elections’’.