By Ejiro Nosa Parick
LAGOS OCTOBER 24TH (URHOBOTODAY)-The struggle this time is the struggle for independence. Today I come to you with a heavy heart. You know everything about the opposition in Delta state. We tried our best. People of delta state today want liberation, they want to survive. We want to have our right and state back-what wrong did we do in electing these leaders that have hijacked our dear state?
We had a hope that we would be the envy of states in Nigeria thereby creating a structure which would lead to emancipation of the people economically, politically and culturally.
But today we are sorry to say that the history of the 26 years of its existence has been the history of dying cries of the people of Delta state, the history of poverty, insecurity and poor infrastructure.
I ask you to share with me today the majesty of this moment in the orderly transfer of power; we celebrate the unity that keeps us free. Each moment in history is a fleeting time, precious and unique. But some stand out as moment of change. In which courses that shape centuries, this can be such a moment.
Forces now are converging that make possible for the first time the hope that many of Deltans deepest aspirations can at last be realized.
In pursuing our goals of full employment, better housing, excellence in education, in rebuilding and improving our rural areas. In protecting our environment in all these and more, we will press urgently forward.
He who chooses the beginning of a road chooses where it leads to. Like Victor Ochie, I believe in living my life with a passion—– but the big question is how do I know I have found that passion. “By My Happiness” and just as we know from our own happiness that great things can indeed come from state.
It is certain that until the crushing burden of Godfatherism is lifted from the people they cannot enjoy the maximum social being which is possible. We can not build the Delta state of our desire under the constant menace of hand-picking people for elected position as witnessed in the state for the past sixteen (16) years.
Freedom from Godfatherism and freedom from Hand-picking leaders must be sought together. The greatest danger is that we fail to face up to the nature of the treat we are dealing with, what we have been witnessing in past elections to offices of leadership in our dear state has not been an aberrant act, what we are confronting here in delta state is an evil ideology. It is not a clash of political civilization-all civilized political processes and systems feel revulsion at it. This is a political battle that must be won, a battle not just about their manipulative method but their views and ideas. Ideas they would impose in the forth coming elections in the state.
This electioneering manipulation and the violence inherent in it did not just start during the last election, but all through the elections of the last sixteen (16) years of the state were manipulated, by the same sets of person they are well finance and recruit however and whoever they can and with success.
We don’t have to wonder what type of leadership this ideology would give, (i) pensioners will not be paid (ii) local government workers will not be paid (iii) people leaving in abject poverty and oppression.
For me this explain a lot of things it explains why we kept going to election ground to cast our vote inspite of the manipulative process of election results, it explains why we no longer wonder.
One thing I know as sure as I know my name is that when you take those baby steps towards God he takes a thousand steps towards you.
You agreed with us that great things can indeed come from our state, you did not despise our continue commitment to effect a change and because of you I believe that all is well that begins well. Just as we know by our own determination and happiness that we are on the right track this time around.
I will not forget the wound to our people and those who inflicted them, I will not forget the lies, the deceit and the promises made that were not kept, they even said that our matter was their matter.
The spirit of our age is one in which the prejudice of the past are put behind us, were our diversity is our strength. Moderate is not moderate through weakness but through strength, now is the time to show it in defense of our common value.
This is not just APC fight and what is at stake is not just APC freedom. Families that are starving today as workers of LGA are not all APC members, pensioners and contractors begging for their rewards are not all APC members, communities that have no roads and electricity today were the same communities that voted the present government to power hoping that their matter was truly PDP matter. So this is the State fight, this is civilization fight; this is the fight of all who believes in progress, tolerance and freedom.
We ask every political party, man and woman, boy and girl in each of the senatorial districts that have felt cheated and deceived to join us.
After all the elections that we have lost as opposition, all the lives taken during elections, possibilities and hope that died with them. It is natural to wonder if Delta state belongs to this cabal, or this group called PDP, Same people all the time.
But it’s our defeat final and irremediable? To this question I say NO.
The passion for freedom is on the rise there can be no nobler nor more ambitious task for Deltans to undertake come March 2nd 2019, than to deliver our beloved state from the hands of those witch doctors in Government House in Asaba. We are free people we can never be indifferent to the fate of freedom in our sister’s state of Edo and Ondo state.
We do not seek to be violent but let no one confuse our idealism with weakness as it is clear that a State which other can dominate with impunity would be inhospitable to decency and a treat to the well being of all Deltans.
I do not proposed to say many words here but the time has come when action rather than words is required.
Providence has provided us with a man who is the face of this new spirit in the opposition that we are tapping into Hon. Victor Ochie, a man that has been there and has seen it all, a man that was lied to and deceived who left them and joined the opposition to deliver his people just like Moses in the Bible and truly like Moses, he never returned to these oppressors of our State instead he remained in the opposition. Bid me to introduce to you the person of Hon. Victor Ochie.
Victor Ochie hails from Onicha-olona in Aniocha North LGA of Delta State. Born 25th February, 1969 in Kano, he attended Methodist Primary School and St. Thomas secondary school respectively in Kano. And later proceeded to the University of Benin, Benin City where he graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree (B.Sc) in Chemical Engineering after which he went for the mandatory National Youth Service at Ondo State. He late earned the Master of Science Degree in Corporate Governance from Leeds Metropolitan University in the United Kindom. He also obtained certificates in Good Governance, Effective Legislating and Improving Secondary School Education from the famous Oxford University, University of California and the prestigious Harvard Graduate School of Education respectively.
He obtained a Law Degree (LL.B) from the Delta State University (DELSU) he also earned the MBA Degree in 1996.
He made his first foray into business by printing calendar and other memorabilia. He confronted the entrepreneurial challenges in Nigeria and ventured fully into self -employment by founding DavNotch Nigeria Limited. A company in which within a fourteen year-span grew in leaps and bounds with more than two hundred and fifty (250) direct staff, including foreign experts of various competences.
In the political terrain Victor Ochie is seen as a rare Chemistry of integrity and tenacity of purpose. He cut his political teeth in 2003 where he emerged as the representative of Aniocha-North Constituency and later, deputy minority leader of Delta State House of Assembly, on the platform of the United Nigeria People’s Party, UNPP. A position he held till 2006. In his second bid for elective office he joined the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and got re-elected on the party’s platform into the state legislature. He became Chairman of the House Committee on Education till the end of the fourth assembly of the Delta state legislature. He contested in the 26th April, 2011 Election and was re-elected into the state Legislature for a third term. He was elected by his colleagues as Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly. And till date the longest serving speaker in the history of the Delta State House of Assembly having served for two (2) years and nine months (6th June, 2011- 18th march, 2014)
Hon. Sir, I come to you in the words of Mordecai as recorded in the Holy Bible of the Book of Esther 4 verse 14 “for if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time then shall enlargement and deliverance arise to Deltans from another person—– who knows whether thou art come to the opposition for such a time as this.
Now that it has been made public that out matter was never their matter, as reflected in the over #8,000 000 000.00 naira Delta State is owing, in the non- payment of LGA workers Salaries, starvation of pensioners, bad road and electricity supplies even insecurity. We shall stand at the bar of history that the responsibility of delivering Deltans lies on the shoulders of one man – Hon. Victor Ochie. I fear that he may not be able to reject and avoid this responsibility knowing that his candidacy will give confidence to the opposition and pause to those who would want to exploit our state for their selfish purposes the passion of freedom is on the rise, we resolved that the continuity of this cabal in our State must stop and come to an end, come 2nd march, 2019. I utter this word with the deepest affection and from the very bottom of my heart, let every Deltan rally round Victor Ochie, every quarrel should be forgotten, all rancour depart let all of us rally round this glorious hero and give the last blow to the crumbling edifice of this ruling cabal.