By Chief Austin Neme
I beg to differ, in my political dictionary. find it absurd to accept the term ‘anti-party’ or accused of absence of loyalty when in the actual sense, nothing on ground calls for being loyal.
Is it when with three units in my community, Obetim-Uno, Afor in Ndokwa East local government area of Delta State, no single individual can be considered for appointment as a Councillor, Supervisory Councillor, Party Chairman, be it Ward, LGA or State and Council Chairmanship.
In the absence of the possibility of the above, how then can an individual aspire to the State House of Assembly, Federal House of Representatives, the Senate, Governorship and the Presidency when we have qualified individuals from the community.
No aspirant to any of the offices, irrespective of party affiliation, is assured of our express votes unless and except there be a concrete undertaking to give the community the opportunity to produce the Council Chairman of the local government area that Obetim belong to.
Delta is a State where one of her subjects – OBETIM, (erroneously termed a prodigal son and a lost sheep at the same time) didn’t enjoy the dawn of democracy because she was erroneously preoccupied with the agitation of dumping her constitutional LGA for another, and as a result, losing all, politically and economically.
But we learnt that Christ taught His disciples that in the course of their journey of life, if one sheep out of ten absconds, it beholves the chief shepherd the onerous duty and responsibility to go looking for the ‘LOST SHEEP’.
Hence from 1999-2007, 2007-2015, 2015-2022, none of the three Chief Shepherds were able to seek for the LOST SHEEP. But the good news is that in 2021, the PRODIGAL SON has commenced all righteous and constitutional acts to return back once again to his father’s compound.
And here we are again, come 2023, my question is, who amongst the contending aspirants to the office of the Chief Shepherd will forgo the serving and obedient child to embrace the returning PRODIGAL SON, to wear him a welcome back apparel, feed him, and above all, nurture him to join the rest in their father’s compound?
And surely, we know that the TASTE of the pudding is in the EATING!
