Few days ago, Nigeria’s Minister of Labour and Employment, Chief Chris Nwabueze Ngige gave a very exciting interview in Channel Television. In the interview, Ngige was brought to the horn of dilemma when the anchor person asked him whom he would vote for between the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Mr. Peter Obi and the candidate of the APC, Bola Tinubu.
The question was very direct and almost caught Ngige off-guard. Ngige was not just a card-carrying member of the APC; he has been a two-term minister in the Party. In fact, if people,who benefitted from the APC administration, are named, Ngige would be among the very first. Also, the Minister was not just from the Southeast where the presidential candidate of the Labour Party is from, Obi and Ngige are from the same State. The same people who gave Ngige the mandate to be minister are also the people crazy about Obi’s candidature.
What would Ngige do? Should he say he would vote for Obi and attract the anger and possible withdrawal as minister from his party or should he go for Tinubu and face the anger and outrage from the Southeast? The example of Rt. Hon. Emeka Ihedioha and the backlash he faced after moving against Obi’s candidature is a point in case.
Ngige as a wise man and an astute politician, smartly and tactfully navigated his way out of the trap set by the journalist. He simply told the interviewer that whomever he was to vote would behis personal decision and that on the D-day, he would vote according to his conscience.
That was Chris Nwabueze Ngige: a wise man and an astute politician, who values the feelings and sensibilities of his constituency. Nothing stops Ngige from saying he would vote for Bola Ahmed Tinubu and damning the consequences. Whosever does not like that can go to hell for all he cares! However, Ngige is wise.
Now, how did Senator Uche Ekwunife handle a similar situation? Senator Ekwunife is a senator under the PDP. Few days ago, the PDP flagged-off their presidential campaign in Uyo the capital of Akwaibom State. In that flag-off, Ekwunife met the same dilemma Ngige found himself. She was to choose between the presidential candidate of her party and the choice of her constituency.
Ekwunife spoke plainly, on what her choice was. She didn’t only choose Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of her party but she went as far as calling her constituency’s choice “a kindergarten president”. According to Ekwunife, Nigerians should “Vote for Atiku”, because “Nigeria doesn’t need kindergarten president.”
How much more callous can Ekwunife be towards those who made her what she is today? How more disrespectful can she be to those whose mandate she currently enjoys? Does Senator Uche Ekwunife realize that she and her family are feeding fat and travelling around the world at the pleasure of those, she just called their choice “a kindergarten president?” Is Ekwunife not aware that the people of Anambra Central reserve the right to recall her from the Senate or better, vote her out for insulting their sensibility?
The position Ekwunife has taken on Obi’s candidature in complete disregard to the will of her constituency goes to show that the accusation that she refused to vote in favour of electronic transmission of results was correct. The mere excuse from her media handlers, which she was not on the floor the fateful day the bill was voted was simply a ruse to distract the public.
The truth is that Senator Ekwunife, consumed by personal ambition, has all the while worked against the Igbo interest. Having a saboteur like Uche Ekwunife in a sensitive position like the senatorial seat of Anambra Central is a political risk in urgent need of correction.
