- Rt Hon Dr Paschal Arinze Agbodike and Prince Barr Okey – Joe Onuakalusi rise to deliver quality representation
God works in marvellous ways. His blessings glitter in ways and quarters mere mortals cannot explain. In the aftermath of Nigeria’s 2023 general elections, particularly the National Assembly (NASS) polls, Mbosi and the entire Ihiala Federal Constituency, are beneficiaries of divine favour. Currently, sons of Mbosi, the Rt Hon Dr Paschal Arinze Agbodike and Prince Barr Okey-Joe Onuakalusi are heading for the House of Representatives arm of NASS as elected federal legislators to represent Ihiala Federal Constituency of Anambra State and the Oshodi-Isolo Federal Constituency of Lagos State. There, they will be fully involved in the enactment of the laws that will be used in governing the nation. What a great gift from above!
Often, man spends enormous time and effort struggling over things which he presumes should be good for him, while forgetting that it is only Providence that blesses and decides who gets what in life. This explains the outcome of the just concluded poll. After a heated electoral competition for who occupies the exalted office of the Ihiala Federal Constituency, the result of the election has pointed towards the swing of divine favour which is beyond man’s understanding. The race to occupy the Ihiala Federal Constituency’s House of Representatives seat in 2023 was a competition that saw most Ebonesie sons, whose turn it was this time around as outlined by the zoning principle of Ndi Ihiala Local Government Area of the state to produce the Honourable-Member for the post, competing seriously.
Ab initio, Hon Hezekiah Okonkwo of Lilu, Engr Emeka James Okoye and Barr Jude Ositadinma Oguejiofor both from Orsumoghu, Barr Akachukwu Maduakolam of Azia, Sir Chuka Nnabuife of Ubuluisiuzo and Rt Hon Dr Paschal Arinze Agbodike from Mbosi all partook in this race. Eventually, only Hezekiah, Akachukwu and Paschal — contesting on different political parties’ platforms — emerged as candidates of their parties and had their names on the ballot in the 25th of February, 2023 NASS poll that gave the Mbosi-born Dr Agbodike of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, a resounding victory.
Ndi Mbosi were doubly blessed as Providence came a second time and smiled on yet another son of the community, this time from far away Oshodi-Isolo Federal Constituency in Lagos State where Okey-Joe Onuakalusi, a prince of the town won election into the same House of Representatives as Agbodike.
A double blessing indeed which has also gone deep to remind man that our struggles can only fetch us good when God wills. That is to say, that it is God’s will that Mbosi alone could get two Federal House members at this time. What is really heartening and cheery is noting the divine hand in the distribution of the goodwill, and it would not be too much to hope and pray that Orsumoghu and Ubuluisiuzo will also reap the favours when Dr Agbodike would have successfully run his two-term turn at the Green Chambers. This being the fundamental reason these two communities vigorously came to the contest with every good intention to get the APGA ticket and to be eventually elected. The Ubuluisiuzo and Orsumoghu dreams which however, did not materialize, even when the aspirants and their supporters were very hopeful, will surely come someday. Probably, to make it happen, they have to accept and appreciate the Mbosi blessings in good fate, share in her joy and work sincerely together with her people in order to allow the Mbosi blessings bear abundant fruits in our midst and in our land — in fact, in all the communities of Ihiala Federal Constituency of Anambra State.
The 2023 Mbosi experience vividly portrays the fact that God gifts His blessings to people and places, and exactly as He pleases and no one dares query Him for the choices He makes.
However, it is possible for those hitherto routing an Orsumoghu or Ubuluisiuzo man, to reason that Providence would have been fairer if it had shared the two laurels in Mbosi now between Ubuluisiuzo and Orsumoghu but we have to remember, His ways are different from our ways. He remembers a people at His own time. Lo, God’s own time is simply the best. It must surely come one day as long as we work peacefully together with those He is blessing today.
It’s now ‘Mbosi o’clock’ as this double blessings of the aftermath of NASS polls have established, and we are hopeful and praying that Mbosi will use this golden opportunity to arise and shine and also extend love to her sister communities in Ebonesie. Very importantly too, Mbosi should work well with other towns in the constituency beyond her immediate Ebonesie zone, comprising Orsumoghu, Mbosi (Paschal’s own town), Ubuluisiuzo, Azia, Isseke and Lilu. More so, the fact that, insecurity did not make polls hold in all the six towns of Ebonesie zone and a major part of Uli, makes it very important to note the crucial contributions of other towns in the constituency such as Ihiala, Uli, Amorka and Okija whose votes combined to elect Agbodike. Indeed, those communities that shunned candidates from their communities by standing on the Ihiala LGA zoning arrangement to vote in Agbodike deserve lasting ovation as they all made a resounding statement to the entire world and all political parties in the nation that Ihiala LGA zoning arrangement is sacrosanct and therefore above anybody’s, community’s and political party’s distortion. With the poll, they have declared that winning an election in Ihiala LGA begins first, by picking a worthy (qualified) candidate from the exact zone that is required by the zoning arrangement to contest for the particular position in question. The stakeholders’ sacrifices should sincerely be appreciated.
Now, with the election gone, it is our prayer that this wind of fresh air that is blowing today from Mbosi will mightily transform the community and her people and from there transcend to all the communities of Ihiala Federal Constituency, such that sharing in the joy of Mbosi and her people, infrastructural development and numerous other dividends of democracy will be attracted by Dr Agbodike who now is to be our eyes and ears in the National Assembly. Indeed, I am quite confident that the current deputy speaker of the Anambra State House of Assembly will achieve grand feats in the NASS. He will once more showcase his political and leadership ability as a consummate legislator to comfortably carry all the constituents along as he goes to the Green Chambers and attract support and developmental projects to Ihiala LGA.
We expect a warm and robust political relationship and friendship between Prince Onuakalusi and his brother Dr Agbodike. By extension, the warmth and cordiality should rub off on Ihiala and Oshodi-Isolo Federal constituencies.
One is therefore very confident that Ihiala Federal Constituency will begin to develop and wax stronger in the 10th National Assembly.
