Against the claims of the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) of having a strong followership in Ogoni and other parts of Rivers State, major stakeholders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from Ogoni exaction have insisted that Ogoni and by extention, Rivers State in general is a strong hold of the PDP.
A stalwart of the ruling party in the state and former state lawmaker, Hon Dinebari Loolo has faulted the APC’s claim declaring the Party as dead and bareft of functional activities in Ogoni and the entire Rivers State.
Hon Loolo, who represented Khana Constituency II, and served as Deputy Leader of the State Legislature during his brief stint in the Assembly, said Ogoni people have rejected the APC because they have nothing to offer the people.
The Ogoni born politician and lawyer, who spoke with The Tide in an exclusive interview in Port Harcourt recently, said Ogoni have witnessed a more visible state of infrastructural transformation within the past three years of Governor Wike’s administration than at any other time their history.
Loolo who described Governor Wike as the most Ogoni friendly Governor noted that the immediate past administration in Rivers State used the Saakpenwa-Bori road as a basis of political campaign but the road remained in a deplorable state throughout that administration.
The former lawmaker vehemently rebuffed the APC over their boasts of offering a better alternative for the political emancipation of Rivers State.
According to him such claims of political propriety is self serving and evidently exposed by the “lacklustre political posture of the party in the country.
He said the APC has offered lies to Ogoni people, as exemplified in the indifference and lack of commitment of the Federal Government towards the implementation of the United Nations Environmental Project, (UNEP) report on the Ogoni clean up exercise.
Loolo who commended GovernorWike for fulfilling his promise to the Ogoni people, said the soaring political profile of the Rivers State Governor earned through his passion to cater for the interest of the people, this he said the Governor has demonstrated through his numerous people oriented projects across the state.
He explained that the construction of Kpobie-Bodo road, Bori General hospital, Saakpenwa-Bori road, Birabi Memorial Grammar school, and the planned construction of the Kira-Eteo and Wiyaakara-Kono roads has opened up Ogoni for development.
The PDP Chieftain called on Ogoni people to take advantage of the strategic importance of the projects to promote economic development in the area.
“Of all the projects executed by the Rivers State Governor, in the State, the drive towards the transformation of the rural areas to economic hubs is more important. Rivers people should take advantage of the opportunities created to enhance economic activities in the rural areas. This will make the people earn quality living in the rural areas and stem unnecessary urban migration”, he said while accusing the APC in Rivers State of contending themselves with belching fire and boasting of federal might, he said the PDP in the State is rooted in active grassroots involvement and mobilis-ation.
Loolo whose foray into partisan politics was shortlived in December 2016, following what he described as “the stealing of my mandate by brute force and military invasion”, pointed out that such abrasive insult on the sensibilities of the people will not repeat itself, as the people have learnt their lessons, and were already cautious of the “planned political perfidy of the APC, against the will of the people in the 2019 general elections”.
He said Ogoni people were adequately mobili-sed to defend their mandate from, “political scavengers whose primary objective in to seize political power through the barrels of the gun and not the ballot box”
According to him the penchant for autocracy on the part of the APC has plunged the party into debasing the country’s hard earned democracy.
He however urged Nigerians to be cautious against such “Viscious political unslaughts and morbid desires to set Nigeria on the path of political gloom and anarchy”.
“Nigerians are still battling with the inglorious years of military rule which observed the democratic landscape, it will be a thing of shame for the APC to plunge the country to anarchy through their desperate political misadventure. Nigerians should take it as a national emergency to vote out the APC at all levels of government. 2019 should mark the total eclipse of APC”, he insisted.
Loolo expressed dismay over the conduct of the Ekiti governorship election which he said was fraught with the use of military force to subdue the people’s will.
He noted that the Ekiti debacle was a rehearsal of the plot of the institutional conspiracy by the ruling APC , to set the security agencies against the people and upturn Popular Political will. The former lawmaker was also particularly impressed about the inauguration of substantive executive governments at the Local Government System in Rivers State.
He advised the council chairmen in the 23 Local Government Areas to complement the development efforts of the Governor through the execution of people oriented projects in the rural areas.
“It is a thing of joy that we now have executive Chairmen at the Local Governments, the various Local Government the various Local Government Chairmen and councilors should ensure that they manage the available resources to create the desired development impact at this important level of government.
The essence of holding political officer is to deliver the dividends of democracy to the people.
The Local Government Chairmen must maintain regular interface with the people and build popular confidence, through credible leadership”, he said.
Commenting on the security situations in the country, Hon. Loolo emphasized the need for state police as a panacea for the country’s security challenges. He commended the National Assembly over their recent endorsement of State police and called for the implementation of the policy.
Hon Loolo is also a strong adherent of restructuring and devolution of power as the yardstick for true fiscal federalism in the country.
He said the constitution in operation in the country lacked the imput of Nigerians as it is an improvised document forced on Nigeria by a ruling cabal of vested interests.
He called for the amendment of the Nigerian Constitution to be more reflective of democratic tenants and principles in the process of National Administration.
“Nigeria is a country of diverse ethnic and socio-political interest. The various component units that make up the country should be allowed to participate actively in the process of their economic development . The prevalence of a unitary and behemoth federal system is a disincentive to democracy. The constitution should guarantee the rights of the component units to explore their natural resources for comprarative economic development. It is wrong for the states to go to Abuja on monthly basis for sharing of federal allocation,” he said, adding that. “The Nigerian Constitution must be reflective of the yearning and aspirations of the various component units, in pursuance of their inalienable rights to good life and economic freedom”.

Taneh Beemene