Oyigbo Chairmanship: Residents Decry Ex-Lawmaker’s Ambition

As the 2024 local government elections in Rivers State draw closer, a cross section of residents of Oyigbo Local Government Area have passed a vote of no confidence on the yet to be declared chairmanship ambition of the immediate past federal lawmaker who represented the people of Oyigbo/Tai/Eleme Federal
Constituency in the National Assembly, Hon. Chisom Dike.
Some of the residents who spoke to The Tide recently in Okoloma-Ndoki urged Hon. Dike to shelve the ambition, noting that it would be an effort in futility.
They openly accused the lawmaker who recently dumped the All Progressives Congress (APC) and joined the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for failing to attract meaningful development projects to the Local Government Areas that make up the Federal Constituency.
They described his time even as member of the Rivers State House of Assembly as lacking in quality service delivery.
According to a scholar, Dr. Ken Jamike Okere, “Since the government of Chisom Dike in all these years, after receiving the people’s nod to represent the area, effectively nothing boastful and tangible is seen physically as development projects in the 27 communities of Oyigbo, let alone, that which involves Oyigbo/Tai/Eleme Federal Constituency in the National Assembly in the four years of past dispensation.
“His plan to aspire to the number one seat of the LGA remains a mirage, unthinkable, laughable and a plot to create more rooms for perpetual hunger, poverty and deaths”.
He asserted: “What Oyigbo is in dire need of currently is nothing short of
vibrant, development-driven, articulative and God fearing new breed politicians in the next year’s poll whose interest would be to resuscitate the worn-off LGA administratively by bringing succour and quality service to the people, where employment generation, empowerment of the people, road construction in the area, especially internal roads and other infrastructural transformation should be given priority attention”.
Also responding, a petty trader at the Okoloma Ndoki modern market, Mrs. Jessica Iwela Ekekenta, said that the promises made to market women by the former lawmaker to empower them with financial support, rebuilding of the market to global standard, among others during his electioneering campaign turned out a hoax and total disservice to Oyigbo people.
Mrs Ekenkenta stressed that “This happened during his second term bid for Oyigbo State Constituency as member representing the LGA in the Rivers State House of Assembly.
“For me, I don’t think the young man has anything to offer to the people this time around, if at all, he is coming out for the soul of Oyigbo Chairmanship under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). I therefore admonish him to bow out of politics completely because the cap does not fit him.
“This time around, we are giving our support to ‘talk-and-do’ candidates and not the type of a failed leader like Chisom Dike”.
In his own response, a PDP Chieftain in Oyigbo Ward 3, Hon. Victor Ekendia admonished Chisom Dike to shun such an interest, noting that his antecedents both in the state and national assemblies were reasons why Oyigbo people would not queue behind him in the forthcoming Local Government polls next year.
“We cannot boast of projects executed currently by his leadership all these years while in the corridors of power. There is no need bothering to come out to contest election again if at all the rumour making the round is anything to go by.
“Oyigbo people are tired of being fooled by some disgruntled political dissidents who could not vacate the system. What we are shopping for currently are leaders who have the people’s perennial problems at their hearts”.
Furthermore, Dr. Chimaraoke Emuchay enjoined Oyigbo electorate to shop for more credible and God-fearing candidates to occupy any elective positions in the next three years in the area, describing the present leadership as “most
disappointing”.
However, Hon. Dike could not be reached for his response as at the time of going to press

By: Bethel Toby