Despite the setback experienced during his re-election bid to the National Assembly in the last general election, Jonathan Eze writes that Senator Peter Nwaoboshi, the embattled APC Chieftain who was recently acquitted by the Supreme Court still controls the district in Delta State.
Political advantages are a product of long term relationship with the people especially at the grassroots. It is intentional and a consciously developed plan that has the interest and welfare of the people at hearts, and leadership that is based on the cultural values of the people and takes a Bottom-top approach holds the key to unlocking the goodwill a political leader enjoys.
For over three decades, Senator Nwaoboshi has been the rallying point of the Aniocha/Anioma people. He has demonstrated his love for them in words and in kindness and has empowered them both young and old, men and women and they all look up to him especially when political decisions are to be made.
The masses know what they want and know who can serve their best interest. Even though some persons can be bought by few interventions of material things like money and mundane things, the bulk of trust and leadership emanates from the individual who has had history with them and they look forward to such ones as their opinion leaders.
Nwaoboshi has great follower-ship in Delta North and it doesn’t look likely to be otherwise in distant future. He has been their voice and stands for them when they are seemingly oppressed. Such and many more were the reasons he fell out with former Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, who ensured he was suspended from the party. When he played host to some of his supporters at his country home in Ibusa, Oshimili North Local Government Area, the fearless and courageous Nwaoboshi said: “Urhobo and Itsekiri governors performed credibly well than our own Anioma (Delta North) governor.
“What has the Anioma governor done for Asaba people to show that he loves Asaba more than the Delta Central people?”
That was the kind of leadership provided by Nwaoboshi, fighting for the rights and privileges of his people.
Describing his purported suspension back then, Nwaoboshi through his aide stated that the action of the party was “undemocratic”.
The statement read in part: “This irrational, laughable, illegal and unconstitutional action of this bunch of alarmingly, anti- democratic forces masquerading as the state working committee is against the principles of fair hearing – Audi Alteram Paten – as enshrined in the Nigerian constitution, a document that supersedes all other documents,” the statement reads.
He cited a reference to the “PDP 2017 constitution as amended, chapter 10, article 57(7), page 99”, adding that it “‘states categorically, ‘Notwithstanding any other provision relating to discipline, no executive committee at any level, except the National Executive Committee, shall entertain any question of discipline as may relate or concern a member of the national executive committee, deputy governors or members of the national assembly provided that nothing in the constitution shall preclude or invalidate any complain submitted.’
Nwaoboshi eventually defected to the APC and was given the ticket to contest unopposed. The Delta lawmaker is a principled fellow who insisted that power must return to the south and frowned at the deception of the former governor who later emerged as Vice Presidential candidate to Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.
His words: “Everything I said and I told the people about Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, it is now that people are now realizing that I was telling them the truth that this man can betray you at any time, that he is power drunk.
“How can you host a meeting of the South-South Forum, 48 hours after that you were in Minna campaigning to be the vice president? He moved on a chartered flight to Minna to meet the former president and lobbied to be the Vice President, and he was deceiving his fellow governors.
“And look at the defence he is putting, that his party decided to throw the contest open and then a presidential candidate emerged. First of all, did he vote for a Southerner, did the Delta delegates vote for a Southerner? At least, I kept my own side of the agreement that we should all vote for a Southern presidential candidate.
At the convention ground, he directed Delta delegates to vote for Atiku because he had a pact with him.”
The qualities of effective leadership include courage, strength, the ability to communicate effectively, knowledge, judgment, and integrity and that is what Nwaoboshi stood for.
Senator Nwaoboshi has always ascribed his accomplishments to the Supreme God. In an interview, he stated that everything he have is from God, I will keep on telling people and I want to repeat, I am not a desperate human being. I never knew that I would get up to the level of being among the 109 Senators of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. It is God that elevated me to this place.
“I became the chairman of PDP; I was invited to be chairman. I was the secretary of PDP; I was invited to be secretary. I was the chairman of Raw Materials Research and Development Council; I was in my house when they called me that they had made me the chairman. I was a member of NEXIM Bank, I was in my house when they called me to be one of the non-executive directors of the bank; and so many positions I have held. Even this Senate, I was on my own when I was invited, my then governor, Ibori sent them to tell me to go and run for the Senate.
“So, in terms of level of consultation, the people of Delta North know me and I know them. They know what I can do, my capacity, and credibility. So I am not a name that they will say who is he in Delta State? I have done my best.” Senator Nwaoboshi surely is having his deserved rest and equally strategizing on his next political moves.