Ugoesa Huxley Adiniebo Unumadu, Politician, Culture and Tourism Consultant, Businessman and Senior Special Assistant, SSA to the Executive Governor of Delta State on Culture and Tourism, was in his elements when he fielded questions in an interview with our reporter recently.
In this encounter, the Izomo of Umuebu Kingdom spoke about the Governorship election, Governor Okowa’s phenomenal, leadership, the culture and tourism in development trajectory in Delta state and the political future of Ndokwa ethnic group in Delta state, among others.Below ar
e excerpts of the interview.
Question: Following the victory of your party, PDP in the recently concluded Gubernatorial election, what is your comment on the journey so far?
Unumadu: The victory of our party in the recent election for Governor Okowa’s successor can only be perceived from two perspectives, namely; the clear decision of the people of Delta state and the handiwork of God Almighty. Nothing more, nothing less.
It was, once again, an interesting outing for the PDP in Delta state. And the election goes further to confirm the obvious that Delta is a PDP state, and it has been so since 1999. The reasons for the overwhelming dominance of PDP in Delta state, rests squarely on four (4) cardinal pedestals; first, the infrastructural development trajectory which the party visioned since Chief James Ibori’s administration which commenced in 1999.
The roadmap was sustained by Ex-Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan’s administration and subsequently reviewed and remade by the visionary and charismatic leadership of our leader, Senator Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, resulting to a great deal of rebirth. Today, we have what is generally seen as a new, cosmopolitan Delta, which is anchored on the strength of peace, unity, and progress.There is something significant about the result which gave PDP the gubernatorial endorsement to remain in power.
This is the nature of the election and it’s unquestionable outcome. First, it was the freest and fairest election in the history of Delta state, especially since 1999. Secondly, it was a defeat which is very hard, albeit impossible to be controverted because Delta INEC had a lot of improvements on the previous presidential outing.
It was very orderly, transparently conducted and all the party agents of all the participating political parties which took place in the election openly supervised the processes of the election, particularly the accreditation, voting and ballot counting and the results from all the units in all the local government areas of the state were unanimously accepted and signed, No election could have been better handled than what took place in Delta state governorship and assembly polls of 18th March, 2023.
Question: So, what do you envisage as the possible outcome of the election petitions tribunal?
Unumadu: The tribunal will sustain PDP’s victory and possibly award a cost against APC. That’s my expectation. You know, the judiciary works on facts and evidence, nothing less. The election was free, fair and credible. Our victory’s legitimacy and credibility is very obvious and intact. Nothing can fault it. There’s no denying it. The governor elect, Rt. Hon. Sheriff won the election easily and overwhelmingly. I didn’t expect anything outside outright victory for our party – PDP, because Governor Okowa’s achievements in office, in the past eight years, inspired the victory. It’s a way of telling Okowa “thank you” for a job well done. And again, the Governor-elect has a magnetic personality – the sincere and persistent smiles on his face in disarming and mere looking at him, you will quickly develop the impression of a very honest dependable and arresting personality. He has a winning nature and Deltans are jubilating all over and again, in anticipation of high performance and welfare for our people.
Question: PDP is being criticized for intimidating the voters and creating an atmosphere that smirks of violence. What is you take on that?
Unumadu: If you say that we intimidated the voters to vote for us you’re then joking and misrepresenting the truth. Fact is, PDP intimidated the atmosphere of the election day with our majority presence in the field. We voted and anxiously waited to see the anticipated successful outcome of our party – PDP at the polls. Even long before the election day, every polling unit in practically all the local governments intimidated the public space with our majority presence. Everywhere you go in Delta, the beginning and end of discussions were centred on PDP. It’s the most talked about political party in the state.In fact, a stranger and newcomer to Delta state, before the election will be made to believe that PDP is the only political party that exists in the state.Political analysis and public discussions all over Delta state is focused on how PDP will win the election and not whether PDP will win the election. Majority of the people. Everywhere in the state were very categorical and emphatic of PDP’s victory. That is why there was never any iota of fear or doubt amongst PDP members and supporters. We were very positive and expectant of overwhelming victory.Another reason that contributed in boosting our positive mindset before and after the election was the undeniable fact that we, PDP members worked hard – we worked harder than APC members or even every other political party that contested the election. Days before the election day, every PDP member was in the street, knocking on all doors, explaining why PDP should be voted for. We had facts based on Governor Okowa’s performance to win the people to our side, even as the major opposition, APC, in the state had nothing to tell the people on why they should vote for them.They – APC, were also heavily damaged by the abysmal poor performance of Buhari’s APC at the national level. All grassroots voters were direct victims of APC induced poverty, insecurity, naira crunch, corruption all over the country and abject quelessness, all combined to sell APC Delta away to electoral failure and overwhelming defeat.We, PDP members and canvassers actually had a field day during the campaign days and immediate pre-election days, selling and extolling very significant reasons why PDP should be voted for to continue to make life more meaningful to our people in the state. It was a one sided battle between PDP and others hence the victorious result was incontestable and glaring.
Question How would you assess the Deputy Governor elect’s contribution to the electoral victory of your party – PDP?
Unumadu: You see, Governor Okowa is a master planner. He has a very deep understanding of the politics and people of Delta state, especially from the background of multi-ethnicism of the state. The deputy governor-elect, Sir Monday Onyeme is well known and admired for his philanthropic disposition and open door policy. He is a political and community leader of Ndokwa ethnic nation who cannot be faulted, especially with his calm and gentlemanly nature. Gov. Okowa was quite mindful of the strategic position which Ndokwa nation occupies in the political calculation in Delta and Onyeme’s high acceptability by our people must have informed the reason he was chosen to deputise Rt. Hon. Sheriff in the governorship election. Ndokwa people listens to Onyeme and the fact also, that APC and three other political parties chose Ndokwa nationals as their deputy governorship candidate speaks a lot about the desire of all of them to make a deep in-road in Ndokwa nation, as the second highest ethnic group in the state, next only to Urhobo ethnic nation who are the far largest in population in the state. For over 15 years, Sir Onyeme, a renowned chartered Accountant and helmsman of Delta state Internal Revenue Board. And his performance in that assignment is said to be one of the best of other states in Nigeria. So, Sir Onyeme’s deputy candidature is the obvious reason behind Ndokwa’s massive support for PDP.Now, to look at it from another angle, Sir Onyeme’s coming as the deputy governor of Delta state, makes him the first Ndokwa son to rise to that enviable position. And that is the highest we’re ever attained. Since the history of Ndokwa political trajectory. Expectations from him will be definitely high. Much as high expectation is bound, to come, I use this ample opportunity to appeal to my Ndokwa brothers and sisters to first of all give him the needed support so that he will be in the right frame of mind to look into our age-long marginalization and gradually work with his principal to empower our land and change the painful narrative. When we co-operate with our political leaders and support them, they become inspired and better enabled to work hard and attract development of our land.We must not only criticize leaders for poor performance while in office, we must first, give them the necessary support and co-operate with them maximally to put them in the right frame of mind to work for us. We must be good followers first before we can ask our leaders to be good leaders. It’s as simple as that.
Question: Coming to your office as the senior assistant to the Governor on culture and tourism development. How do you assess the Governor’s performance in the culture and tourism sector?
Unumadu: To put it simply and directly, Governor Okowa’s performance in culture and tourism development in the two terms of his eight (8) years administration is excellent. The Governor is a high performer in all the political offices he has held since 1999 that is why he remained relevant in both the state and the country at large. Now, to think of culture development in the state, the first consideration to look at is the level of peace, security, social cohesion and harmony which exists among the ethnic groups that make up the state. This is because the cultural development and growth which exist in any given society, is the most significant condition which facilitate peace and harmonious living among the ethnic groups in the state or the country at large. Today, Delta state is the most peaceful state in the nation today, in comparative analysis. Our various peoples have developed a strong value for peaceful co-existence because it’s imperative for development and good governance to reach the people.Equally, on the Tourism front several conditions must exist to attract tourists to any part of a country. No visitor dares to go to any land where there is no peace, security and harmonious living among the natives or citizens. Also, when there is not good road network to facilitate easy and comfortable travels in a state, visitors avoid the state. There must be functional health care delivery system in place, along with other social infrastructural amenities to make living in an area comfortable, before people can think of coming to see the area.All these are the strategic moves made by Governor Okowa’s administration which has now made Delta state a choice tourism destination. Another very important achievement of Governor Okowa in culture and Tourism sector is the Film Village and Leisure Park in Asaba, the state capital city. Infact, the film village is Governor Okowa’s signature project in Delta state culture and Tourism sector, and it will constitute a major source of revenue to the state government.Equally, you can see that since the recent past, which encompasses the last eight (8) years of Governor Okowa’s administration, a good majority of all the films (Home videos) released in Nigeria, where shoot and produced in Asaba. Why is it so? It’s because film producers have looked around the country and discovered that Delta State, especially the capital city – Asaba, has become one of the best, if not the best locations to shoot and produce a film at a budget cost. All the basic requirements are available in Asaba. Look at them; there is comparative peace and security there. Governor Okowa has deeply empowered the capital city with strategic road network which makes the city have a free flow of traffic, without congestion at any point or time. In Asaba, there are affordable hotel accommodation in practically every street corner. So, you see, the coming of the film village has finally established Delta state as the Nollywood capital in Nigeria
