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Senator Peter Nwaoboshi has been told to take the verdict of the Federal High Court, Abuja that stripped him of the Delta North senatorial seat in favour of Prince Ned Nwoko his opponent at the party primaries in good faith.

This is the plea of the Coalition of State Chairmen of Registered Political Parties in Delta state, which declared in a statement signed by the Acting Chairman, Mr. Fred Akpewe, Secretary, . (Prince  Jude H.E. Eze (JP) and the Publicity Secretary, Comrade Emeka U. Bidokwu that the court judgment that declared Ned Nwoko as the Senator-elect for Delta North is avindication of their stand that the Prince of Idumuje-Ugboko is the one that the cap fits to represent the senatorial District in the red chambers.

The Coalition stated: “We at this stage implore Senator Peter Nwaoboshi to accept the High Court ruling in good faith and join hands with his fellow Party man, Prince Nwoko to develop Delta North to an enviable level. We believe it would be counter-productive if Peter Nwaoboshi challenges the High Court ruling which is the true wish of Delta North people. The wild jubilation that followed the Abuja High Court ruling is a testimony to the fact that Prince Ned Nwoko is a man of the people.”

The full text of the Coalition’s statement reads:

THE COALITION OF STATE CHAIRMEN OF REGISTERED POLITICAL PARTIES IN DELTA STATE HAILS HIGH COURT JUDGEMENT WHICH DECLARED PRINCE NED NWOKO AS SENATOR –ELECT TO REPRESENT DELTA NORTH SENATORIAL DISTRICT IN THE SENATE

THE COALITION OF STATE CHAIRMEN OF REGISTERED POLITICAL PARTIES IN DELTA STATE feels vindicated over the Abuja High Court Judgment which nullified the election of Senator Peter Nwaoboshi and declared Prince Ned Nwoko as the Senator-elect to represent the Delta North Senatorial district of Delta state in the Senate.

It would be recalled that COALITION OF STATE CHAIRMEN OF REGISTERED POLITICAL PARTIES IN DELTA STATE was the first organization to call on Prince Ned Nwoko to run for the Senate in 2014 on account of his grassroots support and performance in public and private practice.

THE COALITION followed this up with subsequent publications in National dailies enumerating his many people oriented projects which he embarked on using his personal resources. We argued that Ned Nwoko required a platform such as the Senate to empower his people who have long suffered deprivations due largely to poor representation.

We recalled that even out of service, Prince Nwoko’s country home is always a Mecca of sorts wherever he visits his tourist home. We also remember that very lately, Ned Nwoko played a pivotal role in Paris club refund to Nigeria in the wake of the recession in Nigeria. This refund from the Paris club which Ned Nwoko facilitated with others bailed Nigeria out of recession such that many states and local governments were able to pay the backlog of workers’ salaries and emoluments.

By this epochal judgment, THE COALITION and indeed civil society groups and NGOS including several other focal groups have been vindicated. This triumph of democracy will long be cherished and remembered by Delta North people. This is because Prince Ned Nwoko’s service to humanity has been hailed several times by progressive Deltans.

The social transformation of his homeland, Idumuje-Ugboko in the fringes of Delta State has put this rural community in the map of the world. It is gratifying that even when Prince Ned Nwoko’s Senatorial bid hung in the balance, albeit temporarily, he continued to work assiduously for the PDP including functioning as the Deputy Chairman of the PDP campaign council, a position from where he funded the focal groups in the campaign organization. Ned Nwoko’s brand of politics which seeks to serve society rather than self is worthy of emulation and should be exported to other states as a template for selfless service.

 

Ned Nwoko is not a novice in legislative matters. Apart from being a lawyer of international repute he represented his people in the House of Representatives from 1999-2003. In that capacity he attracted a lot of developmental projects to his area, which space would not allow us to enumerate. Since the incumbent Senator, Peter Nwaoboshi went to the Senate there has been a development lacuna, maybe because for the most part of his time in the Senate, he was busy attending to his cases in court.

Delta north needs a more vibrant Senator without any moral burden to attend to the myriad issues that bog Delta North. For instance, Delta North has no fully fledged Federal University in spite of their many boys and girls in other universities and tertiary institutions. Delta north has no Federal industry to employ its teeming youths. Statistics has shown that Delta North has the highest level of youth unemployment in Delta State.

While the Delta South youths have been massively absorbed in the training and job placement for ex-militants and while the Delta Central has a lot of Federal presences and private sector business initiatives, Delta North is yet to find its footing as far as industries are concerned. We can count several industries in Delta South and Delta central. There we have a University of Petroleum, Petroleum Training Institute, a steel plant, a gas facility at Otorogu, NPA Warri, Ughelli and Sapele electricity plants, the Refinery and Petroleum plant Ekpan, Ughelli Bottling Company etc.

If the truth must be told this is the time for Delta North to encourage Prince Ned Nwoko to brace up to the challenge to bring the Delta North at par with other senatorial districts. Delta north is the only Senatorial district that has no port. Yet, it has been discovered that a port can be developed at Ewulu in Aniocha South local government area just as the River Niger at Asaba/Onitsha can accommodate a port. Delta State requires the passion and potentials of a man like Ned Nwoko to bring all these dreams to a reality. The last time Delta North had quality representation in the Senate was during Dr. Okowa’s one term stint.

We at this stage implore Senator Peter Nwaoboshi to accept the High Court ruling in good faith and join hands with his fellow Party man, Prince Nwoko to develop Delta North to an enviable level. We believe it would be counter-productive if Peter Nwaoboshi challenges the High Court ruling which is the true wish of Delta North people. The wild jubilation that followed the Abuja High Court ruling is a testimony to the fact that Prince Ned Nwoko is a man of the people.

FOR: COALITION OF STATE CHAIRMEN OF REGISTERED

POLITICAL PARTIES IN DELTA STATE

FRED AKPEWE                                   AMB. (PRINCE) JUDE H.E. EZE (JP)

Ag. Chairman                                                                Secretary

COMR. EMEKA U. BIDOKWU

Pub. Sec.