2027 Ohaji/Egbema, Oguta and Oru West Federal Constituency Election: Why Hon. Eugene Okechukwu Dibiagwu Will Continue To Win
As the political alignment and realignments across party lines continue to evolve in preparation for the 2027 general elections.
The electorate are also taking individual and collective decisions on which candidate to support or vote for, as the 2027 general elections are fast approaching. However, the economic situation in the country has no doubt, reawakened the consciousness of the electorate to demand for good governance and accountability from their political representatives.
The aforementioned demand by the electorate has indeed, changed the political old order, where the achievements (which doesn’t reflect the realities on ground) of some political representatives at different levels are only showcased on bill boards and other social media platforms. The branding and sharing of wrappers, rice, umbrella, T-shirts and other souvenirs, have been the old order of benefits to the electorate across the country, especially during the electioneering period.
The new order in the political dynamics in the history of Nigeria was evident in the 2023 general elections, where most candidates surprisingly got their political mandates, based on the collective decisions of the electorate across board, thereby making the bill boards, sharing of rice and souvenirs politics, among others to the electorate for the purpose of getting their votes, became a thing of the old order in Nigerian politics.
The emergence of Hon. Eugene Okechukwu Dibiagwu:
From the inception of his emergence as a Member representing the good people of Ohaji/Egbema, Oguta and Oru West Federal Constituency, Imo State, in 2023 at the National Assembly, Hon. Eugene Okechukwu Dibiagwu first and foremost, aligned and focused on the challenges of his Constituents by addressing them one after the other.
The political sagacity and quality representation exhibited by Hon. Eugene Okechukwu Dibiagwu, made it possible for his Constituents to come to the realization that roads, and schools can be constructed by a house member.
That a House of Representatives Member can as well, provide job opportunities, pay for WAEC registration for students, skills acquisition, empowerment programmes and provision of palliatives for communities that had one problem or the other.
All the aforementioned achievements and many more by Hon. Eugene Okechukwu Dibiagwu as a first timer in the Green Chamber are evident in the nooks and crannies of the Federal Constituency. It is unequivocally evident that some projects are still under construction, while some are nearing completion across wards and communities of the Constituent.
One most enviable leadership style of Hon. Eugene Okechukwu Dibiagwu is in his ability to reach out and interact with Constituents on regular basis, which has helped him to understand the needs and challenges of the people and there by provide solutions to such problems.
The 2nd tenure ambition and its hullabaloo:
It is an empirical fact that some former House of Representatives Members in the Constituent could not secure their party tickets for a second tenure during their time, which may be attributed to party politics or decision, then.
However, some factors may be responsible for their inability to go for a second tenure, but today, Hon. Eugene Okechukwu Dibiagwu has first broken the jinx of securing a party ticket to stand for a second tenure election under the umbrella of the All Progressives Congress (APC), come 2027.
The second tenure ticket didn’t come in a platter of gold, but as a result of total resilience and commitment in serving his Constituents by providing them the necessary dividends of democracy.
If Hon. Eugene Dibiagwu by assessment, has surpassed the achievements of his predecessors in the last two years plus, as a first timer too, needs to be supported by both party and the electorate for consolidation.
The House Committee Chairman on Regional Development at the Federal House of Representatives may not have done it all as expected, hence the need for a second tenure in office, to consolidate on the gains of his achievements and as well, reach out to Constituents (communities) that are yet to benefit from one project or the other.
*Balancing the 2nd tenure ambition and the view of Rt. Hon. Goodluck Nana Opiah:*
When juxtapose the reason for a second tenure ambition of Hon. Eugene Okechukwu Dibiagwu and the recent view of Hon. Goodluck Nana Opiah on the theme: “Continuity In Legislative Representation: A Catalyst For Sustainable Development,” which was delivered by the former House of Representatives Member, you would totally agree with the position of Hon. Eugene Dibiagwu on consolidation and reaching out to those communities that are yet to be fully covered in the course of his first tenure.
The reason for continuity and some of the inherent challenges associated with such an ambition, were carefully elucidated by Rt. Hon. Goodluck Nana Opiah, former Speaker of the Imo State House of Assembly, former Minister of State for Education, and Imo State Coordinator of the Renewed Hope Agenda, during his keynote address titled: “The Role of Unity Among Political Leaders” presented at the 3rd Session of the 5th Synod of the Diocese of Ohaji-Egbema.
The former House of Representatives Member in the course of his paper presentation said: “But alongside these successes have been challenges, chief among them, our inability to maintain continuity in office. Many of our representatives serve a single term, only to be replaced by others, not always because they failed, but because personal ambitions and political infighting get in the way.”
Rt. Hon. Goodluck Nana Opiah further opined that: “We must rethink this pattern. There is value in continuity. There is power in institutional memory. If we keep cutting short the tenure of those who have proven themselves, we deny our communities the stability and long-term planning that real development requires.”
The expertise view of Hon. Goodluck Opiah is an explicit x-ray of the inherent benefits that are associated with quality representation, which transcends to good governance and ultimately, the call for consolidation by the electorate on behalf of the representative.
The call for Hon. Eugene Okechukwu Dibiagwu’s re-election:
Sincerely speaking, the performance index in Ohaji/Egbema, Oguta and Oru West Federal Constituency has clearly shown that Hon. Eugene Okechukwu Dibiagwu in the last two years plus of his representation, has shown capacity, resilience, people oriented projects and various empowerment programmes, among others.
Hon. Eugene Dibiagwu may not have done it all for the people of his Constituent in this first tenure of his representation at the National Assembly, but the massive turnout that graced the recently concluded APC Constituency Primary Election in his favour, was indeed, an indication that Hon. Eugene Dibiagwu is fully on ground in his constituency.
The paper presentation by Hon. Goodluck Opiah at the 5th Synod, using Ohaji -Egbema as a model, has significantly addressed the current tenure-ship issue in the constituency, as he openly urged fellow political stakeholders to always support competence, transparency and quality leadership instead of sentiment.
This proposed model of continuity by Hon. Goodluck Opiah on competence and good governance, should not be seen as one that is favourable to Hon. Eugene Okechukwu Dibiagwu alone, but as a performance index that awaits other would be Representatives Members of the Constituent, after the tenure of Hon. Eugene Dibiagwu.
The role of the electorate in the 2027 constituency election:
In all, the electorate across the 33 wards of the Federal Constituency will be the ultimate decider on who would be their representative at the Federal House of Representatives through their votes, come 2027.
With the empirical facts on the giant strides of Hon. Eugene Okechukwu Dibiagwu, Chairman, House Committee On Regional Development in terms of: infrastructural and human developments, across Ohaji/Egbema, Oguta and Oru West Federal Constituency, which resulted to his emergence at the recently concluded APC Constituency Primary Election, will as well, ensure his absolute winning, come 2027 constituency election.
Comr. Blaise Tochukwu Elumezie
Publisher and media consultant, wrote in from PortHarcourt, the Rivers State capital.
