By Francis Ewherido
The Urhobo Nation, sent a man to represent us in Abuja (let us leave out the detail of whether it was the Senate or House of Representatives). When it got to the next election he came back to his party to inform them that he wanted to return to Abuja for a second term. The party leaders and faithful asked him to give an account of his stewardship so far. He had nothing to show for the almost four years he had been in Abuja. But he had a trailer load of excuses. When he was done making excuses, he was told to step aside so that someone else who could overcome barriers the listed and provide effective representation would replace him. That was how he lost his bid to return to Abuja.
The Urhobo Nation has always produced vibrant and strong characters to represent Delta Central in the Senate right from time. Except for one or so senators who came and left like a ship in the night (unnoticed), Delta Central has always had vibrant representation. With the incumbent, HE Ovie Omo-Agege, rising to the position of Deputy President of the Senate and doing exceptionally well, the stakes are even higher and the shoes, bigger. It is not as if Delta Central expects to produce the next Deputy President of the Senate, but any senator who knows his onions can provide his people and Nigeria at large effective representation. With all sense of modesty, my late brother, Sen. Akpor Pius Ewherido, was the lone Democratic People’s Party (DPP) senator in the senate during his time. He spent only two years before death came calling, but he distinguished himself; he came, he saw and he conquered. The record of the bills he sponsored or co-sponsored and the projects he attracted to Delta Central are there.
The senatorial election is barely three months away. We have a plethora of qualified Urhobo sons jostling for the seat. As I have said and have not retracted, my choice is Okakuro Ede Dafinone. His father is also one of the best senators Delta Central has produced. He did not just represent us well in the senate, he was a national figure. But my belief in Ede Dafinone has nothing to do with his father, the late Senator David Dafinone, but the antecedents of Delta Central in producing very vibrant senators. It should not be different this time around.
Ede is well educated, very intelligent and well spoken. He is an accomplished accountant. He has sat and still seats on the board of companies across all spectrum of the economy: finance, information technology, agriculture, manufacturing, etc. He sits on the board of one of the most stable and best run insurance companies in Nigeria. They are leaders in motor insurance business. I know because as a chartered insurance broker, I do business with them and have not had issues with them. Genuine claims are promptly paid. They are highly respected in the insurance subsector and financial sector. His network both in government and the business community is extensive and will come handy as our senator. He is at home in Urhoboland, and very comfortable at the national and international levels. He is ready-made as the next senator representing Delta Central Senatorial District.
He is a trustee of Okpe Community Leaders of Thought and Chairman, Sapele Okpe Land Trust Association. Through the Dafinone Foundation, he has been providing scholarships for our people back home for postgraduate studies. The foundation has a skills acquisition centre and hundreds of our people have acquired various skills that have made them self-sustaining. The foundation offers micro-credit loans to women within Sapele. These are concrete contributions to Urhobo land by a true Urhobo son.
One aspect of his quest to go the senate I like is his concentration on himself as a senatorial candidate and what he is bringing to the table. I have not seen him allude to the fact that his father, a distinguished senator, provided effective representation to his people and so the people of Delta Central should vote for him as a son of Senator David Dafinone. Ede is accomplished and campaigning based on his accomplishments, which are very obvious, and what he is bringing to the table. Every “mallam” has his kettle and Ede is using his own kettle not the kettle of Senator David Dafinone, in his quest to be the next senator of Delta Central. Personally I have problems with people who go about with a sense of entitlement.
In this critical time, anyone who wants to represent the Urhobo nation, whether in the Delta State House of Assembly, House of Representatives or the Senate, should have a good grasp of what our current challenges are. You cannot solve a problem you do not understand. Whether you go ahead to help solve the problems when you get elected or abandon your promises is a different matter. The day of reckoning is just ahead (four years maximum). But understanding the issues at the initial stage is very critical and Ede does.
The minimum age for going to the senate is 35 years. Anybody who is 35 years and above is eligible age wise to contest. Now in his late 50s, Dafinone still has the element of youthfulness to enable him represent us with the needed vibrancy. He also has decades of experience and multi-sector knowledge to discuss all sectors of our national life beyond his finance sector background in the senate.
Many people might not know, but before climate change and its devastating effects hit the front burner, Dafinone was already a member of the Lekki Conservation Foundation and he is the current chairman of the foundation (What conservation foundation stands for is self-explanatory). What does that tell you? Vision: Okakuro Ede Dafinone is a man of vision, an essential ingredient for great leaders. At this point, the senate seat of Delta Central fits him like a tailor-made-to-fit suit. Okakuro Ede Dafinone of the All Progressive Congress is the best choice for Delta Central Senatorial District in 2023 election.
