FESTUS KEYAMO’S NARROW VIEW

“Politics, it seems to me, for years,

or all too long, has been concerned with right or left

instead of right or wrong.” ~ Richard Armour

The Peoples Democratic Party is an Amazing Party. After almost Sixteen (16) Years in power, the party seems not to have a clear bearing as to where it is going and individual wishes rather than Party or Country concerns hold sway in the Party.

From 1999 till date the Party has produced Three Presidents with different ideologies, Policies and Programs. But the Party itself does not have an ideology, Party Policy or Party Program. A situation that promotes mediocrity that has lead to under performance or non performance in almost all the States it controls. But for a few exceptions the Party had failed Nigerians and there is an urgent need to turn the tide.

Recently the Ondo State Exco of the Party was dissolved and for what? But a State like Delta where the Party Chairman Chief Barr. Peter Nwaoboshi acts like a god; disobeying Court orders, disregarding orders from National, slapping women in public, nothing is done. That speaks of double standard.

We have known for almost two years that Speaker Aminu Tambuwal will eventually defect to the opposition APC, what did we do? We folded our arms and waited and when it happened we are running around like chickens without a mother at the sight of a hawk. We are now threatening fire and brimstone, when we ought to have impeached him before now and clip his wings, so he can at best walk. Now Tambuwal is flying and the largest party in Africa is playing catch up.

The lack of Party Ideology had brought about a situation in Delta State where the recently concluded local government elections has thrown up more challenges for the Party. Apart from the fact that there are protest of elections not taking place in almost all local government areas, there is the thorny issue of the substitution of the Chairmanship candidate of the Party for Warri South – West local Government Area a few days before the election.

According to reports; His Excellency Dr. Emmanuel Eweta Uduaghan had called Mr. Weyinmi Omadeli to his Warri residence 48 hours before the election to inform him that his name has been expunged from the list with The Delta State Independent Electoral Commission (DSIEC) and replaced with that of Chief George Ekpemupolo. If indeed that was what transpired then it lay credence to the cry before now that no primaries indeed took place on the 9^th of August, 2014 and that all the candidates where indeed imposed on the people. But that is a subject for another day’s discussion.

 However the matter had been taken up by Olorogun Festus Egwarewa Keyamo the Legal Luminary and Activist who began his career as a member of the Legal team of the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO), the organization formed to resist Sani Abacha’s Dictatorial reign. A protégé of the late legal luminary Chief Gani Fewehinmi, Keyamo cut his teeth in the legal profession as he spearheaded the car procurement contract against former House Speaker Dimeji Bankole and also lead the crusade to unravel the Murder of Late Chief Bola Ige and was instrumental in the trial and sentencing of Chief Bode George by the EFCC. I have met this fiery Lawyer and can testify that his humility and simplicity is infectious. It is therefore a surprise when I read his open Letter to Delta State Governor on the substitution of the Chairmanship Candidate of Warri South – West Local Government Area

Why am I surprised?

1)      Festus Keyamo’s letter did not address the root of the issues that led to the substitution. He should have been concerned with the process that brought up the candidates in the first place. but no to Keyamo the end justifies the means. Where was Festus Keyamo when there were strong protests in almost all local Government Areas against the imposition of candidates including Warri South - West? Is he in the know as to how the candidates emerged? Did he participate in the primaries that produced the candidates? As a lawyer and a son of the soil, he must be conversant with the dynamics of the politics of the Council Area? To know and to ignore the obvious is at best playing to the gallery.

2)      There had been protest that Elections did not take place in many Council Areas including Keyamo’s own Council Area of Uvwie, we did not hear a whimper of protest from Keyamo.

3)      Keyamo seems to be crying more than the bereaved as he is not from that Council Area in question. Besides Mr. Weyinmi Omadeli will not protest his substitution as he’s well aware of the flawed process that produced him as a candidate in the said election. And I have not read or seen a protest by any individual or group from Warri South - West

4)      The words and content of the said letter ran contrary to everything the fiery lawyer represents and stands for. The activist is not concerned that most of the road projects the Governor had embarked upon that would have impacted positively on the lives of the people he had sought in the past to govern will not be completed and probably abandoned including the overhead bridge project in Effurun that had made driving into Warri a nightmare for many motorists and may continue to be so for a long time to come.

5)      What does Olorogun Keyamo intend to achieve with his Open Letter to the Governor?

6)      The issue is purely a party affair and the last time I checked Festus Keyamo is not a member of the PDP.

7)      Keyamo had followed up his letter with a petition to the SSS and Acting IG on a purported threat to his life from High Chief Government Ekpumupolo aka Tompolo. Olorogun Keyamo says he has the High Chief’s number and is very sure it was the High Chief that called him. We continue to watch as events unfold.

Its obvious Festus Keyamo is not versed in the field politics as he is with law, he should therefore leave politics for politicians and face his very successful legal profession.

It was John Wooden who said “Don’t mistake activity for achievement” The way things are done now in the largest Party in Africa the PDP is mostly activities and no achievements in most of the States under its control and Delta is no exception. How long are we going to take the people for granted, we must stop paying lip service to our motto “Power to the People” for indeed power belongs to the people.