By Augustine Akanigha

The Member representing Ika North East State Constituency in the Delta State House of Assembly (DTHA), Honorable Anthony Elekeokwuri, has said that the mandates of every Lawmaker is to make laws that will impact meaningfully on the people.

Hon. Elekeokwuri disclosed this during a Media chat with DTHA house Correspondents while giving his stewardship on his terms as Lawmaker representing the good and wonderful people of Ika North East for the past 8 years.

The eloquent Lawmaker, said he was grateful to Almighty God and to the people of Ika North East for giving him the opportunity to serve, adding that right from the day he was elected as a Lawmaker, he has a clear responsibility on what he wants to achieve for his Constituency.

” So far so good I am very grateful to God Almighty, Deltans, and especially to my constituents who gave me the mandate to represent them.

” Coming to the house 8th years ago, my responsibility was very clear and precise, and I know I am voted in because my people believed I have the capacity to deliver, nobody comes to the house to learn.

” Our mandates was to make laws that will impact meaningfully on the people of Delta State and perform oversight functions on the laws that we have made”.

He said being in the house gave him the ample opportunity to interact with other Lawmakers, lobby them, defend them, and he was able to see his vision and key into them, especially when bills are coming in that will impact the life of the people.

” One of the things I did when I came in as a Lawmaker, I build a team, I believed in team work and I believed every Lawmaker in the house has the potentials of giving out something positive on the floor of the House.

” Based on that, I was able to work with the rest of my colleagues and as usual, must of them became co-sponsors of my bills, they help me to gather facts, do a lot of research to make sure we come out with bills that are very impactful .

He also said that in the last 8th years, he believed he and the rest of the Lawmakers has done a lots for Deltans in the aspect of Lawmaking and he prayed Deltans will continue to benefit from those things that they have done.

Hon. Elekeokwuri enumerated the numbers of bills he has sponsor and co-sponsor.

” I have sponsor and co-sponsor a good numbers of bills too numerous to mention in the house, and setting bills that I have sponsor and co-sponsor, including the ones that His Excellency, Senator Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa Governor of Delta State has signed into Law, are Jermaine and very important to me.

” As Chairman house committee on Public Account I was able to bring transparency to bear, so if you look at Transparency and Accountability bill that we did at the state level, you will discovered that we are able to deepening that process.

” We believed if we don’t institutionalized the fight against corruption, corruption will kill us”.

He listed some of the bills he has sponsor and co-sponsor which includes; Transparency and Accountability bill, The Urban Renewal bill, The Criminal Justice Law at the state level, others includes; The infrastructural bill, Equipment Leasing bill, Public Finance Management bill, The Audit bill 1and 2, Physical Responsibility bill, The power sector bill, The Good Governance bill, etc.

Saying that he is leaving the ovation high, and that he came, he saw, and they all conquered.

On his message to incoming Lawmakers,He said, ” you don’t just come to the State House of Assembly because you want to make money, reason for this is that the Lawmakers don’t have approval authority, they don’t have approving powers, they don’t give out contract or execute contract, so what they do is just lawmaking and everything about lawmaking, that is why they need to be trained.

” The Speaker of the House who happens to be the Governor elect, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori has done so much in terms of training and retraining of Lawmakers, Management Staffs, general Staffs of the assembly, including Lawmakers aids .

” So if you have a trained workforce, you will be able to build a team work around you”.

He advised the incoming Lawmakers that they must ensure they engaged legislative aids that are competent, make sure that money due to them are paid to them, and he can assured them that the aids will give their very best.

He restarted that there is no big deal about lawmaking, all they need was for them to have the passion, drive and motivation to identify laws that will eliminate the suffering of the people, those things they can do items of infrastructure, healthcare delivery, water supply etc.

Adding that they should look at those areas that has been experiencing decay and think of ways they can create a solution for them.

” As a legislator, you have to make use of your space, your legal space to create solutions to problems affecting your people,

” We understand the challenges that comes with Lawmakers, people who voted you in, is expecting you to bring pipe bore hole water, build schools , roads, etc you can do that indirectly by making sure you work together with the Executive arms.

” Passing budget is not enough, when budget is passed, there is need for Lawmakers to do follow up with the budget, what is there in your local government, your Constituency as the case may be, and how can you make sure that the executive arms implement those things they have promised to do.

” As a Lawmaker, if you know what you are doing, then you will follow the executive step by step and at the long run, you will attract massive development to your people.

” A Lawmaker make laws and follow up with the executives on the laws he has made, which is what we call oversight functions, and must importantly, you go home and be with your people, organized town hall meeting, interact with them and see what their pains are, put them together and come back to Asaba, see how you can put this things into policy making for government, and if you can able to do that, you become a Lawmaker that bring dividends of democracy to his people”.

On Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, the Ika North East Lawmaker said that what ever that has kept Sheriff on the throne as the speaker for over six years, and what ever that has endured him to the people and his colleagues, let him keep it up.

Saying that by the grace of God Sheriff Oborevwori come May 29th, he will be sworn in as Governor of Delta State, and this will be the first time that it will be happening, he thank God that he was privilege to witness and experience a Speaker becoming a Governor in Delta State.

He assured Deltans that the way the speaker has overseas the state assembly comprising 29 Constituency, 25 local government, and 29 Lawmakers, which he count himself lucky to have benefited from the speaker, that there is nothing too big for him to do as Governor, apart from the fact that he is moving from one arms of government to another arms.

He reminded Deltans that the Governor elect has promised the M.O.R.E. agenda, which mean that what ever that has been done by Governor Okowa, he is going to continue with them and while also bringing in new projects.

” With my personal discussion with him, he has assured me that he will get serious with government and ensure mistake will be limited, and Deltans are going to be happy at the end of his tenure”.

The Deputy Governor of Delta State, Barr. Kingsley Otuaro, has stated that the establishment of Host Communities (HostComm) Development Trust Is Key in ensuring the harmonious relationship between the Host Communities and the oil companies in the State.

Barr. Otuaro stated this on Thursday in Asaba while receiving the delegation of the National Boundary Commission (NBC) led by the Director General, Surveyor Adamu Adaji, on an advocacy visit on the determination of “Host Communities Along the Gulf of Guinea”.

The deputy governor asserted that, for “Host Communities” to be recognized by the Petroleum Industry Act, PIA and for them to be gazetted by National Boundary Commission, NBC, the government needs to intensify efforts to identify areas that fall within the category.

According to him; “This is to enable those communities to benefit from the 3% set aside for them by PIA Act”.

Barr. Otuaro, who was represented by the State Commissioner for Justice and Attorney-General, Mr. Isaiah Bozimoh Esq. applauded NBC for its advocacy noting that the sensitization visit was a laudable idea.

“I want to assure you that for us in Delta State, we will cooperate and collaborate with your Commission to ensuring that Communities that falls within that coastal line benefit from the PIA, and non of these communities would be left out”.

Barr. Otuaro assured of the Delta State Government readiness to give all the necessary support to ensuring that the exercise is successfully conducted.

Earlier in his address, the Director General (D-G) of National Boundary Commission, Surveyor Adamu Adaji, who was represented by the Director of Internal Boundaries, Mr Nicholas Emiowele, disclosed that the NBC team was in the State to press home the need to work closely with Delta State Boundary Commission to identify the communities recognized by the Acts as “Host Communities”.

According to him, Section 318 of the PIA, states- “a littoral community is a deep-water area of operation located along the Gulf of Guinea of the Nigerian shoreline up to about 500 meters inland, provided that such community is gazetted by the NBC”.

Adaji in his address maintained that the primary objectives of gazetting the host communities are to foster sustainable prosperity, enhance harmonious co-existence between Licenses/Lesses and host communities, provide direct social and economic benefits and create a framework to support the development of identified and gazetted host Communities.

The NBC Boss noted that, “it is important that all the Communities within the specified 500m buffers from the coastline must be located and captured in the data bank of the Communities to be Gazetted, for them to benefit adequately from the provisions of the Act.

“A previous survey had identified some of these communities, but it is imperative that the Commission, in conjunction with the Delta State Boundary Commission, do a thorough compilation that can be defended”. He noted.

Surveyor Adamu Adaji appreciated the warm reception accorded them by the State Government, as well as the support the State has given to NBC.

He also specially commended the Executive Assistant on Boundary Matters to the Governor, Mr. Gweke Akidohor, Esq. for the support and diligent service he has been rendering.

Also in attendance at the advocay visit are members of the Delta State Boundary Committee including, Mrs. Gladys Puegenren, the Secretary of the Committee and Permanent Secretary Ministry of Lands, Mr. Chukwuemeka Eboka, the State Surveyor General and Chief Gweke Akudihor, Executive Assistant to the Deputy Governor on Boundary Matters.

The Minority Caucus in the House of Representatives has congratulated the Governor of Adamawa State, Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri on his widely celebrated victory at the just concluded Adamawa State Governorship election.

The Caucus in a statement on Wednesday, April 19, 2023 by the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Ndudi Elumelu, also congratulated and saluted the people of Adamawa State for their resilience in standing with Governor Fintiri and resisting desperate anti-democratic forces that sought to manipulate the electoral process, suppress the Will of the people and impose an illegitimate government in the State.

“The re-election of Governor Fintiri marks the triumph of the Will of the people of Adamawa State in the exercise of their democratic right to choose their preferred leader in an election.

“From the results of the main election and the supplementary poll, it was clear that Governor Fintiri remains the clear choice of the people. His ultimate victory further proves that no matter how much falsehood, tyranny and manipulations appear to thrive, the truth will always prevail at the end of the day.

“The Minority Caucus again congratulates Governor Fintiri and urges him to remain focused and continue in his excellent delivery of service, particularly his massive legacy infrastructural development projects and empowerment of citizens for which the people of Adamawa State overwhelmingly re-elected him as Governor,” Elumelu stated in the statement.

Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta on Monday said Nigeria had capacity to export medical officers to needy nations if available potential were adequately harnessed and proper planning done.

He said that rather than contemplate restricting medical practitioners from moving out of the country, more of them could be trained, and from the pool, enough would remain in the country while some could be exported to needy nations.

According to the governor, Nigeria can leverage the massive demand for medical professionals trained in the country by signing bilateral agreements with foreign nations to train and export more of the professionals to these countries.

He stated this while inaugurating the Collegiate System in the State’s Schools of Nursing held at the College of Nursing, Agbor, Ika South Local Government Area of the state.

He frowned at the prevailing development where medical professionals no longer empathised with humanity, saying that it had become commonplace and unethical.

Okowa urged all medical workers to adhere to the ethics of their professions by ensuring that they put in their best to render assistance to patients by showing them love at all times.

He said Nigeria had the challenge of nurses, midwives and doctors exiting the country, and pointed out that the situation had begun to trouble the healthcare system in the country.

The governor, however, said ‘’I think that as a nation, if we know where our strength lies, we can do things that can enable us to improve on where our strength lies.

“There is nothing wrong if there is a planned programme by Nigeria to train many more nurses than we need, and we enter into a bilateral relationship with other countries to export some of our nurses, midwives and doctors.

“I am not one of those that will come out to say that we are trying to make laws to stop or restrict the movement of medical personnel out of the country.

“What we need to do is to ensure that there is a planned programme by Nigeria to truly train more than our daily and yearly need and ensure that we are able to enter into strategic alliances with other countries’’.

He commended the Ministry of Health and management of Schools of Nursing in the state for their efforts at upgrading the institutions to the collegiate system, adding that such a system could enhance the training of more nurses and other medical workers.

“I believe that the college system that is starting in Delta will encourage this and I hope that we have people who are able to encourage and support you to do this.

“I believe that we have the capacity to train a lot more nurses than we need at the moment; it just requires a little more resource and focus,” he said.

Okowa also appreciated the Central Bank of Nigeria for supporting the state government to upscale some facilities in the college in Agbor.

“I also want to thank the Registrar of Nursing and Midwifery Council for promising to see how they can further upscale the number of students in the school.

“I can see that the students are very excited because beyond becoming nurses and midwives, they now have the opportunity of having a Higher National Diploma (HND) in nursing services,” he said.

Secretary-General and Registrar, Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria, Alhaji Farouk Umar Abubakar, in his remarks commended Okowa for his great commitment to the development of the state, including health and other sectors. He said that Okowa had written his name in gold for his positive contributions to nursing and other health professions in the country.

Abubakar disclosed that Nigerian nurses and midwives were performing well globally, and that the country had produced no fewer than 21,000 nurses in the past six years.

He said that domestication of the community-nursing programme in most states in the country had contributed immensely to producing adequate nursing and midwifery grassroots manpower for primary healthcare services.

Welcoming guests earlier, Commissioner for Health, Dr Mordi Ononye, said that the transition from School to College System wouldn’t have been possible without the unalloyed support of Governor Okowa to the ministry.

He said that the Colleges of Nursing in Agbor was indexed from 30 to 100 students; 50 to 75 for Warri and 50 to 70 for Eku, while the two schools of midwifery in Asaba and Sapele were indexed at 50.

Governor Okowa later inspected ongoing work at the College of Medicine, University of Delta, Agbor where he stated that the project would be completed in 18 months.

He stated that the university’s management had made arrangements for the College to start from a temporary site, with accreditation of courses already being worked out.

By Fred Edoreh

It was not surprising that while the population of the Itsekiri people was comparably lower than a number of their neighbouring kingdoms in the Mid West, the Olu of Warri was gazetted as a permanent member of the House of Chiefs of the Government of Western Nigeria. It was simply in recognition of the great political, financial and diplomatic influence of the monarchy.

First, as they commonly say in Itsekiri, “Mi ni mi ni I gbo, I gbo mi ni.” Apologies for my poor speak of Itsekiri, but it means “the people own the kingship and the kingship owns the people.” It describes the tight knot, high bond and deep togetherness between the monarchy and its citizenry.

Not minding occasional distension that occurs in human affairs, the Itsekiris are reputed to be one of the most united people in Southern Nigeria and that translates to strength.

Added to that is the fact that the kingdom was the earliest in Nigeria to have contact with the Europeans through the birt of Benin. First, it was with the Portuguese, then Spanish and later British.

They bonded through treaties of trade and treasures of friendship for mutual commercial and economic benefits. Even though the relationships got difficult sometimes, it accorded the Itsekiris gainful bilateral and multilateral connections for advancement.

This was witnessed in the early Western education of a number of its princes and intermarriage between them and the Spanish-Portueguse.

The relationship mostly began to deepen at about the 1600 with the friendship between His Royal Majesty, Sebastiao Atorongboye, the 6th Olu, and King Philip II of Spain who ruled Portugal at the time, and by which the Spanish-Portueguse monarchy was moved to confirm the Olus as Doms, in line with Portuguese nobility and monarchical tradition.

Leveraging on the tie, Atorongboye sent his son, Dom Domingo, to study in Portugal and he returned not only as the first graduate in Sub-Sahara Africa but with a wife from the Portuguese nobility. He was crowned Atuwatse I, the 7th Olu.

Atuwatse I also sent his son, Antonio Domingo, to study in Coimbra and also at an institute in Angola, then a Portuguese colony. Antonio also married a Portuguese wife, was crowned Olu Oyenakpaghan (of the White Skin) and was reputed to have had good communications with the Pope and various top leaders of the Western world.

For a long period therefore, successors to the throne were of such breed that enhanced the diplomatic strength of the Itsekiri people in the international scene.

These relationships however only complemented the fact that the Itsekiri nation and its monarchy share deep ties with two of the greatest monarchies in pre and post colonial Southern Nigeria, Ile-Ife and Benin.

History establishes that the first Olu, Ginuwa, was a prince of Benin Kingdom and heir apparent to the throne of his father, Olua, the 14th Oba of Benin.

Ginuwa was said to have migrated to Ode Itsekiri and, as fate would have it, the united communities of Itsekiri people discovered him and made him their king.

The Benin monarchy itself is said to have been established by Eweka, a prince from Ile-Ife, also chosen by the Bini people to rule over them.

Thus, the ties of the Itsekiri monarchy extends powerfully through Benin to Ile-Ife Kingdoms. It becomes more profound when we note that Ile-Ife or the seat of the Ooni is known as the foundation of the Yoruba nation.

Today, the current Olu of Warri consummates and harmonises the ancestral relationships from Ife, Benin to Itsekiri, in his person.

He, Olu Tsola Emiko, Ogiame Atuwatse III, is the son of Olu Atuwatse II, the 19th Olu of Warri, who is a direct descendant of Ginuwa, the first Olu of Warri.

That also makes him a direct descendant of Oba Eweka, the first Oba of Benin, as such with direct ties with the Benin royal family. This is because Ginuwa, was the son of Oba Olua who was the son of Oba Ewuare who was the grandson of Oba Eweka.

He also has direct connections with the Ile-Ife monarchy, as a direct descendant of Oduduwa, being that Oba Eweka who established the Benin monarchy after the reign of the Ogisos, was the son of Oranmiyan and Oranmiyan, reputed also to have founded the Oyo Empire, was the grandson of Oduduwa, the first Ooni of Ife and Patriarch of the Yoruba nation.

To add to it all, Ogiame Atuwatse’s mother was a direct princess of Ife monarchy, the daughter of the industrious, hugely successful, cosmopolitan and internationally influential Oba Okunade Sijuwade, Olubuse II, grandson of Ooni Sijuwade Adelekan of the Ogboruu Ruling House which is of direct lineage to Oranmiyan and Oduduwa.

Thus, Atuwatse III draws intricately from and combines the blood, ancestry, spirituality and influence of three great and divinely linked kingdoms.

It is mystical. God seems to have brought the ancestries of the majestic and powerful monarchies to find a single, united expression, and home in one of their young, a rare and fascinating occurrence in paternal and maternal genealogy, the purpose of which only the deep can discern.

(Just as an aside, note though that whilst it is agreed that Eweka, the son of Oranmiyan, the grandson of Oduduwa established the Benin monarchy, the Binis argue that Oduduwa himself was a Benin prince earlier sent from Benin to establish rule Ife.)

President-elect Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu has expressed grief over the death of his staunch supporter and leader of market women in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Chief (Mrs) Toyin Badmus.

Mrs Badmus who was the Iyaloya of Abuja and a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) served in various roles in the Tinubu/Shettima campaign. She died on Sunday aged 62.

In a condolence message released by his office, the President-elect praised the commitment of the late businesswoman to the ideals of progressive politics and development of Nigeria.

“I was deeply saddened by the news of the death of Chief Toyin Badmus. She was a principled woman and dogged supporter of our party and my candidacy till we achieved victory in the election.

“I was amazed by her energy and enthusiasm, which she deployed wholly in the struggle for the welfare and progress of market women and traders in the FCT and beyond. She also exhibited the same commitment in her assiduous contributions to the success of our campaign.

“Her wise counsel and patriotic posture would be sorely missed especially at this time when we are preparing to take the reins of leadership.

“As part of our campaign commitment and to honour Mrs Badmus’s memory, we will ensure that the traders she loved so much benefit immensely from friendly policies of our administration that would better their lot.

“I extend my heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of the deceased as well as all FCT and Nigerian traders for this irreparable loss. May Almighty Allah grant His mercies on her soul,” Tinubu said.

Ahead of the forthcoming Bayelsa State Governorship Election, supporters of Frontline Guber aspirant, Miss Albertine Doibo, have appreciated the Screening Committee of the Labour Party (LP) for successfully screening gubernatorial aspirants of their great party from Bayelsa State, saying that the OBIdients in Nigeria and the Diaspora were delighted to learn that Miss Albertine Doibo is among the successful aspirants.

This was stated in an appreciation of the Bayelsa State Governorship Labour Party Screening Committee, signed by Chris O. O. Biose, National Co-ordinator, TEAM NIGERIA FOR PETER OBI, on behalf of the group.

The group noted that one of the cardinal principles of the LP is greater inclusiveness of hitherto excluded social forces in the country. That this entails increased effective participation of women and youths in political and economic process of Nigeria. This is a departure from entrenched interests in erstwhile leading parties, PDP and APC, that exist to perpetuate the status quo in the country.

“The LP Gubernatorial Primaries in Bayelsa State is the first Primaries, preparatory to the first Gubernatorial Election in Nigeria after the General Election held in February and March this year. It presents a unique opportunity for LP to live up to its national billing as the Party to build a new Nigeria that works for all rather a hegemonic few.

“We, the OBIdients, hereby respectfully appeal to the LP members, officials and Party Delegates for the Primaries in Bayelsa State to nominate Miss Albertine Doibo as LP candidate for the election. This is the best way to address existing gender inequity, female and youth exclusion from governance in Nigeria.

“It is also the surest way to galvanise the OBIdient Movement nationwide and internationally once again, to passionately involve in the Gubernatorial contest in Bayelsa State.

OBIdients are not asking for Miss Albertine Doibo as Governor of Bayelsa State merely because of her gender. She is an accomplished professional who has displayed requisite character, competence, compassion as well as high principles, impeccable personal integrity and capacity to maximally harness abundant human and material resources of the state for the benefit of all.

“She has already placed before the Party and Bayelsans, her commitment to implement LP programmes, and drawing on her oil industry background, suitably modify them to address specific environmental challenges of a predominantly riverine state.

“Dear LP Delegates, please nominate Miss Albertine Doibo as LP Gubernatorial candidate for Bayelsa State and OBIdients in Nigeria and the Diaspora will join you totally to take the contest from there.

“God Bless Labour Party, God Bless OBIdients, God Bless Bayelsa State, God bless Nigeria.

Chris O. O. Biose,
National Co-ordinator,
TEAM NIGERIA FOR PETER OBI

By OLISE ONWUSANDO

The 2023 electoral season has come and gone but the varied postures and inclinations of political gladiators that mounted the soapbox are still fresh in the minds of Nigerians. The conduct of most contestants reflected the foibles of the average Nigerian politician while a small number of contestants manifested a commendable disposition such as lack of desperation in the pursuit of their ambitions.

During and after the 2023 election season, Dr. Goodnews Agbi, the governorship candidate of the New Nigeria People’s Party(NNPP) in Delta State, had shown certain distinctness in carriage and approach to politicking. As a gubernatorial gladiator, he carried out a peculiarly simple, self-effacing campaign that dwelt on issues enunciated in his D.E.A.L Agenda. He hardly indulged in the spread of vitriol or personality denigration as routinely employed by other contestants in the two dominant political parties.

As far as he’s concerned, politics is a vehicle for public service and should be played in a reasonable, honourable manner no matter the circumstances. It’s on this basis that the apparent conversion of political contests to a warfare of sorts by politicians is an anathema to his philosophy which is rooted in the medieval Dutch advocacy of live and let live.

For much of his adulthood, Agbi’s mindset had been nurtured in tolerance, a character trait which propelled his recent congratulatory visit to Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, Speaker, Delta State House of Assembly and Governor-Elect in his office at Asaba. He spoke as a matter of fact: “We are here to congratulate you on the just concluded election. We are aware of the acceptability of your gubernatorial drive by Deltans. Of 25 local government areas, you won 21 and I keep wondering why some of our colleagues after the landslide victory, they still want to go through the rituals of tribunal and I think this is the right time to rally round you in order to move this state forward”.

The aforementioned concession is arguably strange but historic in the sense that no governorship contestant in the political history of Delta State had ever walked up to his rival and winner of the poll since the birth of the current democratic dispensation in the manner Agbi did. From the Fourth Republic’s transitional elections of 1999, 2007, 2015 and the recent 2023, there had been no volitional acceptance of defeat as exemplified by Agbi who seemed to have pioneered an inimitable futuristic pathway for elective office seekers to conduct themselves after elections had been won and lost.

Of course, the path taken by Agbi is in contrast with the course of action embarked upon by other contestants. The option chosen by the latter has a precedent in the tradition and political culture of Delta State. At all times, a guber election in Delta is a high stake game for obvious reasons; so, most contestants would out of pride seek to ventilate their loss through a judicial process rather than walk the humble path of accepting defeat which is largely seen as shameful and unmanly.

As at the last count, three of the governorship candidates, namely Senator Ovie Omo-Agege of the All Progressives Congress(APC), Olorogun Kenneth Gbagi of the Social Democratic Party(SDP) and Mr. Kennedy Pela of the Labour Party(LP) had served notice of contesting the guber election results in an Election Petition Tribunal already set up for that purpose.

Yet, the ennobling aspect of the Agbi solidarity with Oborevwori’s triumph is the respectability it confers on the personality of the conceding contestant arising from an awareness of his failure at the election and his willingness to learn from the variables that bolstered the emergence of the winner. The overall goal is to enrich his future ambition with the envisaged lessons that would be learned in due course.

Agreed that Agbi’s option may not appeal to a broad spectrum of career politicians, but there’s an imperative for its consideration and possible adoption given the envisaged benefits which the loser, the winner, and the larger geo-political entity would derive from the decision of politicians not to contest the outcome of an election that they justifiably lost.

*ONWUSANDO, a writer and public affairs commentator, is based in Asaba, Delta State.