As PDP scouts for a reputable candidate to fly the flag of the party in the coming by-election into the House of Representatives, probity, honesty and chaste conduct should be watch words. Our elders say that one prevents dangerous spikes from entering the eyes from afar. If truly we deserve the MHR who would serve us, we should avoid characters who can’t be trusted with our funds. How important is this prerequisite for an intending MHR or any political office holder for that matter?
A young man named James was a convicted thief in the UK. He thought time was a powerful eraser of kleptomaniac. He arrived in his country to play politics of the present republic. He became the Governor of his state. Will the leopard change his spots? By the time he left office, EFCC discovered that he had stolen 50% of his state resources. People who knew him stridently warned that the man aspiring to rule them was a convicted thief. Will Akoko North Federal Constituency learn from the James saga?
Amongst the many aspirants jostling to replace BTO as MHR, there’s a gentleman who has allegedly been found unworthy. When he worked in a cement company, he was indicted for fraud. This led to his exiting the organization. Was that theft a mistake incidental to young persons? In his case, no.
Due diligence was not done on him. He found his way to be the Chief Executive of a Local Government. A telephone service provider was desirous of using the LG premises to erect a base mast. How did he conduct himself as the Chief Executive of the LG? Radar lights should point to this deal. Were his handing over to his successor went unquestionable? Were vital files missing in other to cover up grafts?
I remember the folk song we sang during the moonlight play – the Alákíti-jàn folk song: He who stole once and hid under the velvet sheets, as prestigious as the velvet is, thief cloth na thief cloth.
The people of Akoko North are hereby put on notice to get the veracity of these allegations so that our case won’t be like James and his pauperized state.
