Ede Dafinone: The Hope of Credible Representation

By Onoriode Esievoatokpota

At last the much talked about 2023 general elections are here. On Saturday a new senator shall be elected for Delta Central. One major underlining factor in all the discussions is that credibility, honesty and capacity shall determine the choice of the people in the coming elections. One thing is sure, blind party loyalty shall not fly. Rather, what will drive the choice of the people and the voting patterns is trust and confidence in the ability of the candidates to give credible representation in the Senate.

Of the three major contenders for Delta Central senate, Ede Dafinone of APC, Ighoyota Amori of PDP and Peter Omaruaye of APGA, one would be elected on Saturday. If the three men were to be banks, who would you prefer to keep your money with? This is where trust comes in. Giving your money to Peter Omaruaye is a sure bet for the security of your resources! Ighoyota Amori cannot be trusted by many, not with what happened during the Kokoko era when accountability was thrown to the winds. The most trustworthy of the three men is Ede Dafinone who has been a chartered accountant and is trusted with management of the public trust. He is in the hope of credible representation in the 10th senate.

Urhobo will not elect just anybody to represent them in the next senate. Urhobo needs a man they can trust, a man that will not trade off Urhobo’s honour for anything. We have tasted the good, the bad and the ugly. It is certain Urhobo found the best in Senator Ovie Omo-Agege. By Saturday, Urhobo will vote for a fit and proper replacement for the uncommon man of courage and guts who defiled all odds to place Urhobo on the national radar by emerging Deputy Senate President. For this and many other reasons, Urhobo must look in the direction of the APC for the next senator as appreciation for the party that brought much hope and political visibility to Urhobo in the outgoing senate.

The search for a credible senator requires due diligence and apolitical dexterity. Those who put on a political party lens would not see things clearly but will confuse party loyalty for sober reflection. Urhobo must reject bandwagon support for any political party and present credibility and trust as cardinal factors that would determine our choice in the next election. No political party can change Nigeria but the individual.

Today many Nigerians are complaining about Buhari’s administration yet the best senator ever from Delta Central is of the APC. The party is not the problem but the idiosyncrasy of the candidates. Ede Dafinone remains the most presentable, capable and innovative candidate for the Senate. Ighoyota Amori operates with the mentality of a gangster and father of touts who have lost touch with modern democratic realities. He operates the old-fashioned brigade of political rascals with no regard for democratic sanity. The future belongs to the likes of Ede Dafinone whose training, upbringing and experience prepared them for a time like this.

If Urhobo must continue with the credible representation witnessed under Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, then Ede Dafinone is the man. Omo-Agege has demonstrated in clear terms that performance in the senate is a matter of individual charisma, dexterity and pedigree. Ede Dafinone has a background, deeply rooted in service and egalitarian sobriety. His father did it for Urhobo in the past. He will not disappoint if voted. Those with beclouded Urhobo identity should be treated with caution. A true-born and versatile Urhobo patriot like Dafinone is the right man to take over from Omo-Agege. As our people file out on Saturday, let us forget party loyalty and take the candidates for who they are and how much of trust Urhobo can invest in them.

Ede Dafinone is the best of the three men. Urhobo of all lands and climes should vote for Dafinone on Saturday so he can reinvent the distinctive quality for which his father was well-valued in all of Urhobo. The senior Dafinone was a role model in many respects. Ede will do more for Urhobo when voted on Saturday. His philanthropic gestures ring a bell throughout Urhoboland as beneficiaries of his benevolence have testified to his uncommon service to humanity. Let us encourage this man with our votes on Saturday. He, certainly, is the best hope of credible representation in the next senate.

Onoriode Esievoatokpota is from Agbarha-Otor, Ughelli North Local Government Area of Delta State.