Ben Dunno, Warri
A leading contender of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the seat for Delta South Senatorial District, Evang. Hon. Michael Diden, has promised to attract constituency projects that would impact positively on the lives of indigenes of Ijaw, Isoko and Itsekiri that made up the district.
Making the pledge during a consultative visit to a prominent Ijaw leader and former Chairman of the Delta state Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (DESOPADEC), Chief Wellington Orkirika, at his Warri residence, last weekend, Hon. Diden vowed that there would be ethnic bias or sentiments in the distribution of constituency projects to the people.
Diden, popularly known as ‘Ejele’, noted that the coming together of these major ethnic group mostly described as the ‘3is’ going by the first letter ‘i’ in (Ijaw, Isoko and Itsekiri) was not by mistake but a divine arrangement for them to live together in peace and harmony and be there brother’s keeper.
According to him, “The Delta South Senatorial district is a very unique one among all the district in the state in the sense that the ethnic group that made up the district had the same first letter ‘I’ to prove that they are coming to together was not by chance or mistake and as such we must continue to live in unity and harmony so that we can collectively progress together as a people.
“One thing I will never do as a representative of the people in the Senate is to be sentimental in my dealings with the people in my constituency. I am a child of history and am grounded in the politic of this area.
“Even before now many of you here can attest to my detribalized nature of doing things concerning this area and I assure you all that I will consolidate on this when I get to Abuja”.
“I will ensure all these three major ethnic groups are carried along but in terms of employment and projects. No one would be denied of what is accrued to them.
“Constituency projects would be evenly distributed and no one ethnic group will cry of marginalisation. This I assure you today”.
Commenting on the insinuation that he being use as a front by his godfather to contest the Senatorial seat, Diden said he is most qualified to contest for the senatorial seat and wondered where all the talks of being used by any godfather was coming from.
“God is my Godfather. I am not being sponsored by anybody but God who wants me to continue to impact on the lives of my people”, he said to clear doubts of those who thought he might step down for another aspirant”.
Hon. Ejele said his desire to be in the Senate stemmed out of the fact that he had been serving people in various capacities he found himself but now need a higher platform to continue to work for the people.
He recalled that he worked with Chief Okirika who was Chairman of DESOPADEc while he served as Commissioner and the he could attest to his live for the people with the way he served then.
Hon. Diden, who is presently a lawmaker at the Delta State House of Assembly and an Isekiri man promised to give effective representation
to the major ethnic groups comprising Ijaws, Itskiris and Isokos as well as non indigenes residing the his constituency if elected as a Senator.
Responding, Chief Okirika prayed for Hon. Diden to achieve his ambition attesting to the fact that he loved and served the people merritoriously when he was in DESOPADEC.