TRACKING>>In democracies around the world, the dramatic entry of dynamic, resourceful and erudite personalities in electoral contests tend to energise and revitalise those contests while raising public interest and awareness of the centrality of the democratic process to their collective welfare and wellbeing.
For instance in 1960, the entry of the charismatic John F. Kennedy in the Democratic Party Presidential primaries swiftly raised the stakes as a record number of Americans joined or defected to the Democratic Party out of outright admiration for the articulate and patrician John Kennedy who went on to emerge victorious in the primaries and later, the presidential elections.
A bright and action-oriented Bill Clinton hit the national scene with creative ideas on how to lift the American economy from the doldrums and this idealistic scenario was more than enough to convince the people to vote him into the White House, thus rejecting the one term presidency of George Bush Snr.
In Nigeria, the same perspective is at play in the contest for the offices of the presiding officers of the National Assembly with the epoch marking entry of Senator Ovie Omo-Agege in the race for the Deputy President of the 9th Senate, a position that has been zoned to the South-south geopolitical zone, by the APC national leadership; a pragmatic decision given the fact that the exalted office was last occupied by the zone in 1992-1993 in the person of Senator Albert Legogie from Edo state.
Equity and fairness would be further enthroned if the DSP position revolves to Delta state this time around given the fact that the state has no significant representation in the APC hierarchy while Edo state occupies the office of APC national chairman (Comrade Adams Oshiomhole) who is also from the same local government as another contender for the DSP position, Senator Frank Alimikhena.
However, it is Senator Ovie Omo-Agege’s inimitable skills as an interlocutor, gifted orator, legal titan, constitutional icon, undisputed legislative avatar and irrepressible tribune of the dispossessed and disenfranchised of society that has dramatically ignited public interest and impassioned debate regarding the National Assembly leadership contest.
And without doubt, the vast majority of the people have a very positive disposition towards his eclectic candidacy having experienced firsthand, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege’s penchant for courageous doggedness in the pursuit of truth and the defence of freedom.
While some of his colleagues including those from South-south preferred to remain docile and complacent in the face of the decidedly authoritarian bent of the 8th Senate leadership, a forthright and outspoken Senator Ovie Omo-Agege begged to differ and famously locked horns with the autocrats in civilian garb battling them to a tense standstill before the courts ruled in his favour and against the Senate leadership’s despotic shenanigans.
Indeed what Senator Ovie Omo-Agege has going for him is an incisive, deeply intuitive, sharp witted and reflexively perceptive personality that literally thinks on his feet and has no truck for semantic distinctions, idle chatter or aimless malingering of no discernable benefit to all and sundry. Indeed a purposeful Senator Ovie Omo-Agege does not patiently suffer fools gladly for long.
A legal luminary of impeccable pedigree who has made his mark in the civil, corporate and constitutional arenas, a seasoned Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, who is Chairman Senate Committee on Land Transport knows his onions to the letter and can hardly be faulted or checkmated on a crucial issue either within or outside the courtroom as he is a veritable encyclopaedia of knowledge, ideas, thoughts and perspectives.
An astute parliamentarian, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege who represents Delta Central Senatorial Zone has been of high moral standing, very vibrant and productive on the floor of the 8th Senate all through the legislative dispensation. He has contributed substantially on national issues and has indeed positioned himself through sheer determination and confidence in the Red Chamber where he argues the cause of his people and thereby renders dividends of democracy to his constituency.
Without doubt, one of the key reasons that a clear majority of Nigerians are rooting for him as Deputy Senate President is there insistent desire for the speedy implementation of the next level agenda of President Muhammadu Buhari which can only be accomplished with the co-operation and collaboration of a progressive minded National Assembly leadership and membership.
Indeed the 9th Senate can start on a clean slate by electing committed, competent patriotic, articulate and forward looking personalities for the leadership positions in the Red Chamber and undoubtedly Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, the Obarisi of Urhoboland is the right man at the right time for the office of the Deputy President of the Senate. If Not Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, Who? If Not Now, When?
