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| Rt. Hon. Ndudi Elumelu alights from the aircraft that brought him on constituency visit to Aniocha-Oshimili. |
A mammoth crowd of enthusiastic supporters and party faithful of
the Aniocha-Oshimili Federal Constituency besieged the Asaba International
Airport yesterday, Friday, August 30th, 2019 to receive their hero,
Rt. Hon. Ndudi Elumelu.
Elumelu, who was accompanied by eight of his colleagues, cutting
across PDP, APC, ADC, was coming to his
constituents for the first time since his election to represent them and his
inauguration as the Minority leader in the House of Representatives, fielded
questions from journalists and spoke on many burning national issues, pointing
out that with their swearing in as members of the National Assembly, party
affiliations, tribal and religious inclinations are no longer recognized as
they now work together for the good of Nigeria.
He said: “We are one family. We have APC, PDP, APGA, ADC, all of
us are here, we are one family. From the day we were sworn in, we became one.
And the essence of that is for us to build a formidable nation for our people
and ensure that the good dividends of democracy get to our people. So we don’t
talk about party once we are on the floor and that is what they are showcasing
by coming here with me.”
Elumelu, who was highly elated on seeing the impressive turnout
of his constituents to welcome him, told journalists, that he was visiting his
constituency, in line with the reformist agenda of the Ninth National Assembly,
part of which is visiting of constituencies regularly for consultations on what
he needed to take back to the floor of the house so that, “we can have a better
and a united Nigeria.”
He said the crowd that welcomed him at the airport was a
testimony of the love the people has for him, adding that it shows they are
happy that for the first time they voted for who they wanted to represent them
in the National Assembly.
"They are here to showcase their joy and happiness that
they did not only vote for somebody with capacity, but for their son who has
gone there to get something home for them,” he enthused.
On why he visited former military president, General Ibrahim
Badamasi Babangida (rtd) in Minna, Niger state, soon after swearing in, Elumelu
said Babangida was the leader of the nation, hence he visited him to pay
homage, seek for advise and offer himself for any services or assignments the
distinguished leader would wish for him to perform or deliver in the interest
of the nation, for the next four years.
On the issue of power probe which the House of representatives
is demanding in the new assembly, Elumelu said what the people are asking for
is not just a probe but they want to know what happened in the power sector and
why power has been inconsistent in the nation.
“They want to know why we do not have constant electricity. And,
of course, the house is a vibrant house, you can see them behind me, those are
my bosses, they decide what happens on the floor of the house.
“We don’t decide for them, ours is to say what they decided and
they have said they want to know what is happening why we don’t have constant
electricity in Nigeria. We will do what they want,” Elumelu said..
Shedding light on the controversy that surrounded his emergence
as the minority leader of the House and the current situation, Elumelu said: “I
don’t think there is any more to say. First, when you have a parent who feels
that you should go to study medicine and you went ahead to study law, there is
tendency for them to be upset that you have not taken the line they asked you
to follow. But after some time coupled with your humility, by going to ask them
for forgiveness, everything will go down well in the end."
Having emerged minority leader of the House, he said he would
run a transparent and open office that would accommodate every member of the
House, noting that it is what the members decide at the executive sessions that
is brought to plenary for robust debate and deliberation for the good of all
Nigerians.
He said: “The function of the leadership of the house is to say
what the members have decided. We go into executive sessions, they tell us what
they want us to tell the public and what the public should know about and we
just say it. So, mine is to bring everybody together, no victor, no
vanquished.”
The law maker, who expressed displeasure over the killings of
Nigerians in South Africa and, indeed, the spate of insecurity in the country,
noted that the Federal Government has a commission on Diaspora and the House of
Representatives also has a committee which it has inaugurated, saying: “I
believe that as soon as we resume, one of the first things we will look at is
that issue and other killings ravaging us in the country. There is no doubt; we
have the capacity to handle all these issues.”
He also decried the invasion of the national assembly by the
Shi’ites saying the insecurity situation in the country would be on the front
burner in the House when it resumes from its recess, even as he stressed that
the timely intervention of the Reps, following the invasion by the Shi’ites,
led to the release of El-Zakzaky and he was given the opportunity to go to
India for treatment.
In an interaction with journalists during the constituency
visit, a member of the House of Representatives from Abia state, Rt. Hon. Darlington
Nwokocha who was amongst the eight members that accompanied Rt. Hon. Elumelu to
his constituency, declared that the minority caucus in the House, under the
leadership of Elumelu, would carry out a robust opposition that would lead to a
better Nigeria.
“Everything you may define as a robust opposition as obtained in
the international clime, that is what you should expect from us because we have
people that are well experienced, we have people that are fearless, we have
people that are constructive.
“We are not going to fight physically, but we will use our
intellectual capacity to make sure we achieve anything achievable for
Nigerians. And at the end of the day all of us will be glad we did.”
Nwokocha, who is the House committee chairman on insurance,
described Elumelu as a man with extra-ordinary qualities which attracted the
eight members who visited Elumelu’s constituency with him.
He said: “For you to see this cream of legislators that have
come with him, that means he has some extra-ordinary qualities that must have
attracted us to this place. If you look at the cream of people that are here,
it cuts across regions, Muslims, Christians, tribes, Hausas, Yorubas and every
tribe.
“Elumelu is a special breed. He is a man with a very vast
knowledge of interpersonal relationships. He is a man that will make sure he
feels your pulse at any point in time. He is a man that can guide you aright.
His leadership qualities are excellent, which I believe every person that wants
to grow should emulate.
“I thank God that we are here today. I was thinking that
the kind of cordial relationship we have is maybe because we are in Abuja. But
today, I can see from the kind of crowd that received us from the airport down
to his home, that means he is on ground and has a robust relationship with his
people even outside his home. So, he is a good man.
“From what I have seen and the kind of projects he has attracted
to his place, I pray that the people of this constituency will always send him
to represent them in any capacity because it takes a man with great onions to
have come up with these kind of laudable projects. I think the people here will
be better off if they continue sending him to represent them.”
Other members of the House of Representatives who joined
Hon. Nwokocha on the visit were; Rt. Hon. Jonathan Gaza from Nasarawa state, Femi
Bamishe from Ekiti state, Jafaru Ribadu from Adamawa state, Benjamin Mzondu,
Benue state, Vincent Ofuwelu, Anambra state and Dr. Okwudili Ezewnakwo from
Anambra state.
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