Some years ago, I set out to seek your mandate to represent the good people of Kabba/Bunu/Ijumu federal constituency at the House of Representatives. During this period, I traversed the length and breadth of the constituency. It was an expository, challenging, yet interesting experience. Expository because it opened me up to the array of needs and yearnings of our people far more than I had thought I understood; challenging because it was a physically and mentally draining exercise; but interesting because the exposure hit the core of my passion to meet and learn about new people and seek for new ways of providing succor for their angst and bring hope where there is depression and despair. It was enlivening and I appreciate the experience.
However, even though I would have loved the result of the election to turn out differently without qualms and squabbles in the first instance, its eventual twist and turn, just like the exercise altogether are not ends but some of the links in long chains. With the prospect of where we are and the bright hopes that lie ahead, I’m confident that those links can be fixed and the chains can be changed, but our dream remains the same and it will be achieved in the long run.
We took our time to build a team with which our dreams were to be actualized, starting with a win at the poll. Everyone of us moved out with the aim of delivering on our objectives. I was at the head of that team at the Kabba/Bunu/Ijumu Federal Constituency level and I take responsibility for the performance of my team.
From the result we are currently reviewing, the PDP got 21,247 votes in all, while we got 17,782. The second runner up had 7,896 votes. Against all odds, the result says we had around 8,000 votes and the PDP around 9,000 in Ijumu Local Government Area. Regardless of the spread, the result showed we garnered over 9,000 votes against PDP’s 11,000 votes in Kabba/Bunu where we won 4 out of 6 wards in Bunu district.
I do not think these even when taken from the surface, came from doing nothing. It is rather from the relentless efforts of the team we built together. However, this is just the first lap and I need those who believe in Wemi Jones to understand that there are still hurdles to cross and I will continue to need your faith in, and support for our dream. I have been spending time reviewing the process, consult with some party leaders and associates and the public will be intimated about our next course of action in due time.
American songwriters Marty Panzer, Tom Snow and Jack Feldman, wrote a song in 1998 which adequately captures my mood about how to proceed. Some lines therein as coined by me say:
“As you go through life you’ll see
There is so much that we don’t understand
And the only thing we know is things don’t always go the way we planned
But you’ll see every day that I’ll never turn away
Even when it seems this dream come undone
I will stand by your side, filled with hopes and filled with pride
For we are more than we are
WE ARE ONE!
I am confident, as a bridge builder, that we are far more in number than we are, far stronger than our strengths and far more capable than our abilities because WE ARE ONE.
I am hopeful, I am in high spirit, I am proud of my efforts and your part in it, and I am ready to take on the next challenge. Be sure that we will be standing together all the way. As we find our new line of action, and as we seek to find a better way of getting better deals for our people in the scheme of things, one thing is certain: we have crossed the Rubicon and there is no going back now! The election, even if won, was never an end but a means to an end, and until that end is achieved, we cannot slow down. No, we cannot stop!
As politics of good governance is concerned, Wemi Jones has come to stay, and I need you all by my side as I stand your your side.
To my Bunu people, I appreciate the outpouring of love I enjoyed all through this period and I know that greater times lie ahead as we continue to cross the many bridges ahead.
To my people in Ijumu where I spent a substantial part of my growing-up, I feel humbled by the level of support I received against all odds.
To my people in Kabba where I have a lot of friends and associates, I appreciate your support, love and effort you put into our struggle.
I enjoin all my friends, associates and supporters alike to take this outcome with equanimity as we chart the route ahead. Let it be known that I bear no grudge against any person or group of persons and I hold no one responsible for this outcome, since all hopes are not lost and there are limitless opportunities ahead. Rather I have deep respect for all and sincerely hope that we find the strength to unite in believing our dreams as we proceed to our next task as our people require.
It’s your son and friend,
– Wemi Jones, FCIB
APC House of Representatives Candidate for Kabba/Bunu/Ijumu constituency, 2019.
