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By Abdullahi Suleiman Otiwe.
Earlier yesterday the former House of Representative aspirant for Idah Federal Constituency and a Petroleum Engineer at Chevron Nigeria Limited, Engr. John Ibrahim Ocheje picked the Peoples Democratic Party’s Nomination Form to contest for Kogi East Senatorial District Office.
Engr. John Ibrahim formally declared his interest for the Senatorial office ahead of the February 2019 general elections. He decried the high level of misrepresentations of the district at the National Assembly in the last decade while addressing his teaming supporters at PDP National Secretariat WADATA Plaza Wuse Zone 5 in Abuja yesterday.
Disclosing why he chose for the district Senate office this time, he noted that his aspiration was borne out genuine desire after due consideration of the pressure put on him by the well-meaning people of the district who believe his candidature would give credence to the plights of the people of the senatorial district whose interests have been sidelined over the years by their selfish Representatives who after given supports ignored their needs.
He promised that his representation at the National Assembly’s Upper Chamber shall be based on inclusive representation, stating that as one of his 5-points Agenda for the district, if elected he shall hold “Quarterly Town-Hall Meetings to engender inclusiveness.”
According to him, one of the identifiable problems Kogi east have faced over the years is that “the Representatives have failed to bridge the gaps between the national government and the district.” Stating that “based on my 5-points Agenda which I hold to be the true pillars of Responsive and Accountable Representation in democracy, the Igala and Bassa people shall witness unprecedented transformation via the sponsorship of Bills and Motions to their interests.
The picking of a Party Nomination form presupposes that a step has been taken towards the enforcement of the electoral law’s requirement for a political party to present a flagbearing candidates at the polls through a democratic practices internally within the party. Believing in total compliance with PDP’s Primary Elections Guidelines, John Ibrahim affirmed that the party’s internal democracy if properly conducted would confer political legitimacy on the winner and provide protection to the losers; citing that the reason why Kogi east have faced representational imbalances in the past especially in the last 4 years was due to lack of those factors.
He called upon his Party Members to take advantages of the party’s formidable structure in the state and the peoples’ confidence in the party at the senatorial district over the years to provide a popular mandate for the party in the district. He equally called upon the delegates that will decide at the District Party’s Convention to take advantage of the trust bequeathed to them to elect the party’s candidate for the senatorial district in democratic manners while challenging them to opt for his candidature as a marketable candidate against the candidates of the other political parties to be presented at the general elections.
Meanwhile, Engr. John Ibrahim Ocheje hails from Ojiala village, Ayah Ward in Ibaji Local government area of Kogi State. He has spent his entire life career with the Mega Oil Company Chevron Nigeria Limited after a brief work experience with African Oil Field Services in Port Highcourt as a Petroleum Engineer. In addition to his work experience in over 26 years, he has been active in the People Democratic Party (PDP) activities since 1999 and has contested for its mandate for Idah Federal Federal Constituency in 2014 in a keenly contested race.
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