 |
| OPARA |
A former House of
Representatives aspirant on the PDP platform, Dr. Raymond Opara has cautioned
his party to avoid the mistakes of the past especially pitfalls and discrepancies
that influenced the selection of party candidates for various elective offices in the last party primaries.
Opara who spoke to
members of Owerri Federal Constituency journalists Association at his Avu
country home in Owerri West LGA in Imo State, said one of the reasons why the
PDP failed in the last elections was because it overlooked the need to assess
the capacity, competence and experience of those who vied for various elective
offices on its platform.
He said he had taken
his time to outline his result oriented programmes for Owerri federal constituency when he vied
for the Reps seat of the area but the party failed to take into consideration
such factors.
Owerri Federal constituency
is made up of three local governments – Owerri Municipal, Owerri North and
Owerri West LGAs
The environmentalist cum politician frowned at the
monetization of the party primaries, expressing regret that party leaders and
members were more interested in pecuniary gains rather than placing emphasis on
whom among the aspirants has the right initiatives to attract development to the
area and effectively represent the federal constituency in the House of
Representatives.
He said he fully
supported the then PDP governorship candidate and former Deputy Speaker of the
Federal House of Representatives, Rt Hon Emeka Ihedioha because he believed
that the PDP at that time needed no distractions or internal wrangling in order
to win the governorship election of the State.
Opara who was a
front-line aspirant in the race for Owerri Reps seat in 2014, said there is need for
stakeholders in the area to meet regularly and cross pollinate ideas to ensure
that the dividends of democracy accrue to the area.
“We
need to look at myraid problems and find solutions to serious issues affecting Owerri
federal constituency. It is regrettable
that our land is being taken from us without compensation and our youths have
no jobs to do.
“The problems affecting
the area should be of concern to every stakeholder in the area. A lot still need to be done in bringing
development in the area” Opara said
Earlier, the leader of the
group, Mr. Innocent Onyeukwu said the association is reaching to key
stakeholders in the area to share ideas on how best to move the constituency forward.
He expressed regret
that Owerri Federal Constituency has not seen much of dividends of democracy
either due to poor representation by past lawmakers or lack of understanding of
the problems bedeviling the federal constituency.
No comments:
Write comments