By Daniel A. Noah Osa-Ogbegie, Esq.
It is generally agreed that democracy is the best form of Government as it gives the people the opportunity to govern themselves and determine their own lives. In other words, democracy is a representative and participatory government.
This supposes that the people directly choose those who represent them in Government as everyone cannot be in government authority at the same time.
Overtime, the people devised three broad categorisation of government viz: the legislature, the executive and the judiciary. In Nigeria, membership of the executive and the legislature is by election. In a democracy such as the USA, even Judges present themselves to the people for periodic elections.
From the foregoing, the people are central to any democratic system. To put it succinctly, the role of the people in a democracy is sacred and inviolable. This is why I have decided to inform the great Edo people, especially those from Uhunmwode, that I present myself as candidate for the Edo State House of Assembly representing Uhunmwode under The All Progressives Congress ( APC).
The Legislature is to my mind, the most important branch of Government as it is the direct repsentative of the people and created to regulate the conducts of Government business interse and the relationship between Government and the governed.
I was very depressed when members of the Edo State House of Assembly few years ago, voted against autonomy for the legislature and the judiciary. This was possible because they did not understand their power as legislators and did not have the character and personality required.
The legislature and the judiciary are arms of Government and are equal,if not even stronger than the executive. Our democracy can never be properly so called until there are proper checks and balances and this cannot be ensured if the executive is allowed to continue to be the behemoth it is at the moment. To save our democracy, the legislature must step up, and the only way is to support men and women who have shown competence and character , learning and erudition, passion and commitement to our State.
We must bring back the time where Edo Legislators were proper legislators with the charisma, finesse,oration and empathy that are natural hallmarks of Legislators. We must support aspirants to the Legislative Houses that can replicate and even surpass the days of Roland Owie, Ehiogie West Idahosa,SAN, Dr. Samson Osagie, Patrick Obahiagbon ( Cisero of Benin), Thomas Okosun, Pascal Ugbome et al.
The legislature is not a place for fat cats with loads of vested interests. It is a sacred temple where the only thing that matters is the people.
At this juncture, I must salute the courage of my brothers, Jude Ediale and Joseph Aggie, who have earlier declared their intentions to run for same seat. For me though, this is beyond election but about the Uhunmwode people; ultimately and in the final analysis, I want to contribute my mettle to help lead Edo to a new direction of purposefulness, greatness and peerlessness through the institutionalisation of a new righteous order of empathetic political leadership anchored on character, competence, inclusiveness, passion and results.
The Lord be praised. God bless Uhunmwode. God bless Edo State.
DAN Osa-Ogbegie is a Lawyer, teacher and an Apostle of Edo renaissance. I am from Obazagbon, Ugieghudu, Uhi Ward, Uhunmwode Local Government Area of Edo State and hereby ask for your support in every way possible to actualize the vision.