Stakeholders of Oshimili North and South are dismayed by the resort to divisive, parochial and self-serving narratives being peddled by some individuals that parochial sentiments rather than competence will drive the people of Oshimili North and South in the 2027 House of Representatives election.
It is completely condemnable that such individuals will always want to sow a seed of discord with the aim to trigger crisis and destroy the unity, brotherliness and love that exist among the people of Aniocha/Oshimili Federal Constituency.
The analysis of voter clustering as election decider misunderstands the political DNA and insults the maturity of the Oshimili people and of course, Aniocha on the issue of leadership choice in elections.
The Oshimili people are politically intelligent individuals who are not led by blind sentiments but a defined pathway governed by the demands of character, vision, competence, capacity and skills in the selection of leaders.
For decades, the voting pattern of Oshimili North and Oshimili South has been defined not by tribal lines but by one question: Which candidate best suits our common interest; which candidate has the best plan, track record, competence, and character to develop our local government areas? That question has always been irrespective of parochial considerations of gender, clan, section or tribe but merit and common good.
That question will again determine 2027. The people of Oshimili will back the candidate who demonstrates willingness and determination to work assiduously for the development of their communities, irrespective of whether that candidate hails from Aniocha North, Aniocha South, Oshimili North, or Oshimili South.
The notion that population, geographic or ethnic clustering dictates how Oshimili votes, fails against history and reality. Three facts dispute it:
1. Democratic Maturity and Political Intelligence.
The Oshimili electorate is urban, exposed, and politically literate. With Asaba as the Delta State capital, Oshimili North and South host civil servants, professionals, traders, and a critical mass of youths who interrogate candidates beyond “where he comes from.” Their voting is policy-sensitive and performance-driven. Oshimili people even as a bloc act as individuals with a shared standard which is results.
2. A Track Record of Rejecting Tribal Sentiment
Over successive election cycles, Oshimili voters have consistently elevated candidates based on capacity, not clan. They have voted for Aniocha candidates when those candidates offered superior representation, and they will do so again. The idea that population equals automatic political control underestimates the sophistication of this electorate.
3. 2023 Was a Lesson, Not a Template
The “Obidient” surge of 2023 was a protest vote driven by national frustration. It disrupted traditional patterns across Nigeria, including Aniocha/Oshimili. For Oshimili people, 2023 was an eye-opener on how emotion without structure can produce outcomes that do not translate to effective representation.
That experience has reinforced their resolve: never again will sentiment replace scrutiny. 2027 will be about Employment, Empowerment, and Development, not anger, not tribe.
It is imperative that any individual who desire to represent the people of Aniocha/Oshimili Federal Constituency must be ready to present his or her leadership credentials, achievements, visions and evidence of capacity and competence instead of resorting to parochial sentiments that do not benefit the people.
Such individuals should take a cue from Minority Leader of the 9th House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Ndudi Elumelu, OON and that is why the people of Aniocha/Oshimili Federal Constituency, including an overwhelming majority of Oshimili people, are building a consensus for his return to the House of Representatives.
The Elumelu Standard: Representation Beyond Boundaries
No one illustrates Oshimili’s criteria better than the immediate past Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Ndudi Elumelu, OON, from Aniocha North LGA. Elumelu has represented Aniocha/Oshimili Federal Constituency three times. Yet his deepest political bond remains with the people of Oshimili.
As Minority Leader, Elumelu leveraged his ranking position to make Aniocha/Oshimili strategic in national discourse. He did not represent as an Aniocha man. He represented as a federal legislator for Aniocha North, Aniocha South, Oshimili North, and Oshimili South.
Roads, schools, health centres, solar streetlights, ICT centres, employment and empowerment programs were distributed with equity and intent. Oshimili communities from Okpanam to Illah, Cable Point to Akwukwu-Igbo, felt his impact directly.
Elumelu’s maturity showed in how he positioned Oshimili. He understood Asaba’s status as a capital city and commercial hub. He used his influence to attract federal presence, job opportunities, and projects that matched that strategic position. He treated Oshimili not as a voting bloc, but as a development priority.
Though an in-law to Ndi Oshimili, Elumelu has been “a friend who is more than a brother” to the people. Chieftaincy titles, community consultations, and his consistent presence at Oshimili events were not politics; they were proof of integration. Ndi Oshimili do not measure him by LGA of origin. They measure him by years of access, response, and results.
This informs why the people including the majority of Oshimili people want him back in the National Assembly. Returning Elumelu to the House of Representatives is in the best interest of the people. Some voices argue that “he has gone three times” and that Oshimili should continue to produce the next Representative. That view misses the institutional reality of the National Assembly.
The House of Representatives runs on ranking. Principal offices, chairmanship of Grade A committees, and influence over budgetary allocations go to high-ranking members. As immediate past Minority Leader, Elumelu already sits in the top tier of the House. A return in 2027 makes him a 4th-term member, eligible for Speaker, Deputy Speaker, or any top committee. That is leverage Oshimili North and South cannot afford to forfeit for the sake of rotation.
Federal projects take years to conceive, lobby, and execute. Elumelu’s network in MDAs, built over 12 years, means ongoing projects in Oshimili will not be orphaned. His return guarantees continuity of job placements, federal interventions, and constituency initiatives already in the pipeline. A new member, regardless of competence, starts afresh on day 1.
Rotation for its own sake does not build schools or create jobs; representation does. The Oshimili electorate has shown it prefers a proven, efficient, and effective representative who delivers Employment, Empowerment, and Development, over an untested candidate whose only credential is LGA of origin.
The people of Oshimili North and Oshimili South will not outsource their future to the theory of voter clustering. Their democratic maturity demands evidence: Who has a plan for youth employment in Asaba and Okpanam? Who has the federal reach to complete the Benin-Asaba Expressway axis and tackle flooding ravaging some of our communities in Aniocha/Oshimili Federal Constituency? Who has the character to be accessible after election day?
On each question, Rt. Hon. Ndudi Elumelu’s record answers loudly. He has done it for Aniocha/Oshimili before, without bias, and he is positioned to do it bigger with the weight of ranking.
Oshimili will vote for development. Oshimili will vote for capacity. Oshimili will vote for the candidate whose willingness and determination to work assiduously has already been tested and proven.
In 2027, the House of Representatives seat for Aniocha/Oshimili Federal Constituency will not be won by geography. It will be retained by performance. Performance, the positive case for returning Rt. Hon. Ndudi Elumelu, OON, is overwhelming.
