By Onyinyechi Nwankwo
For his deep love for the people of Oru West Local Government Area of Imo State and his desire to render accountable, selfless leadership to them, the humanitarian and altruist, Hon. Willie TC Okolieogwo, has accepted the entreaties of his people to lead them in the capacity of Executive Chairman, hence he purchased forms to vie for the position.
Okolieogwo who was accompanied by a mammoth crowd of supporters from his LG, picked his Nomination and Expression of Interest Forms last week at the State Secretariat of the All Progressives Congress, APC.
Speaking to journalists shortly after obtaining his forms, the former Imo State Chairman of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria, ALGON, disclosed that his motivation for vying for the Executive position of Oru West Council was largely influenced by the huge request from his people to represent them.
He observed that the push by his people to represent them came from a place of satisfaction they have had from his credible and impactful representation during his past tenures as Interim Management Chairman (IMC) and Sole Administrator (SOLAD) respectively. He assured to do better for the progress of Oru West and never to dash the trust his people have reposed in him.
Replying those who ignorantly complained on why he is coming out for a third tenure as Chairman of Oru West, Okolieogwo intelligibly explained that there is a clear difference between an appointive and elective positions, stating that in an appointive position as in the case of his past posts as IMC and SOLAD, the people have a very limited authority over their Chairman on matters concerning their rights, while in the elective, as in this current one, the people elect their leader or chairman themselves and so have full authority to demand from him their rights.
His words, “this upcoming election is an elective position and is different from IMC or SOLAD which are appointive positions, so they are two parallel lines that cannot meet. Going there as an Executive Chairman means I’m going with the mandate of Oru West people and they are entitled to demand for their rights which I in return is obligatory to answer them. Unlike in appointive positions that I can give one excuse or the other
“This time around, I’m asking my people to send me to serve them, that is just the interest. I’m not going there to enrich myself, no, that is not the idea at all. But I understand that even haven served as IMC and SOLAD, I’m not just coming out based on my personal interest as there is this large crowd of request; please, you did well in the previous ones and we want you to come and do more. That is actually what motivated me to begin to think of coming to serve my people again.
“As far as I’m concerned there is no opposition in APC. We are one united family, everyone is saying the same thing and we are all loyal and serving Governor Hope Uzodimma who is our brother from the same Oru.
“We respect him a lot and cue behind his decision. So, I do not know if there is any other person from Oru West that has purchased form for the same position. What I’m very sure is that I’m prepared to serve my people and because I did well in the past, they are also prepared to return me to the Executive Chairmanship Position”, he maintained.
