UCHE EKWUNIFE: A CHEETAH OR GRAVE-YARD DANCER? Part 4 By Oby Nwadiogbu

Anambra State, the only State in Nigeria that has horrible and wonderful gladiators in the world of Politics; has always had a unique quagmire in every Political rally cum General elections; no matter how preparation is made for hitch free one. Whatever nomenclature that could be conceived to describe their tantrums and clash deserves it. After all it is the survival of the fittest.

Hon. Uche Ekwunife, (Iyom), is one woman in the Political class who has come to lime-light in the recent time to demonstrate the tough and tensile strength she is made of. It would be glad to draw your attention of the calibre of legislation she had legislated and moved the motions for, in the best interest of not only female folks but children and entire categories of people.

The importance of women in the world can never be under estimated, nor ignored to be recognized as the Creator of heaven and earth thought it wise and saw it as incomplete without them, thus And the Lord God said: “It isn’t good for the man to be alone; I will make a companion for him, a helper suited to his needs - Gen. 2:18”. This implies that in every world of men, women MUST under obligation and law required to be present in their appreciable number; be it Political office, Civil and Public Services etc.

The roles of women can equally be seen today and men had come to appreciate their quintessential contribution. Thus, the slogan that ‘what a man can do a woman can do it’ came into lime-light. In USA, women are given preferential treatment as an honour to them. No wonder, when one went out of the ideal way to excuse and intimidate Rosa Parks, she resisted it to the core, and she said:

“People always say that I didn’t give up my seat because I was tired, but that isn’t true. I was not tired physically, or no more tired than I usually was at the end of a working day. I was not old, although some people have an image of me as being old then. I was forty-two. No, the only tired I was, was tired of giving in.”

In this era of pièce de résistance, when the icon of hope in the women world – Hon. Uche Ekwunife is booming, there comes resistance from the Camp of ‘Grave yard Dancers’, those who have lose the sense of ‘Honourables’. People who are plotting to forbid her from maximizing her potential and partaking in the democracy which gives everyone an opportunity to be voted for and be known.

As Rosa Parks; she maintains as thus:

“I did not want to be mistreated; I did not want to be deprived of a seat that I had paid for. It was just time… there was opportunity for me to take a stand to express the way I felt about being treated in that manner. I had not planned to get arrested. I had plenty to do without having to end up in jail. But when I had to face that decision, I didn’t hesitate to do so because I felt that we had endured that too long. The more we gave in, the more we complied with that kind of treatment, the more oppressive it became.”

Women have been intimidated in the Nigerian Politics; marginalized and yet have failed to recognize their roles. Those who were passing motion to forbid Hon. Ekwunife failed to understand that the world of Cheetah and world of ‘Grave-yard Dancers’ are not the same.

Permit me to highlight what a cheetah is and its features and that would give us insight to see that Hon. Uche Ekwunife is on the go, an unstoppable, despite the dancing house of ignorance. Cheetah is the fasted landed animal in the world. An unbeatable racer! The closest human rival in the speed is Jamaican Bolt. And any attempt to stop Hon. Ekwunife must be resisted to the core by the women organization across the State with precipice.

The House has failed to move motions that would change the predicaments of the masses especially the women world. The house failed to pass the motion against buying of Horses in the tone of over #85 million, decorations in over #65 millions, misplaced priority of Biafran burial at the tone of #300 millions, grave dancing gymnastics with huge spending, failed to move motion against one person that is all and all in one party without giving others chance to contribute etc.

The Senate will not be complete without Hon. Uche Ekwunife as the woman that has our interest at heart for Anambra State in the People Democratic Party - PDP. The speed at which she operates to deliver her constituency projects is equivalent with the speed at which the Cheetah catches its prey, with great dexterity and in great variety. She outsmarts others to deliver the projects of her people, even though there are hurdles and challenges against her, certainly her speed gains momentum to spring over it and catch up. If God says, it is not good that only men would represent us at the Senate. Would it be ‘Grave-yard dancers’ would say otherwise? Your guess is as good as mine!

  Nwadiogbu is the Executive Director, Campaign against illiteracy, low enrolment and widowhood empowerment Initiative