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Palmer Ogheneyole Nathaniel
Few days ago, it struck my mind that the immediate past Governor of Delta State, His Excellency Dr. Emmanuel Eweta Uduaghan and I, have not spoken for a while.
So, I immediately put a call across to him. The phone rang repeatedly without an answer. I presumed then that he certainly was busy and was confident he would call back. Few minutes later, he returned the call and our discussions commenced.
We discussed extensively about the forthcoming elections, the court cases that were won and lost, the internal brickbats still lingering in the party and the need to unite everybody.
In all honesty, for the past 12yrs that I have been close to His Excellency, at no point did I fall so madly in love with him like I did that night.
For nearly an hour that our conversation lasted, Uduaghan evoked the image of the sincerest of patriots, a unifier per excellence, a calmer of frayed nerves, a father figure, an elder statesman and a God-sent angel to perform the celestial act of softening strong, unyielding and mulish hearts at a critical time like this.
Like every mortal creature, Uduaghan may have his own faults. He has his own regrets and things he would have done differently if he could turn back the hand of the clock. He was a governor for 8years; fighting legions of legal and political battles against both seen and unseen forces. Uduaghan left office sacrificing everything for the togetherness of the party.
Just very recently, his own daughter lost an election to represent her people at the state Assembly. If a man of Uduaghan’s standing, with all that has happened can come back and preach unity, why then will some persons still stand on the path of war and destruction?
After publicly declaring to support the decision of the party and the ruling of the courts, and drum support for the gubernatorial aspiration of Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori JP, FICMC and indeed every other candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Uduaghan has gone extra miles by inviting aggrieved parties and preaching peace.
He is working day and night to reconcile people and disarm gladiators who may have been on a vengeful voyage. He has retooled the energies of many and neutralize a multitude of renegades.
Rounding-off the conversation, Uduaghan said “Palmer, we must not allow the disaffection from the primaries or court judgements to destroy our party. Let us not make the mistake our party members made in Edo State some years ago. We must put the past behind and work together for the good of the party”. This display of sportsmanship.
Truly, Asamaigor has made history as the darling and toast of today. He will be remembered tomorrow for the troubleshooting role God is using him to play in the state. He has not only declared his readiness to help build a stronger party and a more sophisticated political institution, he is equally acting it by bringing everyone to the table.
He has become the rallying point for like minds who wish to throw the past behind and move forward in pursuit of a common, bigger and an all-encompassing agenda. He reinvented the word “sportsmanship” and should be a leading instructor in the pedagogy of equanimity.
He is the greatest of the peace ambassadors’ history will record and this legacy he has created will become the Launchpad for greater glories for him today and the nearest future to come.
Palmer, an aide of the Right Honorable Speaker and the PDP gubernatorial flag bearer of Delta State, is also the Director-General of a revolutionary political group, The Sheriffication Movement (TSM).