By Emeka Amaefula
RIVERS STATE POPULAR POLITICIAN ALLWELL ONYESOH SET TO WIN RIVERS EAST SENATORIAL SEAT IN 2023
The race to occupy the red chambers of the National Assembly will come to fruition on 25th of February, 2023 and Chief Allwell Onyesoh is a man whose vision of leadership has inspired him to offer himself for service to the good people of Rivers East Senatorial District as he is the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP candidate in that Senatorial Zone. Come 26th of December, 2022, this ebullient politician will celebrate his 62nd birthday in grand style as a well fulfilled citizen and father to the downtrodden in the society.
Since the inception of Nigeria’s Independence from Britain and the emergence of the First Republic till this 4th Republic no Etche ethnic nationality has occupied the Rivers East Senatorial seat. And Chief Allwel H. Onyesoh popularly addressed as the political OCTOPUS in the South-South geo-political region, having been an active politician was lucky to have been elected at the age of 33 years, he was elected as the Chairman of Etche chapter of NRC after hot contested exercise. During the botched 3rd Republic in 1997, he was elected into Rivers state House of assembly under the platform of United Nigerian Congress Party-UNCP representing Etche State Constituency II seat. His late mother was elected as State Women Leader of Old Rivers state of one of the National political parties in Nigeria during the 2nd Republic and from here the young Allwell Henacho Onyesoh learnt the craft of politicking which is centred on helping humanity to live a better life and making the people to have the dividends of democratic governance.
No wonder from the onset of the lifting of ban on political activities by the General Abdulsalam led Military government in 1998, leading to the emergence of 4th Republic in 1999 he was among Rivers state politicians who joined Peoples Democratic Party-PDP with the likes of the then then former Deputy Governor to Chief Rufus Ada George, Dr. Peter Odili leading the RESTORATION FAMILY a political pressure group that supported his gubernatorial bid to BRIC HOUSE in 1999 governorship election in Rivers state.
His tenacity to uphold diligence and honesty in his dealings with members of the public earned Chief Allwell Onyesoh the trust and confidence Rivers state people have on him as he was appointed commissioner for Education in the First term administration of Dr. Peter Odili as the executive governor of Rivers state from 1999 to 2003. While in the second term of that same administration from 20023 to 2007Chief Allwell Onyesoh took charge of the Ministry of Sports and Youth Development, here Dolphin Football Club and other Football clubs in Rivers state excel in various competitive sports and championship engagements across Africa. Dolphin Football Club won continental championship beating other clubs in Africa. During the National Sports Fiesta organised by the Federal Ministry of Sports and Youth Development with leading gold medals and other categories of Medal in the kitty of Rivers state contingents.
In the offshoot of the Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi’s administration from 2007 to 2015, Chief Allwell Onyesoh played key roles in stabilizing the administration as he was assigned the most challenging tasks in one of the legacy projects of that administration being Educational revolution in Rivers state. With the building of brand Models of Modern Primary Schools in each 319 political wards and more with 24-Ultra-modern Secondary schools in Rivers state built across the three senatorial districts of Rivers which made a lot of positive changes in human capital development in the state.
Chief Allwell Onyesoh was appointed as Chairman of the Senior Secondary Schools Management Board. With the declaration of state of emergence in the Primary school cadre of educational administration in 2013, the need to employ qualified Teachers to fill up the vacancies in the teaching profession in the state about 13,151 number of Senior secondary School graduate teaching staff and Basic Secondary school teaching Staff were employed to take charge of the increasing number of pupils across the state. The man-power boost and the increased number of School enrolment which improved most of the set-out agenda in the required demands of Millennium Development Goals-MDG.
After the end of that administration, Chief Allwell Onyesoh became Deputy Campaign Director for Dr. Adolphus Dakuku-Peterside Governorship Campaign Council in 2015. This time around under a different political party being All progressives Congress-APC. With realization of the need to respond to the demands of his people of Rivers State East Senatorial district for him to participate and compete in the 2023 General elections as a senatorial candidate, he defected to his political family of Peoples Democratic party as one of the founding fathers and well-respected politician of repute in the state. In the PDP Rivers East senatorial Primary election he won unopposed as he emerged as the flag bearer of the party under PDP for the 2023 senatorial election of 25th of February, 2023.
HOW HIS EXPECTED VICTORY TURNED UNCHALLENGED EXERCISE
There is no Rivers state born politician that is as popular as Chief Allwell Henacho Onyesoh. Coming from a rustic childhood and climbing to the middle-class family of Umuonyeagu Etche, he was so clever as a growing up boy that he was offered a secondary School scholarship as he came on top of the secondary school admission examination after Primary six graduation. Thus, began his brilliance in academic attainment leading to his having graduated from University of Jos with a Bachelor Degree B. A in Communication Arts , Plateau state in early 1980s he joined the tertiary institution as a Lecturer in Creative Writing at Rivers State School of Basic studies. While there he helped a lot of youths as he made sure that those of them that have excellent results were admitted for undergraduate degree studies at various universities across the country. He became a household name in empowering these youth with his meagre resources. While he was studying for his Ordinary Level West African School Certificate-WASC he was a popular footballer whose tall body physique earned him placement at each school championship fiesta across Old Rivers state.
Again, his ability to relate with people and his charismatic smiling disposition endeared people to him, making him Man of the People. One distinguishing political advantage Chief Allwell Onyesoh has that is winning admiration for him is the fact that he doesn’t discriminate among the political class in Rivers state as he is always willing to assist other politicians across board irrespective of the political allegiance. Hence his victory in the coming Rivers East senatorial election is a contest his opponents can’t do without conceding for his victory. Because of the fact that Chief Allwell Onyesoh’s philanthropic gestures didn’t start while he was eyeing a political election but an attribute that has become his identity right from when he was not holding any political post.
Beneficiaries of the 13, 151 Graduate Teachers employed in 2013 in Rivers state have common interest in contributing their quota in mobilizing votes for Chief Allwell Onyesoh for him to come out on top of the polls. His closest rival in the February 25th 2023 Rivers East Senatorial election is Honourable Engineer Ndubuisi Nwankwo Ph.d of the All Progressives Congress APC from Omuma Local Government Area in the Etche/Omuma Federal constituency, a former Commissioner of Natural resources during Governor Peter Odili’s administration. But given the outstanding and towering personality of Chief Allwell Onyesoh, his political rivals may not challenge his cruising down to victory to represent Rivers East Senatorial District in the coming 10th National Assembly.
His political structure is formidable as he has empowered many youths of both genders to venture into politics as Councilors at the Etche Local Government Area and during electioneering campaigns they have found him a reliable political motivator as they emerge victorious in the contested polls. Various political bases, be they grass root associations of various trades in the Rivers state have his ears to cry to in times of need of which he quickly attends to such genuine requests when he was not even contemplating running for political office. His inherent love for humanity and rendering services to people of various ethnic nationality in Rivers state and beyond has positioned Chief Allwell Onyesoh to be a star politician many admire to emulate in their political career. On Sunday 26th of November, 2017 City People magazine Lagos honoured Chief Allwell Onyesoh with GRASS ROOT POLITICIAN OF THE YEAR IN SOUTH-SOUTH during 3rd edition of City People Magazine Political awards where several top Nigerian Politicians including the current Presidential candidate of PDP, the then Senate President, former Governor of Ogun state His Excellency Engineer, Otunmba Gbenga Daniel who re-echoed the nickname “THE OCTOPUS” before the A-List high profile guests at the award ceremony in faraway city of Lagos. Thus, Chief Allwell Onyesoh attracted the attention of many politicians across party lines who graced the occasion.
His participation in the coming 10th National Assemble NASS as a serving Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria will surely be one of the most successful blessings of the good people of Etche ethnic nationality since the creation of Rivers state on May 27th 1967 to date. And with his humble disposition and ability to make friends he is expected to attract developmental projects to Rivers state especially people of his immediate senatorial district Rivers East shall be the beneficiaries of good social amenities with human capital development being top of his priorities for his people.
—————————–EMEKA AMAEFULA —+234(0)8111813069
