By Ishola Balogun

In Nigeria, there is a consensus among observers that participatory democracy has bred internecine struggle for power. While the struggle for power could be attributed to quest for self-aggrandizement, there are others, who argue that it is apt to adapt Machiavellian approach to survive in the political space.

Nicholo Machiavelli, the Italian political philosopher admonishes that: “For a man who, in all respects, will carry out only his professions of good, will be apt to be ruined amongst so many who are evil. A Prince, therefore, who desires to maintain himself, must learn to be not always good.” Perhaps, this could explain the ‘do or die’ mentality that has come to define the quest for political power in Nigeria. This, could also account why men and women, of hitherto high moral rectitude, sometimes throw decorum to the dogs, in their quest for political power. If there is any political space where this bitter struggle for power is evident, it is in the governorship contest across the states of the federation. While this is understandable considering the magnitude of power state governors wield, it falls short of acceptable norm for political participation in other climes.

Emetulu

Therefore, it is somewhat strange, in the Nigerian political firmament; to find an aspirant to any political office, much talk governorship of a state, who demystifies the odd. But there is one man, who symbolises this emerging trend of politics-without-bitterness- Charles Chukwuemeke Emetulu, former Commissioner for Energy in Delta State.

“For me, it is healthy so long as everybody plays it maturely, knowing full well that at the end of the day, it is our people and our state that matter,” Emetulu said in a recent interview. This, perhaps, is one fundamental reason Emetulu is described as the unifier- a man who can accommodate all shades of interest in the political landscape of Delta state.

There are many other critical factors that buttress Emetulu’s persona as a unifier in the Delta Guber contest. First, Emetulu is married to an Urhobo and relates very well with every ethnic grouping in Delta State. Emetulu’s geographical location by birth also expresses his unifying trait. He is from Abbi, in Ndokwa West Local government area of Delta state, which means he is of Ndokwa extraction, in Delta north. Abbi, Emetulu’s town, is bordered to the south by Owheologbo in Isoko North (Delta south) and Orogun in Ughelli north (Delta central), underscoring his affinity to Urhobo, Isoko and Ijaw.

Emetulu’s viability as a unifier can be gleaned from his antecedents and engagements, which have seen him, cultivate friendship and relationship across the length and breadth of Delta State. He studied in Delta State University, Abraka in Delta Central, which means he must have friends from every ethnic grouping in the state that throng the University; he had his secondary school education in Emevor in Isoko, Delta south; and he lived part of his life in Warri, which means he mixes effortlessly with both Itsekiri and Ijaw.

On the other hand, Ndokwa Nation, where Emetulu hails from accounts for a large chunk of oil and gas production in the country and West Africa, a privilege to the Delta heritage, of being the resource-base of Nigeria. This implies that Emetulu is a stakeholder to the revenue base of Delta State and Nigeria.

When these factors are considered dispassionately, it becomes crystal clear that Emetulu has a lot in his favour, to emerge the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) standard bearer for the 2015 Guber contest in Delta state.

However, another factor that supports Emetulu’s candidacy is his age and intellectual sagacity. Well read and travelled, there is hardly any subject matter on the face of the earth that Emetulu cannot discuss effectively. He is young, educated and brimming with creativity. At 48, Emetulu’s age is in tandem with the global shift in leadership. The days of yore when gerontocracy was the order of leadership has been discarded for dynamism, globally. When David Cameron, the British Prime Minister took power he was 44; Barack Obama won the US Presidential election at 47 and took over the reins of governance at 48; Roosevelt Skerrit, Prime Minister of Dominica was 32 when he took power in Dominica and Mikheil Saakashvili was barely 38 when he led the Rose Revolution that transformed the economic fortunes of Georgia. A common currency among young leaders, globally, is their appetite for reforms and people-centered governance and Emetulu is in this mold.

“My government will implement ‘a one-point agenda-the people’ because at the end of the day it is about the people be they male, female, young or old,” Emetulu said in a published interview. Moreover, a state like Delta, with its dynamic people requires a leader that is both intellectually astute and energetic, to withstand the demands of governing the state.

Beside these factors, Emetulu is the only member of Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan-led state executive council that is contesting in 2015 to govern Delta state and in the spirit of continuity will be the most viable candidate to carry on with Uduaghan’s Delta Beyond Oil Project. Emetulu also comes with no baggage; a factor that distinguishes him from all other contenders to the Governorship of Delta state in 2015.

Above all, Emetulu’s comportment and refinement count for his candidacy. Emetulu’s humility is infectious and relates with people without reference to age, social status, religion and ethnicity. To many of those who have encountered the man, they often applaud his humility and ability to listen to people, irrespective of social status, religion and ethnicity.

“The delegates should, of course, vote for me. I am somebody who has been there, and who is in touch with our people no matter how lowly they are,” Emetulu said in a recent interview.

Emetulu is also a peacemaker, a critical factor for any candidate aspiring to govern Delta State with its composite ethnic groupings. “It is not worth it to fight one another because we want to govern Delta state; I don’t believe in that kind of politics,” Emetulu said.