By Chidipeters Okorie
The Integrity Group of Nigeria, Delta State Chapter, has declared its support for the return of Rt. Hon. Ndudi Elumelu to the House of Representatives, describing the former Minority Leader as the best option for effective representation of Aniocha-Oshimili Federal Constituency in 2027.
Speaking on the group’s position, its Delta State Chairman, Dr Martin Nwachukwu Bolum, said the decision was based on Elumelu’s experience, previous constituency projects and what he described as his demonstrated capacity to attract federal development to communities across the constituency.
Bolum said the group was convinced that Elumelu’s return would provide Aniocha-Oshimili with a representative who already understands the workings of the National Assembly and the needs of the people. According to him, Elumelu’s record as a former member of the House provides voters with something concrete to assess ahead of the 2027 election.
“We are supporting Ndudi Elumelu because of his record, experience and capacity. He has represented this constituency before, and the evidence of that representation can be seen in communities across the four local government areas,” Bolum said.
He listed roads, electricity projects, water schemes, healthcare facilities, ICT centres, vocational centres, town halls, civic centres, drainage projects and other community infrastructure among the interventions associated with Elumelu’s years in the National Assembly.
Bolum said the spread of the projects was particularly significant because they covered Aniocha North, Aniocha South, Oshimili North and Oshimili South. He cited projects at Onicha-Uku, Obior, Ogwashi-Uku, Ewulu, Ejeme, Ubulu-Uku, Ubulu-Unor, Akukwu-Igbo, Ebu, Ibusa, Idumuje-Unor, Idumuje-Ugboko and other communities.
“From roads to electricity, from healthcare to ICT, from vocational training to community halls, there is a record of interventions that touched different aspects of life in the constituency,” he said.
According to Bolum, one of the strongest arguments for Elumelu’s return is his experience in federal politics. Elumelu served in the House of Representatives and subsequently became Minority Leader of the ninth National Assembly, a position that placed him among the principal political leaders of the House.
Bolum said the experience would be valuable to the constituency. “Representation at the federal level requires more than making speeches during elections. It requires understanding the budget process, legislation, oversight and how to engage federal ministries and agencies to attract development to the constituency,” he said.
He added that Elumelu had already demonstrated knowledge of those processes. The group chairman also highlighted projects aimed at youth development, particularly ICT and vocational facilities.
“Today, we cannot talk about constituency development without talking about young people,” Bolum said. “The provision of ICT centres and vocational facilities gives our young people opportunities to acquire skills, develop businesses and participate in the digital economy.”
He said the group would use Elumelu’s project record as a major part of its mobilisation ahead of the election.
“We will take the record to the people. We will identify the projects and the communities where they are located. We want the people themselves to see and assess what was done,” he said.
Bolum said the organisation would not base its campaign solely on political rhetoric. “We are going to campaign on what people can verify. We believe voters should compare the records of all the candidates and decide who has demonstrated the capacity to represent them effectively,” he said.
He also stressed that constituency projects facilitated by legislators should be correctly described. According to him, legislators facilitate projects through the federal budget, while government ministries, departments and agencies are responsible for implementation.
“What a legislator does is identify the needs of the people, facilitate their inclusion in the federal budget and provide oversight to ensure that the projects are implemented,” he explained. Bolum described this process as an important part of effective federal representation.
He said the organisation’s support for Elumelu was therefore based on what he called a combination of experience, legislative competence, constituency knowledge and development record.
“Ndudi Elumelu knows the constituency. He understands the National Assembly. He understands the federal system, and he has a record of constituency interventions that people can examine,” he said.
Bolum further lamented what he described as the diminishing voice of Aniocha-Oshimili in the Green Chamber over the past three years. He said that, for three years now, the voice of the constituency had not been as strong or as audible in the flow of proceedings and national discourse in the House of Representatives as it was when Elumelu was there. According to him, during Elumelu’s tenure, the constituency had a representative whose voice was heard and whose presence was felt in the affairs of the Green Chamber. He alleged that, in the past three years and more, no meaningful constituency projects had been attracted to Aniocha-Oshimili and that there had also been no reasonable legislative bills capable of making a significant impact on the lives of the people. “For the past three years plus, the people of Aniocha-Oshimili have not heard the kind of strong voice they used to hear in the Green Chamber when Ndudi Elumelu was there. We have also not seen meaningful constituency projects or reasonable bills that speak directly to the needs and aspirations of our people,” he said.
The chairman said the group was confident that Elumelu could build on his previous experience if returned to the House in 2027. “We are not saying that politics should be about empty promises. We are saying that voters should look at the record before making a decision,” he said.
He urged residents of Aniocha-Oshimili to examine the projects associated with Elumelu’s representation and compare them with the records of other aspirants.
“Let the people ask: What has each candidate done? What experience does each candidate have? What can each candidate realistically deliver? When you ask those questions, you will understand why we are supporting Ndudi Elumelu,” Bolum said.
He maintained that Elumelu’s previous position as Minority Leader also demonstrated his ability to operate at the highest levels of legislative politics. “That kind of experience is not something you acquire overnight,” he said. “It gives the constituency an advantage because you are sending someone who already understands the system.”
Bolum further pointed to community infrastructure projects as evidence of Elumelu’s attention to grassroots development. Among the reported interventions are an ICT centre and civic centre at Ogwashi-Uku, town halls at Ewulu and Ejeme, a civic centre at Ubulu-Uku, a vocational centre at Ubulu-Unor, road and drainage projects, healthcare interventions and solar street-light projects.
He said such interventions demonstrated that Elumelu’s representation had not been restricted to one sector. “The record cuts across infrastructure, education, technology, health, electricity and community development,” Bolum said.
As the 2027 election draws closer, the Integrity Group chairman said his organisation would continue to mobilise support for Elumelu. “We believe Aniocha-Oshimili deserves effective representation. We believe Ndudi Elumelu has demonstrated that capacity, and we are therefore supporting his return to the House of Representatives,” he said.
Bolum called on supporters to remain focused on issues and the candidate’s record. “We will not tell people to support him simply because we say he is the best. We will show them the record and allow them to judge,” he said.
He concluded: “Our message is simple: look at the record, look at the experience and look at what can be verified. We believe Ndudi Elumelu remains the strongest choice for Aniocha-Oshimili Federal Constituency in 2027.”