Group recommends Prof Etebu for ministerial or Sylva’s running mate position
By Amos Okioma
Some members of the All Progressives’ Congress (APC) in Bayelsa State are rooting for a female with a rich professional resume to occupy a choice Federal Ministry following the resignation of Chief Timipre Sylva, as Minister of State for Petroleum, to vie for the Bayelsa Guber race.
They say, having a core professional Engineer, such as Prof Ongoebi Maureen Orubide Etebu, who contested for the APC guber primaries, and came fourth out of the six aspirants, as ministerial nominee to represent Bayelsa State, puts her at a vantage position to be in charge of a choice Ministry such as Petroleum Resources, or Power, or Works and Infrastructure which are critical to the development of Bayelsa State and the Niger Delta at large.
They also averred that if that is not possible which they believe it is, nominating her as running mate to pair with the leader of the party, Chief Timipre Sylva, who has been declared winner to fly the party’s flag in the forthcoming November 11th, 2023 gubernatorial election, is also another viable option.
They maintained that Prof. Ongoebi Etebu exhibited commitment to the party ideals as restated by Sylva, that there was “no victor, no vanquished,” in the APC guber primary poll which held across the state over the weekend.
The members, under the aegis of the Concerned APC Women Forum (CAWF) expressed delight at the victory of Chief Sylva, a one-time governor of Bayelsa State and immediate past Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, as they stated that a female minister or deputy to Sylva, shall balance the APC ticket to enshrine gender equity and regard to professionalism in the party.
They recommended the name of Prof. Ongoebi Maureen Orubide Etebu, an indigene of Kaiama , who was one of the two female aspirants who vied for the governorship ticket at the party primary election and came fourth with over a thousand votes after David Lyon on the third position, beating two other contestants.
Leader of the group, Mrs Ebiarede Julius, stated that nominating a successful female academic, like Prof. Etebu, as Minister to represent Bayelsa in the forthcoming Federal Cabinet of the President-Elect, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, on May 29th, or as running mate with Sylva, shall not only give a sense of belonging to women in APC, but also give a clean face of trust and integrity to the the APC that shall go a long way to win votes for the party at the main elections.
“Let’s not forget in a hurry that it was the running mate that made APC lose at the Supreme court in 2019 after winning the main poll. The party needs a woman of integrity with clean academic records and profession career that shall not be a problem to the party at the courts or else where. Though I have not met Prof Etebu in person, one-on-one, but going by her profile in she is the best woman to be used as Ministerial representative for Bayelsa slot or as running mate.”
The CAWF helms woman hinted news hounds at the the APC party’s Secretariat in Yenagoa over the weekend just immediately after the primary results were announced with former Governor, and Leader of the Bayelsa APC, Chief Sylva as Winner.
Mrs Julius further reiterated that: “Being a core professional in engineering, she shall definitely get a choice Ministry being an academic and professor. She can be made the Minister of Petroleum and Natural Resources just as sylva was. Or as Works, or Power or Education Ministries. These are all super ministries to get to Bayelsa if she is given the opportunity. Rather than nominate a male politician with less profile that shall be given a low budget ministry of no relevance.
“Rotimi Amaechi’s nominee as Minister to replace him was of no relevance because he had no rich profile and was not a core professional in any strong discipline. He was therefore given a Ministerial Slot of state of a low budget ministry. And till date he is in significant to his state and the Niger Delta.
“Sylva should nominate Etebu as minister. She shall be appointed in a very useful and powerful ministry that shall benefit her people and Nigerians as a whole. That’s our take on supporting women in politics. And Prof. Etebu represents that ideal woman to be so honoured for more public service.” She stated.
Also, Mrs Juice maintained that: “As an indigene of Kolga in the Central Zone, where the incumbent hails from shall not only give the party more sympathy votes but also attract votes from the core-Ijaw stock of Ekeremor, Sagbama and Southern Ijaw including Yenagoa voters as she is generally known as “Jeus-Uge” – a woman of virtue with sincere fear of God to lead.”
You will recall that Professor Ongoebi Etebu had served as Pioneer Vice-Chancellor in the Federal Maritime University as well as being a former two-time Commissioner in Bayelsa State under the DSP Alamieyeseigha administration and was crucial to many legacy projects of that regime.
In her words in an earlier interview granted in the build up to the primary poll, she did state that “she is not new in politics!”
Many pundits believe that if Prof. Ongoebi Etebu is nominated as Minister to replace Sylva or as his running mate, the APC, the party can go to sleep with two eyes closed as the party shall rake in more votes to take-over Bayelsa State again come November 11th, 2023, same way the party did in 2019, before the Apex Court’s “Miracle” pronouncement that brought in the PDP which has performed below the bar, far less than anticipated!
The women group called on Sylva, the APC party standard bearer for the Guber poll, to as a matter of urgent urgency, take their message to heart and not nominate another male (from his own camp) so as not to be adjudged as being partisan and pecuniary as being bandied around already in
some aggrieved quarters.
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The concerned women also advocated choosing a female deputy with proven track record such as Prof. Etebu, that contested the primary and has already been checked, cleared and given a clean bill by the national screening committee of the party in Abuja as being fit to be on the joint ticket rather than introducing someone with unseen baggage that can jeopardized the party’s chances in the main election in November.
“Sylva is gender-friendly. He did it as Governor by appointing all council Chairpersons as women and we have confidence in his ability to do same again by giving us an APC Minister in Prof Etebu by her rich resume, or as a female Deputy Governor!” Mrs. Julius reiterated.
