Politics is about track record. It is about who has done it before and can do it again.
There are men who go to Abuja and become statistics. Other men go there and become standards. *Rt Hon Chief (Dr) Benson Rollands Igkpakpa (PhD)* is the latter.
There was a time when Ethiope Federal Constituency spoke loud and clear and her voice reverberated across the globe. Not anymore. That voice has been extinguished.
It is on this premise that we, the Concerned Ethiope Federal Constituents, make this clarion call requesting Rt Hon Ben Igkpakpa to throw his hat into the ring and return to the House of Representatives immediately. His constituents are calling, and history is demanding it.
*Thrown Out, Not Beaten: The Politics of ‘Pull Him Down’*
Let the record be clear. Rt Hon Ben Igkpakpa was thrown out of the National Assembly for no just cause. Not for poor performance. Not for incompetence. He was a victim of the “pull him down” syndrome and the politics of parochial stomach infrastructure that has crippled merit in our country.
When you remove a performing lawmaker, you don’t hurt the man — you hurt the people. Since his exit, Ethiope Federal Constituency has lost her voice.
*Four Years of Impact: The Igkpakpa Record in the 9th Assembly*
In just four years, Rt Hon Ben Igkpakpa set a standard that first-time legislators study. He was vibrant, prepared, and relentless for Ethiope.
*1. Legislative Achievements: Bills Sponsored*
Reports noted him as an active lawmaker, sponsoring or co-sponsoring over thirteen (13) bills in eighteen (18) months. Among his key legislative interventions:
- *University of Education, Isiokolo Bill* – A landmark bill to establish a Federal University of Education in Isiokolo, Ethiope East LGA, to deepen teacher training and educational access for the entire Delta Central. The bill scaled critical readings and brought national attention to Ethiope’s educational needs.
- *Federal Medical Centre, Oghara Upgrade Bill* – Pushed for the upgrade and increased federal funding of FMC Oghara to serve as a specialist referral hub for Delta and Edo States.
- *Eku-Abraka-Agbor Road Dualization Bill* – To compel federal intervention on the deplorable federal road that cuts through Ethiope East and West.
- *Youth Enterprise Development Fund (Amendment) Bill* – To prioritize oil-producing communities in federal SME grants and training.
- *Agricultural Processing Zones Bill* – For the establishment of agro-industrial hubs in Ethiope’s agrarian belts of Jesse, Mosogar, and Abraka.
- *Ethiope River Basin Development Authority Bill* – To tackle perennial flooding and harness the river for irrigation and water transport.
- *Federal Institute of Aviation Engineering and Technology, Oghara* – To position Ethiope as a technical hub for Nigeria’s aviation sector. And many more.
*2. Oversight & Committee Leadership*
Rt Hon Igkpakpa did not sit on the sidelines. He was entrusted with responsibilities because the leadership of the 9th Assembly recognized his political sagacity:
- *Chairman, House Committee on Host Communities Development* – Where he led oversight to NDDC, Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs, and oil multinationals to enforce compliance with community obligations to Ethiope and other oil-bearing constituencies.
- *Co-Chairman, Ad-hoc Committee on Federal Roads in the South-South* – He brought the deplorable state of Ethiope’s federal roads to national television during investigative hearings.
- *Member, Committees on Appropriations, Education, and Petroleum Upstream* – Positions he used to attract projects and defend Ethiope’s budgetary interests.
His oversight visits forced contractors back to abandoned sites in Ethiope. His motions of urgent public importance on flooding, herdsmen attacks, and youth unemployment compelled executive actions.
*3. Constituency Development*
Through strategic lobbying, he attracted: classroom blocks in fourteen (14) primary schools, solar-powered boreholes across nine (9) wards, rural electrification in Oruarivie-Abraka and Idjerhe, health center upgrades in Jesse and Mosogar, and over four hundred (400) direct federal jobs for Ethiope youths.
*Loved by Leadership, Celebrated by OrderPaper*
His bridge-building and legislative depth earned him the respect of all Principal Officers of the 9th Assembly. He was not a rebel — he was a result. He was not a loner — he was a leader.
That national recognition culminated in his naming as one of the *“Top 10 Representatives” in the 9th National Assembly by OrderPaper Nigeria* — a feat yet to never attained by any first-time legislator in the history of lawmaking in Nigeria.
*The Call Is Clear: There Is No Going Back*
Today, Ethiope that once spoke loudly has had its voice extinguished. Federal projects have dried up. Our bills are gathering dust. Our people are asking: “Where is our voice?”
The answer is Rt Hon Ben Igkpakpa.
He has been to Abuja. He knows the way. He has the contacts. He has the ranking, the respect, and he is results oriented.
The constituency is united. From Ethiope East to Ethiope West, the message is one and the same: *“Ben, run… Return to Abuja.”*
This is not about ambition. It is about restoration. It is about justice. It is about giving Ethiope Federal Constituency the ranking voice it once had and deserved.
We must say that we are not unmindful of the rotational arrangement in the hitherto.
THE ROTATIONAL ARRANGEMENT
In Ethiope Federal Constituency there had been a rotational arrangement of two tenure each between Ethiope East and Ethiope West. This arrangement started with Ethiope East by Rt. Hon Akpodiogaga Sunny Emeyese and culminated with Hon Lovette Edisi’s tenure.
The turn of Ethiope West began with Rt. Hon Ben Roland Igbakpa. Hon Ben Igbakpa was running for second tenure to complete the turn of Ethiope West when he was unjustly forced out of the race with a flimsy reason of one person per tenure against the quality performance and good representation that Rt. Hon Ben Igbakpa was renowned.
Hon Erhiatake Ibori Suenu was elected to complete the remaining one tenure of Ethiope West.
In 2027 the tenure is supposed to rotate back to Ethiope East as expectation was rife for Ethiope Federal Constituency to have the Senate. There would have been no doubt about Ethiope West to have the Senate, because Ethiope East can not have both the Senate and the House of Representatives at the same time. Now that the lot fell on Okpe for the Senate The turn of Ethiope East to have the House of Representatives has been truncated by the characteristics of the present political demands of the Party (APC) leadership undermining the principle of rotation.
At this crucial juncture we are calling on Rt. Hon Ben Roland Igbakpa (PhD) as a season Politician with a distinguished legislative experience to run for the House of Representatives so as to return for the second tenure. As justice demands if Ethiope West must return anybody it must be Rt. Hon Ben Roland Igbakpa for fairness and to settle the injustice for total unification of the political class in the Ethiope West local Government Area.
We have set in motion all political machinery for Rt. Hon Ben Igbakpa’s declaration of interest to run for the House of Representatives.
*Ethiope Federal Constituency must excel. The time is now. There is no going back.*
*Signed:*
*Concerned Ethiope Federal Constituents*(CEFC)
CONTACTS:
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