Reading The Mood Of Deltans, Labour Party Guber Candidate Picks Prof Julie Umukoro As Running Mate
The Oasis Reporters
August 2, 2022
By Greg Abolo
@gregabolo
@Theoasisreport1
Right on the heels of being chosen as Labour Party gubernatorial candidate in
Delta State, accomplished economist and investment banker, Mr. Kawhariebie Ken Pela hit the ground running by going out in search of a suitable running mate. His preference of a deputy would be one of the feminine gender.
By a coincidence, Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi is himself an advocate of women, coming out to take their place as equal stakeholders and partners towards the development of the nation.
The commemoration of International African Women's Day today, offers us an opportunity to collectively celebrate the great contributions of our women to family, society, development, peace and unity in Africa.
— Peter Obi (@PeterObi) July 31, 2022
Thus, when Fulbright scholar, Julie Nwabogo E. Umukoro, a Professor of Semiotics and Performance Studies at the University of Port Harcourt fired an open letter to Delta state governor, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa demanding that an Ndokwa woman be chosen as PDP deputy governorship candidate, Kawhariebie Ken Pela saw it and took notice.
The rest they say is history. He made up his mind to choose the professor as his running mate, knowing that the patriarchal party was not ready to smell the coffee of change and realize that the feminine gender in Delta state that constitute a significant percentage of the voting strength in the state were no longer ready to be pall rice, eaten only when there is no other choice.
Labour Party is tapping into the veritable agitation of women to take their place as equal partners in the Delta space.
Professor Julie Nwabogo Umukoro is coming to the table with an array of huge electoral assets to the Labour Party campaign.
She is the Ndokwa Women leader, under the aegis of the Women Wing, Ndokwa Neku Union (NNU).
In Professor Julie Nwabogo Umukoro, there’s no docility, as long as it concerns the welfare of women and children, which impacts positively on the menfolk who are household heads.
In her words through the historic letter to Governor Okowa:
“Today, we shun the path of docility, choosing rather to assert ourselves and our collective consciousness, through this letter, that we may articulate our views and vision clearly without any reservations.”
“As you well know, sir, women are more particular about peaceful interventions, because when men choose the path of war, we bear the brunt by becoming widows and/or losing our children to such a crisis.”
“Peace is important to us, because if we do not discourage non-peaceful paths of negotiations of our ideals, we unduly compromise and mortgage the future of our children and unborn generations.”
“Our dear Governor, it may interest you to know that the cry against the marginalisation of Ndokwa people in terms of infrastructure and human capital development is real.”
“However we, Ndokwa Women, are saying that we are even more marginalised in this regard, when we zero in on what your administration has done to uplift the image of the Ndokwa woman.”
“However, your Excellency sir, Ndokwa women wish to clearly state that your recently concluded election primaries, from all indications, are more phallocentric than not, as it did not look in the direction of projecting women, particularly in Ndokwa land.”
“This does not go down well with the Ndokwa woman, I must confide.”
“To correct this yawning gap, our agitation is for the slot of the Deputy Governor of the state, a paradigm currently operating in a good number of states in Nigeria today.”
“Ndokwa Women make bold to request this in good faith, that come 2023, a qualified Ndokwa Woman should be considered for the position of Deputy Governor of Delta State.”
Prof. Julie Nwabogo Umukoro hails from Ase in Ndokwa East Local Government Area of Delta State, Nigeria. She is a Professor of Semiotics and Performance Studies, University of Port Harcourt, Port Harcourt, Nigeria and has impacted upon many lives as lecturer, scholar, administrator, and head.
She is happily married to Professor Matthew M. Umukoro, a Professor of Media and Communication Studies, and they are blessed with children and grandchildren.
Written by Greg Abolo
gregabolo@gmail.com
