Ethiope Federal Constituency: My People Are Not Getting Quality Representation, Igbakpa Laments

-Says He Wants To Re-enact The Feat He Achieved At The State Level

-…Promises ‘Digital Empowerment’ For Youths, Women

By Daniel Dafe

A frontline aspirant for the House of Representatives, Ethiope Federal Constituency, under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Hon. Ben Igbakpa, has said that his motive for joining the race is to enable him serve his people, saying that the constituency does not have quality representation in the Green Chambers.

Speaking to Oasis Magazine (OM), during an exclusive chat, he said: “We cannot afford to send idle, lazy and indolent people to the National Assembly and I believe that I am qualified, experienced and can represent our people better.”

He said: “I have come to serve and I believe that representation is about service. I have been there and I know what it takes. I just want to go and re-enact the feat that I have achieved at the state level.”

Speaking about his manifesto, he hinted that if given the mandate, he would focus on youth and women empowerment, and provide quality representation.

According to him, his empowerment would not be about buying grinding machines and motorcycles for the people, but promised what he described as ‘digital empowerment’, one he says should not be determined by the representative, but by the people.

He continued: “There should be a platform for feedback mechanism; people should do what they want to do. A good representative should have a committee in place that would discuss with the people on what they really want.

“The era of representatives induced empowerment is over. It should be the people determining what they want. Government should be about interaction and not you just come like a boss and invite everyone to one place, bring some television stations, invite the Governor who is a very busy man and you are giving out motorcycle.

“As far as I am concerned, motorcycle in certain parts of Delta State is outlawed and such empowerment is obsolete because the recipients will not be able to ride them. Sometimes they give out cutlasses as empowerment. Would they give that to their family members?”

To the delegates, he urged them not to just consider the money they can get from aspirants but vote during the primaries for those that can deliver empowerment to them and have what it takes to represent them.