Comrade Festus Ahon
By Jon Egie
Lately, the PDP in Delta State goofed when it celebrated the reaction of Sir Festus Ahon, Vanguard newspaper State Correspondent in Asaba and Chairman of INEC Press Crew (IPC) in Delta State, as an homegoal scored by the APC to the advantage of the PDP ahead of the 2023 governorship election.
The Ahon reaction was sequel to the listing of his name among members of the media committee of the Delta APC Governorship Campaign Council. Ahon had in his reaction to the inclusion of his name in the media team declined participating in the activities of the media campaign team of the guber candidate of the APC for the obvious reason, that he has been engaged, through nomination from the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Delta State Council; to be a member and indeed, became the Chairman of the IPC.
Presently, as an arrow head of one of the organs of the election umpire it would be irrational, unjust, lackluster and logically naive for him to accept such appointment bearing in mind that he now stands on a higher platform to serve the public interest unblemished by partisan bias.
Rather than give kudos to Ahon for his mature and objective decision to back out of the APC engagement for the sake of neutrality, transparency, and credibility to the outcome of the task ahead, the PDP chosed to celebrate his fair decision as an index of rejection of the APC guber candidate, ridicule and making a mockery of the APC Governorship Campaign Council.
It is public knowledge that Ahon enjoys warm friendly relationship with the PDP governorship candidate, Rt Hon Sheriff Oborevwori and a very close ally of the APC guber candidate, Obarisi Ovie Omo-Agege. Although it is difficult to say which side of the divide the pendulum would have swung had Ahon not taken up the IPC job, but it would be suffice to mention that Ahon had been the main media anchorman of Ovie Omo-Agege since the APC guber candidate delved into active partisan politics in Delta State.
As a professional journalist, he made his position clear on the subject matter and that did not imply any love lost between him and the APC guber candidate, Ovie Omo-Agege, and his action should not be seen as an attempt to curry additional favour on the already existing pleasant relationship between him and the PDP governorship candidate, Sheriff Oborevwori.
The NUJ has congratulated him on his appointment as Chairman of the IPC and pray for him to succeed in the task. The NUJ is proud of him and celebrate him for the wise decision he took in the face of the listing of his name in the APC Governorship Campaign Council but the PDP should not attempt to muddy the water by claiming undue advantage and roll out the drums to celebrate the situation as if an arm of Caesar has been cut off.
The Governorship media campaign team of the APC is loaded with very experienced media practitioners and the decline of Ahon to be on board really adds or removes nothing from the possible outcome of their performance in the long last. Indeed, Ahon now being a Constant, his absence results in a zero differential.
Once again, I want to congratulate Ahon on his IPC job and look forward to a very robust, useful and productive interaction between his crew in INEC and the media campaign team of the APC guber candidate.
BRAVO Comrade !
