In this exclusive interview with the West African Pilot News, the honourable member of Anambra State House of Assembly representing Orumba North constituency, Hon. Paul Obu, said that the people must be empowered. Elected nearly two years ago on the platform of the Labour Party, Hon. Paul Obu was the only Labour Party candidate who won an election in the whole of Anambra South senatorial zone in 2023. Reflecting on the journey, Hon. Obu bared it all in this conversation. He pointed out that he spent over a year in court, moving from the election petition tribunal to appeal, where he emerged victorious in both courts but was left with scares of time lost and resources wasted. In 2023, Hon. Paul Obu’s victory was challenged by Hon. Emeka Aforka of APGA, who wanted to return to the House of Assembly for a second term.
Responding to how he would rate his performance so far as a House of Assembly member, Hon. Paul Obu said that despite the time and resources wasted in tribunal and appeal, he is still convinced that he has given a good account of himself as a state lawmaker in almost two years. “Well, I will not rate my performance by myself because I will give myself 100%. But the people out there can rate me and do it better than I can rate myself. But then, my work speaks for me. I can tell you without any fear or favour, the things I believe can also answer that question. First, I know that when I assumed office, there were a lot of litigations that took over a year out of the four-year tenure I was supposed to do. After the litigation, I was petitioned to the tribunal which took about six months. After the victory, I was also petitioned to appeal. Litigation took over a year out of my almost two years now in office,” Hon. Obu said.
Despite the drawbacks of the court processes, Hon. Obu was confident that he had given a good account of himself. “I can tell you things that I have done which I believe number one to be empowerment. This is because of the prevailing economic situation. I did a very big empowerment programme where I empowered the youths of Orumba North constituency with no fewer than 30 generator sets for small-scale business owners. I gave out sewing machines numbering about 20, and also gave out grinders and gas cookers. There is also a monetary part of the empowerment. I also shared over 700 bags of rice”, Hon. Paul Obu said. Speaking on the essence of these empowerment programmes, Obu said it was to enable his constituents to meet their basic needs. “This was to enable my constituents who benefitted from it to put food on their table and meet their other basic needs”.
Last year, Hon. Paul Obu conducted a health outreach with medical professionals from the United States who visited four local government areas in Anambra State and also conducted some refresher training for young health professionals in Anambra State. The medical team visited Orumba North and Orumba South, Akweze in Anaocha, and Umuoji in Idemili North local government areas. “The medical outreach lasted up to seven days and the training for medical practitioners held at the SSG hall in Government House was free of charge. The health outreach turned out a very huge success,” Obu reiterated.
Yet, that is not all. Last December, Hon. Obu embarked on another empowerment for at least 90 youths of his constituency whom he empowered with a business capital of fifty thousand Naira. “At least 90 youths in my constituency were empowered with a seed capital of N50,000 and POS machine. Then by this coming April, I am doing another empowerment. This time, I will be giving out some keke, among others. So, you can see, I am not doing badly,” he enthused.
Commenting on his expectation and if the stress of coming to the House of Assembly, having gone through over a yearlong litigation, is worth it, Hon. Obu responded with grace, affirming that no hurdle is too much to navigate to serve. “Like Obama said when he was asked a similar question, he told Americans that he drafted himself into this. So, I drafted myself into this, and therefore, I do not have any complaints. I knew from the beginning that I would encounter such a ridiculous court process. But I have the passion to serve, I was not forced into it. So, I am motivated by the passion to serve. However, mind you, you will never satisfy everybody at the same time. Some will speak good, some will run you down, but it’s better to have a good account of your service because, at the end of the day, seeing is believing,” Mr. Paul Obu said.
When asked about his experience so far in the House of Assembly compared to his expectations, Hon. Obu said, “There is no home that is complete.” he went on to affirm that every institution is a work in progress. According to Hon. Obu, “This is my first experience in the House of Assembly. I cannot judge fully now till the end of the lifespan of this Assembly,” Hon. Paul Obu submitted.
Ebuka graduated with a second-class upper-division degree in Political Science from the University of Calabar in Nigeria. He furthered his education by obtaining a Master's Degree in Political Science with a specialization in Government and Development Studies from Nnamdi Azikiwe University in Awka, Nigeria. His academic background and professional experience have equipped him with a deep understanding of political dynamics and governance issues.
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