By Dr. Oto’ Drama, Ph.D,
There is a particular stench that accompanies the decay of an intellectual legacy. It is the smell of desperation, of a man who has traded the toga of a scholar for the brass knuckles of a political gangster.
Julius Ihonvbere, the outgoing representative of Owan Federal Constituency, has entered his Departure Hall of Infamy. Yet, rather than exiting with the dignity of a retired academic, he is clawing at the doorframes, attempting to subvert the very equity that gave him life in 2018.
The central pillar of Ihonvbere’s current third-term gambit is a lie so hollow it echoes across the Niger. He has begun banding around the fraudulent narrative that his return to Abuja is a prerequisite for Owan to clinch the Speakership of the National Assembly.
Let us puncture this balloon of falsehood with the needle of reality:
The APC’s zoning arrangement is a matter of public record, not a scholar’s fantasy. The Speakership remains firmly rooted in North-Central Nigeria, while the Senate Presidency resides in the South-South—the very region Ihonvbere calls home.
To suggest that the party would double-down on both high-ranking legislative heads in one zone is not just wishful thinking; it is a deliberate, monetized attempt to swindle the Owan electorate. It is the classic “Obasanjo-style” deception, reimagined for a man who has clearly learned the wrong lessons from history.
For three agonizing years, Ihonvbere has treated his constituency like a leper colony. He refused to visit, refused to listen, and refused to lead. Now, as the 2027 horizon nears, this defoliated Iroko—once a symbol of intellectual shade—has suddenly found the road back to Owan, paved with the gangsterous monetization of poverty.
He comes through the back door, clutching a bag of third-term delirium, while denying the Gentleman’s Agreement of rotation that is the bedrock of our communal peace. In 2015 and 2018, Ihonvbere was the primary beneficiary of equity; in 2026, he isn’t primary executioner.
The tragedy of the African “Scholar-Dictator” is his inability to read the clock. Ihonvbere seems determined to become the Paul Biya of Owan Land, an entrenched relic who believes that “Ranking Member” status is a title of nobility rather than a temporary loan of power from the people.
To suggest that in the entire Owan East, there is no soul “competent” enough to take the mantle is the ultimate insult. It is a primitive attempt to reduce a proud, diverse constituency to a conquered colony under the boot of a single family’s ambition.
The atmosphere has shifted. The celebrations breaking out in Owan East are not just for a new candidate; they are for the restoration of Dignity. The people are tired of the “Sikpogho” bird—the loquacious bird that thinks the forest belongs to its voice alone.
You cannot build a durable future on a foundation of broken promises. You cannot buy a third-term with the proceeds of three years of neglect. You cannot manufacture a “Speakership” out of thin air to hide your record of 7/100 performance.
The 8-year covenant is sacrosanct. Equity is not a suggestion; it is a mandate. It is time to pack your bags and exit the stage before the ovation turns into a riot of rejection. Owan is moving forward, with or without its faded pen professor.
The rotation is sacred. The honour is due. The door is open.
_Dr. Drama, PhD Counterterrorism contributed this piece via: Nigeriandrama@gmail.com_