Senator Ekwunife Must Return: Anambra Central Deserves Experience, Capacity, Results
Politics should not be reduced to gossip, cho-cho-cho, propaganda, or the ability to make the loudest noise in the room.
In a democracy, the more important question is simple: Who has the experience, capacity, courage and track record to represent the people effectively?
That is why the case for Senator Uche Ekwunife to return to the Senate to represent Anambra Central deserves serious consideration.
Onye ma olu, nwe olu, the person who knows the work should have a voice.
Ekwunife is not approaching Anambra Central as a political beginner.
She is a tested legislator with years of experience at the federal level.
She served in the House of Representatives from 2007 to 2015 and subsequently represented Anambra Central in the Senate from 2019 to 2023. That experience matters.
Representation is not simply about occupying a seat in Abuja, appearing at political gatherings, or carrying the title of “Distinguished Senator.”
Effective representation requires an understanding of parliamentary procedure, legislative strategy, oversight, budgeting, constituency engagement and the ability to build relationships across political divides.
Ekwunife has already acquired that institutional knowledge.
During her time in the Senate, she chaired the Committee on Science, Technology and Innovation and served in other important legislative capacities.
Her experience also extended beyond the chamber, as she became involved in constituency-focused interventions and community development initiatives aimed at addressing some of the needs of the people she represented.
For Anambra Central, this experience should not be dismissed lightly.
The strongest case for Ekwunife should not be built on slogans alone. It should be built on what she has done and what she is capable of doing.
As a federal legislator, she was involved in the legislative process on issues affecting education, infrastructure, economic development, technology and the wider interests of her constituents.
Her supporters have consistently pointed to constituency projects and interventions across communities in Anambra Central as part of her record of service.
And this is where political debate should begin.
What projects did she attract? What communities benefited? What legislative interventions did she support? What opportunities did her office create? What institutions did she influence?
The people of Anambra Central deserve politicians who can put their records on the table and allow those records to be compared.
Ekwunife has the advantage of having a record that can be examined.
Experience Is Not a Slogan
There is a tendency in Nigerian politics to treat experience as though it were irrelevant. It is not.
The Senate is a complex institution. Effective lawmaking requires more than intelligence or popularity. It requires familiarity with legislative procedures, committee work, negotiations, policy formulation, oversight and the sometimes complicated relationship between the legislature and the executive.
A first-time senator may eventually acquire these skills, but an experienced legislator already understands the terrain.
Anambra Central does not need representation that begins with four years of learning the mechanics of the institution.
It needs someone who can enter the National Assembly with a clear understanding of how to navigate the system and pursue the interests of the constituency from day one.
That is one of Ekwunife’s strongest advantages.
She knows the National Assembly.
She understands committee politics.
She understands constituency representation.
She understands federal institutions.
And, importantly, she understands the political terrain of Anambra Central.
She has been tested,and she has remained standing,
Perhaps another defining feature of Ekwunife’s political career is resilience.
She has experienced political victories and defeats. She has faced fierce opposition, political reversals and legal battles. Yet she has repeatedly returned to the political arena.
In 2019, she defeated Victor Umeh to reclaim the Anambra Central Senate seat.
One may disagree with Ekwunife politically. One may question particular decisions she has made. But it is difficult to deny that she has demonstrated considerable political stamina.
A legislator representing a constituency as politically sophisticated and competitive as Anambra Central must be capable of surviving pressure, negotiating difficult political terrain and continuing to pursue the interests of the people despite setbacks.
Ekwunife has demonstrated that quality and Why Anambra Central Should Consider her again.
The argument for another Ekwunife candidacy should not be that she is entitled to the seat.
No politician is entitled to a democratic mandate.
The people own the mandate.
The better argument is that Ekwunife has earned the right to present herself to the electorate again and ask them to assess her record, experience and capacity.
And if she does, voters should ask every candidate the same questions:
What have you done?
What can you still do?
What is your legislative agenda?
What will you do differently?
And why should Anambra Central trust you with another mandate?
Those are fair questions.
But it is equally fair for those who believe in Ekwunife’s record to argue that she has the experience, legislative exposure and political capacity necessary to deliver effective representation.
Anambra Central Needs a Legislator, Not Just a Politician.
There is an important difference between being politically popular and being legislatively effective.
A senator is first and foremost a lawmaker.
The job requires participation in legislation, policy debates, committee work, oversight of government agencies and advocacy for constituents.
It also requires the ability to translate the concerns of ordinary people into issues that receive attention at the national level.
This is where Ekwunife’s experience becomes particularly relevant.
Having served in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, she has experienced the legislative process from different perspectives.
She knows that government does not respond merely to shouting.
Government responds to strategy, persistence, relationships, legislation and effective advocacy.
That is the kind of experience Anambra Central should value.
Her constituency record should be part of the conversation.
As Ekwunife seeks the seat again, her supporters should not merely tell voters that she is experienced. They should demonstrate that experience through specifics.
They should identify the communities that benefited from her constituency interventions, the projects and programmes associated with her representation, the legislative initiatives she sponsored or supported, and the people whose lives were positively affected.
That is the proper way to defend a political record.
The argument should be:
Here is what she inherited.
Here is what she achieved.
Here is what she contributed.
Here is what remains unfinished.
And here is what she intends to do next.
That is stronger than propaganda.
That is stronger than personal attacks.
And that is how mature political campaigns should be conducted.
Politics should be about capacity.
There will certainly be objections.
Critics will argue that her time has passed. Others will raise controversies from her political career. Some will insist that it is time for new faces.
Those arguments are legitimate in a democracy.
But the existence of criticism does not automatically erase experience, just as political ambition does not automatically create competence.
The question should therefore be neither “Who is the loudest?” nor “Who has the most supporters on social media?”
The question should be:
Who can deliver?
Anambra Central deserves a representative who can speak confidently on the floor of the Senate, engage government institutions, influence legislation, attract meaningful interventions and defend the interests of the constituency.
Ekwunife believes she can do that better than her opponents and she is making the case.
And if her opponents believe otherwise, they should make their own case.
Let the people compare the records.
Ekwunife should go again,not because she is perfect, not because she is beyond criticism, and certainly not because anybody owns Anambra Central.
She should go again because experience is an asset, legislative competence is an asset, resilience is an asset, and a proven understanding of the National Assembly is an asset.
She has served.
She has competed.
She has won.
She has lost.
She has returned.
And she has accumulated the institutional knowledge that comes from years of legislative service.
In an era when political noise is too often mistaken for political capacity, Anambra Central should be willing to distinguish between the two.
The choice should ultimately belong to the people.
But those of us who believe that experience, competence, results and resilience matter should have no hesitation in making the argument that
Uche Ekwunife should go again.
Not because she is entitled to victory.
Not because she is above scrutiny.
But because she has a record to defend, experience to offer, and a legitimate case to make to the people of Anambra Central.
Onye ma olu, nwe olu.
When the job requires competence, let competence speak.
When the job requires experience, let experience speak.
When the job requires resilience, let resilience speak.
And when democracy requires a final decision, let the people speak.
Anambra Central deserves a choice based on substance, capacity and results,not noise.
And Uche Ekwunife deserves the opportunity to make her case to the electorate once again.
