The member representing Esan West, Esan Central and Igueben Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Hon. Marcus Onobun has faced a strong backlash from his constituency following his unguarded outburst at the floor of the Green Chambers on the state of security in Edo State.
Expressing strong dismay at his “unfounded, false and politically-motivated outburst”, in which he falsely accused Edo State Government of being overwhelmed by insecurity, members of his constituency in Edo Central threatened to begin his recall process over what they described as “playing politics with the lives and security of the people he was elected to represent”.
Describing Onobun as a “sleeping lawmaker” who has neither moved any motion on the floor of the Green Chamber nor contributed meaningfully to national discourse, they stressed that the lawmaker’s impact has not been felt by the constituency, leaving them disadvantaged and disconnected from happenings in Abuja.
An elder in Ekpoma, the home town of Onobun, Elder Eromosele Iyere said, “I watched with dismay, Hon. Onobun playing politics with serious issues of security in the House of Representatives. It was very shameful and disgusting that someone who claim to represent us will go that low.
“I am not a politician and I don’t care how they play their political games, but there should be a limit to these things. I would have expected the Lawmaker to liase with the state government in its concerted effort to curb criminal activities in the state, and not this show of shame I saw on display, yesterday. It is regrettable and it is highly condemnable”.
Also speaking in Irrua, Esan Central LGA of Edo State, Mr. Kester Isidahomen, a trader, lambasted the federal lawmaker, who he described as someone who is sleeping in Abuja while his mates and colleagues are delivering dividends of democracy to their constituencies.
Mr. Isidaahomen emphasized that the people of Esan West, Esan Central and Igueben Federal Constituency have even forgotten they have a representative at the House of Representatives as Onobun has failed woefully in his duties having failed to attract federal projects or execute any meaningful projects in the constituency.
Isidahomen said, “if not for this video in circulation yesterday, we have even forgotten there is someone called Marcus Onobun representing us in Abuja. A man that has no single motion to his name or any project to show for the number of years he has spent in Abuja.
“Look at Uromi and see what Hon. Odi Okojie is doing. Look at the projects and empowerment going on massively in that constituency and they say we have someone there too. We don’t have. Hon. Marcus Onobun was a big mistake and if care if not taken, we will mobilize our constituency to recall him. You can’t be sleeping in Abuja and suddenly wake up to antagonize the governor that is making serious effort to bring relief and respite to our people. We won’t allow that”, he concluded.
In Igueben, several respondents while expressing dissatisfaction with Onobun for his lackluster outing at the House of Representatives since he was elected called on stakeholders in the constituency to immediately begin a motion or move to have the sleeping lawmaker recalled saying, “let him return home so he can continue his sleep in his father’s house. We need someone in Abuja who is active and understands what the issues are”.
The respondents, however , commended the effort by Governor Monday Okpebholo to checkmate insecurity in the Constituency in particular and Edo State in general, noting that such efforts are yielding results as many criminals have been rounded up and handed over to the police.
They noted that the signing into law of the state’s anti-kidnapping bill and subsequent demolition of buildings used to house kidnap victims signal the determination of the governor to take the war to kidnappers and dislodge them.
They asserted that this intentional approach was yielding the expected outcomes as some suspected kidnappers have been arrested by the state police command.
They urged the governor to continue in his fight against insecurity, avoid distractions from disgruntled and failed politicians like Hon. Marcus Onobun while assuring him of the people’s full support in his fight to make Edo State safe and secured for all.
