o you know why I asked him if he knew Marcus Olega and Odenigwe?"

"No, uncle," I said, a bit confused.

"Remember, I told you, we will meet all kains (kinds) of people as this campaign progressing (progresses).

"Yes, I remember."

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"Here's one of them." (Reeling in loud laughter) "Chief Olega told me about this man. He is a charlatan. He is a duper. Thank goodness I was here today. You will see what will happens (happen) when he comes back tomorrow.

"He sounds real and convincing. I was beginning to take him…"

"He will table requests, like money to buy goat, for transportation to Abomey in Dahomey (Republic of Benin) and money for this and that rituals."

"Uncle, you mean…"

" He will talks about the old man on whose behalf he works. That's how he makes his money. Poelitics is deep. Tomorrow, you could see him at senator's place. Wait until he gets back tomorrow. You will see. D o c u t u r… Joe …(still reeling in laughter.)"

"Back to our discussions before Dr. Joe and the Ward Chair came in."

"Yes, I was saying that the Senator is a very greedy man. Aside from building mansions for himself, he is not a performing senator. Look at all the contraats (contracts) that have his finger prints. The Okigwe Regional Water project, the Okigwe, old Umuahia road; look at the road that pass through Anara to Isiala Mbano Headquarters."

"Death traps."

"Looks at the new water schemes meant for Mbano. He is building it in front of his home at Isi-eke."

"Why?" "See how he almos (almost) single handedly made Isi-eke the Headquarters of the new Isiala Mbano LGA. Before him, no body knew Isi-eke. But unknown Isi-eke town and their peoples have become the poelitical headquarters of this land. It will not happen."

"Honestly, who heard of Isi-eke until recently?"

"Ask me. Why should he builds that road from Okohia through his village to Umuduru. Why?. Starting all forms of projects that will end always half ways. None of them has been completed. Those completed are suddenly in dilapidated and prostate condition. Even the road contraat (contract) which he awarded to his company has not performed well. The Okigwe-Amuro-Umuna road. A road built six months ago by his contraators has begun to peel. Is it fair? I understands (understand) that some poeliticians make money through contraat award, but that of our senator has taken a new dimensions. Contraat awards without performance."

"Are there no checks in this land to measure performance by contractors?"

"For where? It is how the PDP government from Abuja to the LGA level rewards themselves. That's why five years into civilian rule, Nigeria is worse of now than when Abacha was there. Nothing works in a land that has earned numerous (enormous) amount of money from petroleum.

You know how much oil price is today. I saw it on television las (last) night that oil has reached 40 dollars a barrel. I heared one senator from Delta state says it the other day. That Nigeria esport (export) of crude oil is almos (almost) two million barrels each day. If you multiply that by 40 dollars per barrel, you get real money in this land. Imagine, the works minister who incidentally is, the senator's brother said he spent 300 billion naira on road rehabilitation.

"We drove past the Shagamu Benin Road. It was horrible. How does the Minister visit Benin, his home town?"

"By air of course. No body has seen any road, not to talk of rehabilitation. The senator may be imitating his uncle. If that one does it without consequentials (consequences) why shouldn't our senator does (do) it. The difference is that the senator can't avoid driving on these bad roads like his uncle will. We will make time to go see the senator. We must see him. Poelitics is not all fight."

"From what you have said, it will have no effect. Do you still sincerely and honestly think seeing him is important at this stage?"

"Yes. It is important. Being the senator, he is at the head of all elected positions in Okigwe Senatorial distric (district). If we do not pay him his due respects, he may defeat us in the court of public opinions. He will tell people that you disregarded him when you wanted to run. Besides, who know, you and the senator may end up in one party tomorrow. I hears he is keeping his other political eye on your party. Yes on APUGA."

"Do public opinions count here? I don't see him pitching tent with APUGA. My party is more decent than the senator."

"Public opinion matter very much. A lot. Yes, I think they do. Only the stupid would think otherwise. Whatever is hot will one day cool down. No be so chinch talk? Senator can joins APUGA tomorrow. He may not. But one thing is certain, the senator cannot be there forever."

"You're right on that uncle, nothing lasts forever. No condition is permanent, said the sage."

"Abacha did not know he would be dead today, five years ago. We mus (must) go see the senator. Whatever you do either in poelitics or personal life, do not discountenances public opinion. And don't be rigid in poelitics. It is a bend, bend game, played well, well by people who know how to bend."

"Okay, uncle Sunny. If you said so. When should that be?"

"As soon as practicable. We do not have time on our hands. But I knows what he would say. You know he is a very smart poelitician. He would wish you well, but he will make it impossible for us to win. But to be honest, broda (brother), this campaign is going to be a Hercular (Herculean) task.

First, we comes from the same poelitical district (districtict) with the senator, nay, the same ward. Our ward cannot produced the senator and also produced a member of house of reps. That, poelitically speaking is not feasible. This is home truths. There are three LGAs in this distric (Onuimo and Okigwe and Isiala Mbano.) How can Isiala Mbano produced the senator as well as the Honorable member of the House of Reps? How are we going to defense (defend) this before the voting publics and the electionrate (electorate)."

"I knew this from the beginning. But we have an answer for them to those type of questions. First, I am not in the same political party with the senator. What if my political party has zoned the house of reps position to Isiala Mbano? It could be possible."

"I knows. That's a good point. You are learning fast."

"I have to learn or die, politically."

"But that is not how the people will sees it. The peoples will buys his sentiments more than ours. He is a good manipulator of the peoples. He has money and bags of rice. He has too many poelitical give-a-ways. He has sweet mouths. He is a smooth talker. If fair play is what all of us preach, it will be difficult for the electionrate (electorate) to vote for us, if he presses that point home."

"But we will not keep quiet to let him run all over us. We will tell the electorate who he truly is."

"Our only advantageous is that already, the peoples hate the PDP."

"You're talking uncle."

"They hate what that party stands for. There representatives everywhere seem to be criminals. From the dead one to the one living. They have not performed. And peoples are likely to ignore what ever sentiment he would bring on the poelitical table. The peoples hates the PDP, that's our strengths!"

"We will exploit that. Our other strength also, is that he cannot make that point too far and run with it. Governor Orji Uzor Kalu's brother is in the Federal House of Reps. His blood brother! Governor Nnamani's brother is a senator, his blood brother. President Olusegun Obasanjo's daughter is a commissioner in Ogun State. His daughter! Chief Ekweh who is the chairman of the PDP in this constituency has his brother as a serving commissioner. We can keep counting till thy kingdom comes. So you see, we will beat them on that turf if that be the only reason why he would ask people not to vote for us. We have a very strong case. Besides I have a very appealing manifesto."

"I have read your manifesto broda. (Uncle Sunny cutting in.) I wish our peoples understand good manifesto when they sees one."

"We will make them see it. We will break the contents down to their level of understanding. Translate it, put them in the papers and some times use the radio and television to talk to the people. We shall go to the market place, the motor parks, the streets, the town union meetings and we shall open our people's eyes to all the inequities perpetrated upon our people by the PDP. Their Peoples'…"

"Nwatakiri."

"We shall… We have to make the people sufficiently angry at the ruling click. The people must know all their shortcomings. All their shenanigans. The people must know how their mandates, have always been stolen and misused and most a times, abused. The people must be made to see the faces behind the masked shamelessness of these rogues in politicians' clothing. We must punch the cloven hoofs of these animals in human form. We must……"

"Any way, let's talk another aspect of my journey today. I've always said it, if the answer lies in grammar, we will be in Abuja tomorrow. Nigeria poelitics is not about grammar. That age is gones forever."

"Uncle, my manifesto says even more. All what I intend to achieve for the people. Use my international connections to attract good paying jobs into this constituency. Make sure contracts when awarded are executed to the letter. Make contractors sign undertakings so that they could be held responsible for shoddy jobs… and. Probe all former contracts awarded in this land. Introduce a good agriculture policy for the land and fight for the enactment of good security program for the land."

"I mean my visits today. First, I went to the tax office where I secured tax certificates for you for three years. Here they are. I paid almost 12, 000 naira to the boys. Four thousand Naira per year. If you had gone, it would have cost you more. The truths though, is that you may be exempt from these regulations of tax payments. As long as you pay your taxes in America, that's all you needs. But we must get this, in case. You never knows how our opponents may want to do us in."

"Thank you uncle Sunny."

"You know if we wins, there is the election petitiom (petition) tribunal where they would use any means to rob us."

"Thank God, we have the tax papers."

"I also went to the INEC office today. They have heared (heard) about you. One of thems said he read a lot about you in the newspapers. The other said it was his wife that saw you on TV and called his attention. That TV program went very fars. The senator will be shaking in his trousers now. You are a tiger. Iwu Dimkpa! You are formindable (formidable). We will show them. But these INEC boys, their mouths are being watered right now. Another cow to milk. You think the staffer's wife was watching the TV on the look out for nothings? One even asked to know when you will be stopping by…….and I."

"And do what? Did you read their facial expressions?"

"Going by what all of thems said, I think, they would want to be in our camp. But this thing called poelitics is slippery. What many peoples say is not what they do. They tell you only those which you want to hears. Only peoples who are closely related to you can tell you the real truth. But it appears, they are anxious to see you. One of them said he knew you from Unilag. That you were a student union activist. Is it is true?"

"Yes, I was a student union activist long ago. I ran for the office of Secretary General that was way, way back in …"

"They want to see you face to face. I booked appointment with thems for Thursday. We will go to see thems. But we must see the senator first. What have you eaten today?"

"Nothing uncle. But they are preparing some food."

"Never you leave home without foods (food). Always eat somethings. You will always be engaged in this things that you will surely, forget your foods. It is important. This things called poelitics is time consuming, exhausting. To leave home without foods could lead to serious sicknessess, particularly, sickness like ulcer…"

"Thank You uncle."

"It shall be well with all of us."