Tijani Adeyemi – Abuja
The member-elect for Ado/Okpokwu/Ogbadibo Federal Constituency, Chief Philip Agbese has assured Nigerians of robust representation and innovative legislation that will stand out in the annals of lawmaking in Nigeria when the 10th National Assembly is proclaimed.
Agbese, who spoke in Abuja on Wednesday after receiving his Certificate of Return from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Abuja, urged the people of Ado/Okpokwu/Ogbadibo Federal Constituency, Benue, to step up their engagement with him saying he expects more people to interact with him now that the issue of party politics has to be put behind them.
He said, “The Certificate of Return that INEC gave me today is for the entire Ado/Okpokwu/Ogbadibo Federal Constituency across party lines. The representation I am going to the House of Representatives to pursue is for them and they are all welcome to pitch in their ideas and contributions on how best to move the constituency forward.”
The United Kingdom-trained lawyer promised to strike a balance that will ensure that the needs of the constituency are addressed while at the same time making their position on national matters known.
According to the activist, the 10th National Assembly will need to innovate to take on emerging challenges that can no longer be addressed using methods that have not worked in the past.
He said, “A lot has changed since the return to civil rule in 1999, technology has advanced, and we are now talking about the fourth industrial revolution, big data, and mammoth tech corporations in need of urgent oversight to ensure Nigerians are not shortchanged. These are areas in which we should extend legislation and oversight and I am committed to seeing a lot of work done in this regard.
“There has also been a global movement towards new directions in the expression of personal rights, some of which raises cultural and ethical questions while there are components of these that can be described as global best practices. These are areas that we must begin to pay greater attention to when the House is proclaimed,” he stated.
Agbese, who is also a digital media expert, won the election on the platform of the All Progressive Congress (APC) after polling 19,083 votes to beat Aida Nath of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), who got 15,202 ahead of the Labour Party candidate, Ralph Otobo who got 14,960 votes.
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