By Terese Tse
The courtesy visit, which the family of Prof. Shadrach Kohol Iornem, the candidate of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) for Kwande/Ushongo Federal Constituency in the 2023 parliamentary election paid to Hon. Terseer Ugbor, the Kwande/Ushongo House of Representatives member’s elect family to congratulate him on his victory did not only demonstrate sportsmanship but represented a dramatic entertainment opportunity that was unparallel and worthy of emulation by seekers of elective positions at all levels.
The duo contested for the Kwande/Ushongo parliamentary seat under different political platforms but in reality, are ‘brothers’ who were born and raised in the same environment and shared the same circle of friends and acquaintances. So when the NNPP candidate, Prof. Kohol Iornem took the microphone to usher in the programme, he laid bare the filial relationship that existed between the two families.
“Not many people are aware that myself and Hon. Terseer Ugbor have been friends since childhood,” he enthused frantically. “In fact, we grew up together in Kaduna. His dad, Air Cmdr. Steve Ugbor (rtd) and my dad, Prof. David Iornem have been best of friends since 1964 till date. They were bunkmates at Government College, Kaduna.
“On many occasions on my campaign posts on Facebook, his father, Cmdr. Ugbor would said to me, ‘If it is not you, it should be Terseer. You are both my sons. Today, I went with my family to officially congratulate him and wish him well as he represents us. I counseled him to leave a legacy at the end of his tenure”.
In his response, Hon. Terseer Ugbor said, “Failure is not an option”. He also used same medium to advice others who are aspiring for political offices. “Election should not be taken as a do or die affairs but instead be seen as a game between brothers and sisters”.
He promised to tap from the wealth of experience and progressive ideas proposed by Prof. Kohol Iornem to add value to his fresh ideas agenda for the people of Kwande and Ushongo.
