AS Nigeria prepares for 2023 general election, zoning is on the front burner. This is due to the heterogeneous nature of the society, which makes the effective management of diversity more compelling.
Delta South Senatorial District is no exception. It is made up of three ethnic nationalities, with the Ijaw dominating its politics since 2003 when Senator James Manager took over from Senator Stella Omu.
An indigenes, Michael Dibden, a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain, stands out in the scheming for the coveted senatorial slot.
Diden, fondly called Ejele by admirers is, an Itsekiri. He is campaigning on the principle of rotation of elective slots in a multi-ethnic political space, calling for robust and all-inclusive representation.
His believes that a father’s property should never be enjoyed by only one child at the exclusion of the other children.
Beyond canvassing for rotational principle to be entrenched in ethnic nationality politics at sub-state level in multi-ethnic Delta South, Diden is bidding for the slot, based on an impressive curriculum vitae.
Many chieftains believe that he has sterling qualities and he has rendered services to Delta State since 1999 as a functionary of Ibori government.
Diden has an outstanding pedigree and experience in public service. Although he comes from a humble beginning, he is educated. He earned a degree in Politicsl Science from Delta State University, Abraka.
Diden started off from the Ogunwaja unit of the National Union Road Transport Workers (NURTW) in Sapele from where he became the chairman of the Loaders Union.
Later, he was elected chairman of Deghele Youths Worldwide, and later, vice chairman of Warri Youths, and vice chairman of DPN in Sapele Local Government Area.
He was appointed member, Delta Transport Service and subsequently, Chairman, Transition Committee, Warri North Council.
From there, he was elected chairman, Warri North Council. Having grown up among his people and witnessed the despoliation of the area by the unbridled ruining of the environment that rendered a growing segment of the indigent population jobless, he knew what needed to be done to stem the insecurity in the area.
His knowledge of the security situation informed his appointment as Special Assistant to former Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan on Security Matters. He was later promoted to the post of a Special Adviser on Security Matters.
Diden was Commissioner representing Itsekiri ethnic nationality in the Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (DESOPADEC). He is a former member of House of Assembly, serving as Deputy Chief Whip and chairman, House committee on Security.
In 2019, Senator Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa appointed him chairman of the Board of DESOPADEC.
Justifying his bid for Senate, Diden said: “These are part of the experiences that have prepared me for the job I seek. It is not just about being an Itsekiri man.
“My start off point is to build an enduring spirit of cooperation and communality among the three ethnic nationalities of Delta South zone and take them to greater heights.”
Under his leadership, the interventionist agency recorded many achievements. Governor Ifeanyi Okowa recently attested to his leadership acumen in his birthday message when he turned 57.
The governor commended Diden for his tremendous and outstanding service to Delta state, describing him as an outstanding man “that always speaks truth to power.”
Okowa said: “He is a man of the people and a truthful politician loved by many for his open-door policy and humane disposition. As Chairman of DESOPADEC, he has stabilised the Commission to focus on its core mandate.
“DESOPADEC under his leadership has made huge progress in poverty reduction, economic, social and infrastructure development in the oil-bearing communities of the state, and capped it with a recent award from the Independent Newspapers as the Outstanding State Agency of the year.”