Politics Of Bitterness Hampering Development Of Democracy In Nigeria, Adubor Hussein Odion As Case Study

By Kingsley Nduka

One of the predominant causes of slow development of Nigeria's democracy is the politics of bitterness arising  from the  pursuit of personal interest by politicians .

 Instead of focusing on policies that  can develop  the party and the society, politicians are rather consumed with personal vendettas and power struggles. This toxic environment is preventing meaningful development and hindering the growth of our nation.

Rather  than  uniting for the greater good of all, our political leaders are engaging in bitter rivalries that only serve to divide the people and stall progress. This behavior is hampering our ability to move forward and build a stronger, more prosperous Nigeria.

A clear example of the politics of bitterness is the case of   Adubor Hussein Odion,  born on the 29th of June, 1986,  to the family of 

 Mr. and Mrs Regina Amuda Adubor, from Edo State.

Adubor Hussein Odion who attended his Primary,  Secondary School and University in Edo State. 

 got a BS.c in Electrical/ Electronic Engineering  from the Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma  Edo State in 2015 and decided to venture into politics to contribute to the growth of democracy since other employment opportunities were not there.

According to  Adubor Hussein Odion," I got into politics in 2017 so I can take care of my self since there was no job. Early in  2018, I had some  misunderstanding with some politicians in my state and they threatened to kill me and they sent thugs after me and that led me  to changing my name in October 2018 and I used the name to apply for International Passport to leave the country that same year but it didn’t go through for me. 

"I reported the case to the police and they told me they were going to investigate the matter that I should not worry about  but unfortunately, they did not. When the attempts on my life was becoming  frequently unbearable, I had to  run away from Edo State in 2019 and came to Kano State.

 "Sooner than I could ever imagine, Kano was worse than the place I ran away from. Like I was on the radar of those attempting to kill me, I had no hiding place. I ran to Abuja to Port-Harcourt and then to Lagos. 

I came back to Edo State because of the  COVID-19 pandemic which restricted everyone indoors for safety from the pandemic.

"I was still in hiding in Benin city when the 2022 presidential election was conducted but unfortunately, as a result of the political trauma I was going through due to the incessant attacks from political thugs, I lost my parents who  became hypertensive in the cause of the trouble the whole family was going through because of me.

Saddled with the responsibility of taking care of his siblings without a means of livelihood, the frustrated young man had to braze up once again and dare the devil by going back to politics, the only means he knows to sustain himself and his younger siblings.

According to him, " I needed to take care of them so I went back to politics since I had no other job. I  was tempted to do so because most of the politicians who were after my life had decamped to other political parties.

Everything seems fine and going well as I and other supporters of the Presidential Candidate of Peter Obi were hopeful of his victory at  the poll and his subsequent emergence as the President of Nigeria because of his overwhelming popularity among Nigerians. But little did we know of the plot by the opposition party's plans to rig the election.

They tried to lure us to cross over and join their party because they saw our advocacy and strong campaign for the candidacy of Peter Obi of the Labour Party but we refused

"The drama of attempts of assassination resurfaced when we unveiled their  plots to rig the election  in some of the local government which led to the eventual arrest of some of their party members in Edo State, Nigeria.

A particular politician, Honourable  Charle Ehiosun (A.K.A great lion) of the  All Progressives Congress (APC)  in collaboration with their party thugs made attempts on our lives 3 times which  eventually got 2 people killed."

Like the never ending cases of  complicity in criminality  in the  country, this reported incident has since joined the legion of  unresolved pending cases of murder and criminal acts.

According to Odion, "the case was reported to the Police by the hierarchy of Labour Party 

 but the Police did nothing about it because they seem to have been compromised".

"This time around, the determination of those wanting me and others dead by all means

"It was like there was a price tag on my head as the momentum and passion to have me killed was palpable. But with the assistance  of one Hon. Joseph Agbolin of the Labour party,  we were able to escape  and leave the country. 

"My original names are Adubor Hussein Odion but I had to change my name  to Harry Hussein Amadu to conceal my true identity for safety.

It is time therefore, for our political class to set aside their personal grievances and work together for the betterment of our nation. Our democracy cannot thrive in an environment of bitterness and division. It is time to put the interests of the people far above personal interests and work towards a brighter future for an egalitarian Nigeria society where everyone is actually entitled to the freedom of association as enshrined in the country's constitution.