Just recently Barrister Kenneth Imansuangbon (aka the Riceman) took a voyage of discovery by moving from the problem infected Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the Labour Party (LP).
His movement, as it is the hallmark of anything the school proprietor is involved in, was well celebrated across the length and breadth of the country if not even beyond.
The LP National Secretariat was on that day a beehive of activities as a crowd of the party faithfuls, the new member’s sympathisers/supporters and inquisitive members of the public filled the place to the brim. The occasion was more like a carnival.
Before his movement to the LP ‘the Riceman’ was more like the soul of the PDP. He was for years a staunch loyalist of the party’s flagbearer in the 2019 and 2023 Presidential Elections, the Turaki of Adamawa, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.
‘The Riceman’ was always in the entourage cum campaign train of the Turaki. The former Vice President in the course of his campaign to be elected as successor to then President Muhammadu Buhari in the last Presidential polls made a tour of the 36 States of the country ‘the Riceman’ was with him in at least 34 of the States.
Even when Atiku travelled out of the country on many occasions Barr. Ken Imansuangbon could be seen in pictures that the Atiku media minders take of their boss’ activities during the trip. Only Dino Melaye and probably one or two others can boast of having more presence than ‘the Riceman’ in Atiku’s voyage. That’s the best representation of the level of Barrister Imansuangbon’s loyalty and belief in the ATIKULATED agenda.
If there is any ‘sickness’ that Barrister Imansuangbon is infected with it’s his total, unalloyed belief in any course he is undertaking. No amount of persuasion or negative reports from any quarter will dissuade or discourage him. I recall that he had a lot of bashing from party members in the aftermath of the crisis that engulfed the PDP in Edo State when some people who were not comfortable with his pacifist stand on the issue took him to the cleaners with allegations that he was doing ‘busy body’ just so as to curry favour with a key actor that was fuelling the crisis.
The height of ‘the Riceman’s’ loyalty to Alhaji Atiku is that he would have made the switch from the PDP to the LP much earlier but for the fact that he was awaiting the nod of Alhaji Atiku on his new project(to move to the LP).
Those who labelled Barrister Imansuangbon as jumping ship because Alhaji Atiku did not win the Presidential poll should go back to the above paragraph to see how wrong they were and to beg for forgiveness for they have delved wrongly into what they know nothing about. To say that he is bringing value to the LP is stating the obvious.
By Felix Odion from Benin city