20/03/2026
PERFORMANCE OVER PROMISES: WHY KWANDE/USHONGO WILL REJECT EMPTY RHETORIC AGAIN IN 2027
In the 2023 election, the people of Kwande/Ushongo delivered a decisive verdict. They overwhelmingly and unprecedentedly rejected Prof. Kohol Iornem and placed their confidence in Hon. Terseer Ugbor. That outcome was neither accidental nor emotional; it was a deliberate choice grounded in trust and capacity.
It is therefore curious that, having been so resoundingly rejected, Prof. Kohol now returns with a content-driven declaration rich in theory and conspicuously short in practical engagement with present realities.
Prof. Kohol continues to struggle with abstract definitions of representation, appearing unable to come to terms with the scale of his 2023 defeat. His persistent fixation on the incumbent reveals not only unpreparedness for leadership but also an inability to move beyond rejection.
Within just two years, Hon. Ugbor’s stewardship has produced visible, verifiable, and widespread development across the constituency, results that require no intellectual interpretation.
Under Hon. Ugbor, Kwande/Ushongo Federal Constituency has secured approvals to establish the National Open University Study Center in Kwande, the Forestry Research Center in Ushongo, the Technology Incubation Center in Kwande and the Infectious Disease Diagnosis and Treatment Center in Ushongo. This is unprecedented in our constituency, not rhetoric and promises.
Across Kwande/Ushongo, development is no longer confined to a privileged few locations. Twenty-one out of twenty-six council wards already host completed or ongoing projects, with a clear and credible pathway towards full coverage. This is not speculative; it is an unfolding record, unprecedented in the constituency’s history.
In Ushongo, the impact is both practical and immediate. In Mbayegh, solar motorised boreholes have been constructed in Ushongo Town and Mbahilav, complemented by the rehabilitation of the borehole at the Ushongo Town Health Centre and the installation of solar streetlights.
In Utange, the Ugondo community benefits from a solar-powered borehole. Igboor market in Mbagwaza, as well as Tsumba, Orhyundu, and Mbelle markets in Mbagba, are now illuminated with solar street lights, enhancing security and extending commercial activity.
In Ikov, Ikpa-Jov community has witnessed the construction of six classrooms block. In Lessel Township, a 200-capacity Traditional Council Hall stands completed, alongside borehore and solar street lights. Yiase market in Mbaawe now enjoys a constructed solar motorised borehole, while the Adikpo Mbaagwa market in Atirkyese is fitted with solar lighting.
In Kwande, the scope of development is equally pronounced. In Adikpo Township, the National Incubation Center stands as a testament to forward-looking governance, supported by solar lighting installations at Tse Bur and St. Patrick’s Haanya.
In Mbagba/Mbakyan, an ultra-modern primary school with staff quarters is underway, accompanied by solar street lights projects in Dio, Mbalumun, and Kookoko. In Usar, the construction of an Immigration Outpost strengthens border security, while the Gube market now has solar street light.
In Tondov I, Iyon community benefits from a solar motorised borehole, while Mbangough and Ada in Tondov II, as well as Ajio in Mbaketsa, are equipped with solar streetlights.
In Turan, Mbaikyor hosts a progressing Primary Health Care Center currently under construction, alongside water and lighting projects in Chor and Nyihemba. In Yaav, borehole rehabilitation at the General Hospital, together with solar street lights installations in Tamen market and Tse-Akough. Borehole repairs have also extended to Mbadura and Kumakwagh.
In Ikyurav-Ya, Mbachile now boasts completed classroom blocks, boreholes at Adagi and Mbachile, and a magistrate court under construction. Step down of electricity at Achia in Liev I, while solar streetlights illuminate Atamakyon, Usambe, Hua, and Ikyogen in Liev II.
These are not campaign projections; they are functioning realities across named communities.
On the question of security, while Prof. Kohol offers distant and prolonged commentary, Hon. Ugbor has taken concrete and measurable steps within the limits of his office.
The facilitation of a Police Border Patrol presence in Jato-Aka and provision of a temporary site, logistical support to local security outfits, and the supervision for establishment of Immigration operational bases, including the approved Immigration forward base in Abande, demonstrate practical engagement. His sustained advocacy has ensured that the security concerns of Kwande/Ushongo remain firmly on the national agenda.
Legislatively, Hon. Ugbor has proven far from ornamental. His leadership within the Students Loan framework, his active role in environmental policy, and his sponsorship of key bills, including for establishing federal institutions in Adikpo, advancing environmental protection, and proposing constitutional amendments, attest to his diligence and foresight.
His empowerment initiatives further consolidate this record. Farmers have received irrigation machines, agricultural inputs, and financial support. Students have benefited from scholarships and laptop computers.
The foregoing represents only a fraction of the many reasons the people of Kwande/Ushongo remain resolute in consolidating the leadership of Hon. Ugbor. Beyond these visible projects, his consistent engagement and outreach within the constituency continue to reinforce public confidence.
In contrast, Prof. Kohol’s submission rests largely on narratives. The people of Kwande/Ushongo are no longer in need of imported descriptions of functional systems; they are already witnessing, within their own communities, what committed representation delivers.
Elections are not exercises in storytelling; they are judgments on performance. One man offers a content- creative catalogue of ideas; the other presents a body of executed programmes.
If 2023 was decisive, then 2027 will be even more emphatic, clear, and distantly margined, not on the strength of rhetoric, but on the weight of evidence.
Dagu Fred
S.A Media and Publicity to Hon. Terseer Ugbor
20th March, 2026.