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From Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa
The Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Bayelsa State, Hon. Warman Weri Ogoriba, has attributed the peace within the party after the primaries to the political philosophy of Governor Douye Diri. Unlike some states still battling post primary election crises, Ogoriba, a two time member of the House of Representatives who represented the Yenagoa/Kolokuma/Opokuma Federal Constituency, said that the party in Bayelsa is going into the 2027 election as a united house.
While insisting that the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) pose no threat, he noted that the achievements of Governor Diri in Bayelsa State, and of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the centre, would deliver a resounding victory for the APC in 2027.
Your party’s reconciliation efforts do not appear to have been very successful, considering that some leading members, including Joshua MacIver, the deputy governorship candidate of the party in the November 2023 governorship election, have left the party, citing marginalisation.
What you have said about the reconciliation efforts not recording success is not true. You cannot pick one person out of many and draw a conclusion. As soon as I was elected chairman of the party, the first person I called was Joshua MacIver, because I believe he is important to the party. I believe he has contributed to the party, and I believe in consensus building and unity. The first charge the leader of the party gave me was to unite the party. We tried, spoke a few times and attempted to meet, but we could not, until he decided to leave the party.
Everybody has the right to choose any political party, and that does not mean we are not doing well. If you look at what has happened since our party’s primaries, none of the aspirants who lost out has moved to another political party. That is a testament to the fact that we are doing very well and bringing everybody together. We have already held our stakeholders’ meeting, and we will soon hold another, at which the leader of the party will address all party faithful. From there, we will draw up our programmes and prepare for the elections.
What have you done differently to ensure that Bayelsa APC has remained largely crisis free, compared with some other states?
Most often, crises occur in political parties when people are not included in the decision making process. The Governor is a unifier and believes that everybody should work together. Before the primaries, we engaged all the aspirants and set up committees to interface with them. So, after the elections, it became easy for everybody to continue talking. Yes, there are aggrieved individuals, but not enough to divide the party. What we have done differently is to bring everybody into the process. Party faithful know what we are doing. When people are excluded, they may decide to leave. In the APC, we are bringing everybody on board with our policies and programmes. The leader of the party is accommodating and peace loving. Everybody believes that if it is not your turn today, it could be your turn tomorrow.
As you head into the elections, what is your party’s greatest selling point?
It is the achievements of the government. When our campaign starts, we will not base it on individuals or on other parties. We will campaign on the achievements of the APC government. Everybody can see these achievements, especially in infrastructure. Civil servants and pensioners are being paid. Since this government came into office, no civil servant has been owed salaries. Look at infrastructure. For over 60 years, nobody could access Oporoma, the headquarters of the Southern Ijaw Local Government Area, by road. Today, we drive to Oporoma. The road network has improved tremendously. Previously, if you wanted to go to Ekeremor, you had to drive through Delta State and then take a boat. Today, you can drive there directly. When the road reaches Agge and the deep sea port becomes operational, everybody will see the benefits in terms of revenue and economic activity. So, we will campaign on the basis of the achievements of the APC government.
What about at the national level?
The same applies at the national level. We are doing very well. Even Jesus Christ had critics. So, when people criticise the President, we expect that. We welcome constructive criticism. Where he has done well, people should say so. Where he has not done well, people should point it out. But, overall, the President has done very well, and we believe Nigerians will vote massively for him.
Many Nigerians are calling on President Tinubu to resign because of the current economic hardship. Do you see any chance of that happening?
Even the President of America faces calls to resign. The Prime Minister of Britain resigned only yesterday. These things are normal in politics. If someone does not like you and you are in office, that person can call on you to resign. We are not worried about people calling for his resignation. We are focused on delivering development projects, and Nigerians can see what is being done. We are confident of winning the next elections and continuing for another four years, God willing.
The opposition, particularly the NDC and PDP, appear to be gaining influence. What are you doing to stop them eroding your support base?
It is normal for opposition parties to target our members, because we are the biggest party in the state. As for this so called growing opposition, I have not seen it. We do not discuss other parties; we discuss achievements. We are more strategic in mobilising votes for our party. When campaigns begin and elections come, the results will speak for themselves.
Are you losing sleep over the growing profile of the NDC, led by former Governor Seriake Dickson?
No, we are not losing sleep, because we know the APC has what it takes to win the elections. We do not want to discuss other parties; we want to discuss issues and sell our candidates. We will take our candidates to every local government area in Bayelsa and present them to the people.
There is still talk of the old APC and the new APC. How are you handling this issue?
Integration is not an easy process and will take time, but we are doing very well. If the so called old APC members had not been involved in the process, there would have been crises, as seen in some other states. We are going for elections, not a selection. We must put forward people who can win elections. It is not about sentiment, or whether someone is old APC or new APC. Today, both groups are working together, and we are building a formidable party that will win elections in Bayelsa. What concerns me as chairman is winning elections. There is no room for sentiment.
What assurance do you have for Bayelsans?
Bayelsans will have peaceful elections and the best candidates, because we have put forward our best candidates. I encourage everyone to use the INEC window to register, obtain their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), and vote for the best candidates. I can assure you that the best candidates are in the APC.
How would you assess President Tinubu’s performance after three years in office?
I think the President has done very well. In terms of infrastructure and road networks, how many presidents in Nigeria have dared to construct a coastal road project of this magnitude? On the rising cost of living, that is an economic matter. While prices are increasing, people also have more money in their pockets. Salaries are increasing. When you say prices are rising, you should also consider that more houses are being built, which means people have more money to invest. Look at the savings from subsidy removal and the increased allocations going to states. The President has challenged the people to ask their governors to explain how they are using the increased funds. As an APC member and chairman of the party, I would say President Tinubu has performed above 90 per cent.
