By Simeon Mpamugoh
Hon. Ericbona Eliom Ushie was a member of Cross Rivers State House of Assembly in the last dispensation.
He represented Obudu constituency under the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
In 2023 election he contested to represent Obudu/Bekwarra/ Obanlikwu Federal Constituency as Member House of Representatives, but the election was marred by violence.
When a rerun was set, his ex-wife conspired against him and his opponent won the election.
Ushie brand of politics intertwines with integrity.
He believes that in politics it is better you are feared than loved.
He speaks more on how his ex-wife conspired against him to lose the last election, what is going on in Rivers State before the declaration of state of emergency, his foundation: Ella Is Good and the muzzling and suspension of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan as well as sundry issues in this interview with Sunday Sun. Excerpts.
How did you come into politics?
I come from a political family: my father is a politician and so is my mother and both of them had held political offices at one point or another. So, I got the political background from my parents. My father was a member of House of Representatives, and one-time local government chairman. He has also held several political offices both at the state and federal levels. My mother was also a local government chairperson, a commissioner in Cross Rivers State and an active politician.
How was your first experience in politics?
It started as an individual. I have been involved in charity ventures, working and ensuring that I support people from different parts of the world: in Nigeria, my constituency and outside the country. I have the burning desire and zeal to help people. So, I saw going into public office as a platform I can ply to actually have more capacity to render more support to people, which motivated me extrinsically to venture into politics. Prior to joining PDP under which my election into the State House of Assembly was accomplished, l had already been involved in serving the public through my Foundation: Ella Is Good in the three local government areas of my state: Obudu, Bekwarra and Obanlikwu, which make up my federal constituency. I have three gigantically built skill acquisition centres where people are being trained to make soaps, paints, sew clothes, install DSTV and repair computer. I set up the centres on my own and I have staff who are paid salaries every month and some of them had worked there for years. The centres are well equipped with the state-of-the-art equipment. The foundation has also been paying hospital bills to the indigent people of the local government who suffer from chronic diseases and needed surgeries, but cannot afford it. So, we have been doing this in our own little capacity across the three local government areas in Cross River State. By the road driving, you will see a big sign board: Ella Is Good Foundation.
I dare say that you are one of the beneficiaries of the “Not-Too-Young-To-Run,” law of the immediate past President Muhammadu Buhari. Could you share some of the experiences of your participation in lawmaking for the good governance of Cross Rivers State?
I’ll not say that I am a beneficiary of the law. I am over 40 years. So, I am not too young. Most of the people who are sloganeering the law particularly the man who signed it into law: Muhammadu Buhari was in his 20s when he came into corridor of power and so many governors were in their early 30s. I remember at that point that Donald Duke was 34 when he was the governor of Cross Rivers State. There were many others in that age bracket. During the military era, we had so many of them in their 27-28, 30-32 years who were governors in different states of the federation. So, I will not say that I am benefiting from that law. I would have benefited in 2012 when I ran an election. It was my first attempt at election contests. If I had pulled it through, then I would have said: yes! In my 20s I am a beneficiary of “Not-Too-Young-To-Run,” law of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, but in my 40s, I don’t think so.
You were a member of the Cross Rivers State House of Assembly. What else have you done afterwards?
I have contested twice for House of Representatives and lost The second time was in 2023. During my time as the state lawmaker, I did all the good things I could to bring dividends of democracy to my people through constituency projects. In fact, I went outside the scope of work to ensure that some projects materialized through out of pocket expenses so that more people could benefit. I built roads such that the community recognized me with a chieftaincy title in honour of that and other projects I delivered to my constituents. I innovated schools, assisted farmers to boost their agrarian businesses. The 2023 election was marred by violence and a rerun was called. In the course of the rerun election, I had an incident with my ex-wife which kept me back in Lagos. She planned with my political opponent to ensure that I was not available for the election which contributed to my losing the election.
What really happened?
When my political opponents saw that I was already winning, violence erupted and they scattered everything used for the election. In the process a policeman was shot dead and the election was cancelled with a new date set for a rerun. On the day of the rerun, I didn’t know that my political opponent was in talks with my ex-wife. She filed a case against me in a police station so that I was not available for the election. In fact, it was on the day of the rerun election I was invited by the police and when I told them that I had an election to attend, they specifically informed me that my ex-wife was going to be at the police station and there was a standing instruction to ensure that I should not go so that I don’t circumvent the law. It was a bitter experience. I had no other option but to stay back to make my self available for interrogation. That was how I couldn’t go for the rerun election and my opponent took the advantage and opportunity of my absence to win the election.
I am sure you are familiar with the goings-on in Rivers State, South-south politics. What are your thoughts?
The issue of Rivers State is very pitiful and devastating. I happen to be part of the Rivers family. In a way, I was brought up in Rivers State, so I understand what is going on in the state. You see! Nyesom Wike is somebody who has benefited from politics of godfatherism and those who made him who he is today, didn’t dictate to him how he governed the state. What is happening in Rivers State is a case of one man trying to be both godfather and the owner of the state resources. He wants to put everything into his pocket under duress and by force. The elected governor, Simi Fubara is a good man.
I and few others have had an opportunity to sit with Wike and even had a lunch meeting with him on the same dinning table and I can tell you that he is a very arrogant person. He believes that he can get whatever he wants and if he can’t, he spoils it. He did it during the national election with Atiku Abubakar. As he couldn’t get the presidential ticket, he ensured that Atiku didn’t win. He is also doing the same thing in Rivers State: “Since I couldn’t get what I wanted under Fubara, then I will ensure that the state remained ungovernable.” Things like that shouldn’t be encouraged anywhere in the world. To be sure, he may win now, but I am fully aware that in a few years to come, the real people of Rivers State will actually speak their minds through the ballot box. It may not go his own way. I know politics and the way people think: you can use your political affiliation to get what you want in the judiciary and anywhere else, but to come back home in due time, you may not be able to win again. I pity the governor who has been a gentleman and we can only support him with our prayers and ensure that the people around him are able to advise him well to carry on and remain steadfast. I have spoken to some people in Rivers State, they still have confidence in him and if it is through election, they will still vote him in.
What are your views on the minimal women’s representation in the states and the National Assembly?
Well, election itself is not an easy task. One thing is to consider gender and another is for them to run election and win. But most of them who have a heart of a lion come to the field, run the primary election and are given the opportunity. Election is not a thing of sentiment and gender. It is a process that If you are not man enough, you ain’t going nowhere. In fact, a woman has to be like a man to actually run and win election in Nigeria. It’s not something that is given to anybody at beck and call, divide and share or you are sitting somewhere and the party says: women take two slots and men one slot. No! You have to actually contest and win. So any woman that is able to go through the process and win; I doff my bonnet for her. To answer your question on the minimal women’s representation in the states and chambers of the National Assembly or gender equality in Nigeria’s politics, I will say that the minimal number of women in the states and chambers of the National Assembly are those who have been like men enough to run the election or vie for political office and are given those opportunities. Nobody has said that women cannot buy political parties forms. Parties give them forms to buy and the electoral law equally permits them to run elections, it’s for them to win the election that is the main thing. It takes a lot to win election: strength, psychology, mental stress and money.
A lot of people have canvassed an amendment to the electoral law to the effect that all electoral petitions must be dispensed with before the inauguration of the elected officers especially the president. What are your views?
I was also in the electoral tribunal to upturn the results of the election in my Obudu/ Bekwarra/Obanlikwu federal constituency where I contested as a member House of Representatives (MHR) in the last election. The process was through and the judiciary tried as much as they could to ensure that there was expedited action in the electoral petition process. In fact, during that process, the judges were no longer available for some other civil and criminal matters, they ensured they moved all judges to the electoral panels. It’s a good idea that electoral cases are speedily and hurriedly attended to because people who are not supposed to be in offices find themselves there and actually have benefited from those offices and would not have to return those benefits when the electoral tribunal turn the table against them. We have seen governors go in, dipped hands into the public till and bought cars and many others things, and when another governor, courtesy of the electoral tribunal comes in, he begins to buy the same cars and many other things again with state resources amounting billions of naira. I think it is a good advocacy that all electoral cases are adjudicated almost immediately to ensure that before inauguration, the actual and true person that is supposed to be there is inaugurated. Not that when the person is there and already hit the ground running he is being distracted and sometimes stopped by the court, just like what is happening in Rivers State where the governor from inception had been facing distractions. It was Supreme Court, but today it is something else. So dispensing electoral matters before inauguration will curtail some of these excesses and wastage.
Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan is one of the youthful voices like you, even though you disclaimed the fact that you are a youth. But she is being gagged in the red chamber over alleged sexual overture made to her by the Senate President which is causing ripples even to a point of her being suspended from the Red Chambers. What do you think about the discordant tunes wafting out of her suspension?
Well, firstly, the issue of Natasha is a very pitiful one. It’s regrettable because I don’t see advances to women as sexual harassment. We’ve heard her own side of the story unless she has not told the entire part of the story: “that the Senate President held her hands and took her around his house and was suggesting that whenever she has an opportunity of time, she should come around to spend some time with him.” That in itself is not a sexual harassment. For a woman to prove sexual harassment, it has to be a scenario where a person inappropriately touched her, sexually assaulted her by either rape, or attempted rape or any other means. And coming at the time it did; after the incident of sitting arrangement and changing of local content committee chair makes it look bad and doubtful. I know local content committee and the money they make in that committee; anybody that is removed from the committee will be aggrieved. So looking at it from this backdrop, I don’t think that the allegation has any merit. More so finding the news outside Nigeria makes it worse. And If one looks at the suspension, one will notice that it was put into vote on the floor of the House and unanimously everybody voted for her being suspended. Anyone who watched it on YouTube like I did, will notice that nobody said nay! It was all yea! to her suspension. I mean! How can you work or be somewhere everybody including your colleagues are saying they are not with you. Even the women in the red chamber are not with her meaning that everybody supported the fact that she should be suspended. It means that they have had enough of her. It sends a wrong signal for the simple reason that she is one of the voices of the youth even though at 50, I don’t really see her as a youth. I feel that a youth is from 18-40 years but over 40, you are a man. You will not become a man when you are 60 or 70. They say life begins at 40. Even life expectancy today has become as low as 50. So anyone in his 50s saying that he is a youth is lying, he is not a youth. What happened between the Senate President and Natasha can make the system actually think twice in giving opportunities to women. And this is not the first of her kind of allegations. She did it to Reno Omokri and he won her in court because there was no evidence. In fact, the court slammed her with fine to pay to Omokri on false allegation. It shows that it is being her style and it will affect gender equity being considered for women. Men will now begin to say: “aah! Women will come and start bringing in this kind of allegations of sex and other things.” If they were all men in the House, it will be order of the day, and the progress of the House will always go through. But whenever there are women, they will always bring in sentiment and emotions into the fray: “you like me, you no like me, sex, you want to sleep with me.” That is where you hear this kind of claims.
You are more or less an opposition politician, having contested under the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and won to represent your constituency in the state House of Assembly. What is your impression about the policy thrust of the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC)?
For your information, I’m no longer in the opposition PDP. I joined the All Progressive Congress (APC) recently. Even if I was to speak as an opposition politician, I will still stand with the same position as an opposition. But now I have joined the ruling party, I will say that Tinubu is not a bad leader. Although there were policy pronouncements he may have made, one of which affected the economy and the Nigerian people which had to do with the fuel subsidy removal. This is something Peter Obi or any other person would have done. In fact, so many other presidents didn’t have the boldness and sagacity to do it. It came as a mistake, a slip of speech, but I think it was actually accumulated and welcomed. It had that immediate effect, but in the long run, if the resources are put to good use, it’ll come to benefit Nigerians. Fortunately, I have worked in the oil sector while I was with the NNPC. I remember I was part of the team that actually used to inspect vessels and then approved subsidy for marketers. I can recall; a lot of them came with empty tanks, vessels from outside Nigeria. Some were politicians, others were politically affiliated, they came and we could not do anything than sign papers, we were given instructions, and they went to collect billions of naira of the tax payer’s money, Nigeria’s money in subsidy. They will go to Ghana turn, and come back to Nigeria with empty vessels; nothing inside it, but we were made to fill and write reports: approved! It was actually a scam by a lot of people. Some people came with AGO – diesel, for instance. A subsidy for AGO-diesel at that time was not too high. The percentage for petrol which was commonly used commodity and DPK -kerosene was actually high. So, some people will come in with AGO – diesel, some with water in the vessel and we had no option, but to fill out that we have received products and they will fill out their assessment and other information, take it to NNPC and collect money. It was a ‘scam’ I personally witnessed having been in the team. I feel Tinubu’s policy on the subsidy, though harsh but on the long run it’ll benefit Nigerians. In other areas of the economy, he is also trying. We can see that the dollar is now stable although a little high because of the subsidy issue and other indicators. But as time goes on, I believe it’ll actually come down. I have confidence in his administration. At least he knows what he is doing unlike the other presidents that were actually working on presumptions and try your luck coupon. If I have to mention names: Buhari was clueless. During his tenure, we were using more of our resources and there was no inflow: sale and chop, work and wack kind of situation. But now the policy implementation and other things by this administration are bringing in some inflow though not much but at the long run I believe Nigerians will appreciate Tinubu. So, I don’t see him finishing bad at all.
What is your performance score card for Governor Bassey Otu of Cross Rivers State two years down the line?
Governor Bassey Otu is my friend. He has been a grassroots politician. I remember when he was a Senator, I was a returning officer for his election for a second term. I had an instruction from the party that we should ensure that he didn’t go back as at that time. The instruction came from the then Governor Liyel Imoke to ensure that he didn’t return for second term. It was not easy. In fact, the Deputy Governor, Efiok Cobham was almost lynched in that election. So Otu is a man of the people, a grassroots politician fondly called Sweet Prince by his people who love him so much. It will be difficult to take him out of the system. Although one or two prominent people had complained that he doesn’t reach out to the people, but one cannot reach out to everybody especially when one is implementing programmes or ready to work. If you don’t want to work but engage in fanfare where money is being siphoned: divide and share, you can then reach out to people. Ben Ayade did it, he came to the table, brought money and everybody shared. Food on the table was what he termed it. He doled out money to politicians and party men, but Otu stopped all that and he is using the funds to ensure that he revamps Cross Rivers State. He is doing well and we are proud of him.
Could you summarize what has been happening in the 10th National Assembly in the last two years and your political permutation ahead of 2027?
I will say that the 10th National Assembly has not achieved so much in two years. I have not seen any policy or laws that had been made apart from the tax bill. I think it’s more of what pays them they are actually attending to. I have friends and brothers there and I am saying it the way it is; it is like Assembly of kill and divide, personal interest etc. I thought that policies that would have affected import especially Customs tariffs would have been addressed. The cost of clearance and importation is too high in Nigeria. At the end of the day, when government puts the tag on tariffs, it is the common man that pays for it, because it’ll be passed down to them as cost of goods. The issue of security and the general wellbeing of the economy and Nigerians would have topped the agenda for this 10th National Assembly. I have not seen them achieved anything on those planks other than what the president wants and those that will benefit them. Those are the things I see among them. On the issue of my political permutation, I will be contesting again for Federal House of Representatives when the whistle for political activities ahead of 2027 is blown. I have checked the crystal ball, and done my calculations. Albeit, it is the time for my local government to produce a member of the House of Representatives (MHR). My constituents had began to put me under serious pressure, to ensure that I present myself for them to support me. As I speak, they already have their regret because they don’t have any representative in the House. The man there now is doing nothing. He went there so he could pay debts he owes, and to override the people. So I will be running in 2027 to represent Obudu/Bekwarra/Obanlikwu federal constituency and I know I will win. Already I have the backing of the governor. He has personally told me to ensure that I prepare myself for the election and I am already doing that and I know I am going to be there come 2027.