By Dickson Okafor
Prince Iyke Uduma, national coordinator of Advocates of Justice, Equity, Peace and Good Governance (AJEPEGG) has said that the political confidence of the electorate in the nation’s democracy especially the youths has been rekindled and restored by the entrance of the candidate of the Labour Party Mr. Peter Obi into the presidential election in 2023.
He pointed out that because of the inability of the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) to fulfill its campaign promises, the youths see Obi as more credible, competent and capable than the other presidential candidates in the race hence they have decided to vote for him in next year’s presidential poll.
Uduma decried the rising wave of insecurity; economic crisis and high rate of corruption under the APC administration, which he said are the reasons the majority of Nigerians are supporting Obi to succeed President Muhammadu Buhari.
He explained why he is throwing his weight behind the gubernatorial candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in next year’s governorship election in Abia State, Dr. Gregory Ikechukwu Ibe to succeed Governor Okezie Ikpeazu.
He speaks about other burning issues. Excerpts:
Looking at the state of the nation ahead to the next general elections, how do you evaluate the present administration?
Generally, on the aggregate, I tell you that the present government led by the All Progressive Congress (APC) in the centre under President Muhammadu Buhari has not delivered the dividend of democracy to Nigerians. All the promises they made to us in 2015 and 2019, none of them has been fulfilled. Of course, we voted for APC because we felt the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had failed Nigerians since 1999 and we believed that with President Muhammadu Buhari’s pedigree as a military head of state coupled with his achievements as chairman of Petroleum Trust Fund (PTF) where he exhibited exemplary leadership that he would revive the country. So, we hoped that as a principled person Buhari will deliver the dividend of democracy to Nigerians, but that hope could be said to be exaggerated which prompted all of us to vote for him in 2015 and 2019 respectively. But because we all thought we are going to have relief from the political bondage and new paternalism which were the order of the day before 2015. He came to power in 2015 and for the first four years he did nothing and we thought he was still understudying the political terrain in Nigeria. Having realized later that he could not end insecurity and he could not revive the nation’s economy we never wanted to vote for again in 2019, but the system was manipulated to his favour by the electoral umpire. Today, I can tell you categorically that the APC led government has failed Nigerians woefully. With high degree of poverty, the people are impoverished with high degree of unemployment. He told us he was going to fight corruption, but this is the worst corrupt government I have ever witnessed as a Nigerian even the world can attest to this. So, APC under the leadership of President Buhari has never helped Nigerians or do anything to reduce our suffering both socially and economically.
Who among the presidential candidates do you think will revive the nation’s economy and nip insecurity on the bud?
I can tell you without mincing words that I have regard for some of the presidential candidates, but a good number of them are product of the same system and you cannot beat a system that has produced you. I don’t want to mention the names of those who if they come into power will replicate the same system we have been crying against. But I have confidence in one person who is passionate, who has the empathy and sympathy, the zeal, the gesture to redeem Nigeria and turn around the fortunes of this country in the person of Peter Obi, presidential candidate of Labour Party (LP). My choice of Peter Obi is not predicated on ethnic prejudice and any other view because he has the potential and the capability. He has shown that when he was the governor of Anambra State. So, Nigerians from different ethnic groups and tribes have hope that Peter Obi will deliver Nigeria from the shackles of impoverishment and from the shackles of social political doldrums.
You mentioned Peter Obi as the candidate you are have confidence that can rescue Nigeria, but many will argue that during his reign as governor he did not conduct local government election for eight years, how can such a person address the challenges you have highlighted?
Very simple in the sense that local government administration is the third tier of government in Nigeria as a matter of fact. Before I go on to dissect that fact, let me say something about Peter Obi and the reason he didn’t conduct local government election during his time as governor of Anambra State. He discovered rotten system in the local government administration and he foresaw that if he conducts election into these areas that the same corruption will replicate itself in the system. Because he knew that the same thing would be replicated he decided to use people he could trust, the people he had worked with, people he had confidence in that could actually reposition the local government administration. That was why he didn’t conduct local government election. He picked people he believed had the capability, the dexterity, the sympathy, the empathy and the zeal to deliver the dividends of democracy to the people in the local government areas of the state as it were. You also asked me about politics of Anambra State when Peter Obi was the governor of the state. When Obi took over office from Mrs Virgy Etiaba the economy of Anambra State was zero. What he met was less than N100, 000 in the state treasury, but when he left office in 2014, he left well over N7.2billion in Anambra State coffer. Apart from Lagos State, Anambra became the second largest IGR base state in Nigeria. So, Peter Obi with his antecedent will also replicate the same thing if elected president of Nigeria.
Another area of concern to many is lack of spread of Labour Party (LP) through which Obi wants to become the next president of Nigeria. Isn’t it clear to you that LP cannot be compared to the two major political parties, APC and PDP in terms of popularity and acceptance in Nigeria?
Politics of the 21th Century is different from that of 19th and 20th centuries. Today, the electorate have become more politically civilized. They no longer look at the party, but they now look at the personality of the candidate of the political party. I can tell you for free that most political parties that have no national pedigree like APC and PDP will take over the throne in 2023 because Nigerian voters are no longer interested in the political parties, but this time they are now interested in the personalities of the candidates contesting under such platforms. So, I have told people that 2023 election will create a great deal of surprises to the parties and big politicians. Therefore, Peter Obi contesting on the platform of Labour Party shouldn’t be a source of worry to anybody. Like I said earlier, we are no longer interested in the political parties rather; we are interested in the personalities of the parties. It is worthy to note that Labour Party will fiercely contest against these major political parties in the 2023 general election.
Abia State where you hail from is among the states their citizens are lamenting of poor leadership and the people of the state will elect governor in 2023 that will succeed Governor Okezie Ikpeazu, which of the candidates can address the challenges facing Abia State?
Since 1999 Abia State has never had it good in terms of leadership. Among the three governors that have governed the state, the Senate Chief Whip and member representing Abia North in the Senate, Orji Uzor Kalu performed creditably well as governor of Abia State. He constructed so many roads in Aba and in the local government areas. He was the governor that linked Ngwa road by East road by constructing a solid bridge and after Orji Uzor Kalu’s reign Abia State has never experienced any development under the Senator Theodore Orji and Governor Okezie Ikpeazu. Abia State is most resourceful state in Nigeria, but the poorest state in the country. Now, the present administration has not done anything to improve infrastructure hence the state is relegated to the background. Among states in Nigeria, Abia has high degree of poverty, unemployment and pensioners owed years of arrears. Doctors in the state teaching hospitals are owed 16 months salaries. Can you imagine that? Which state in the world tolerates that? Only Nigeria. We have 34 rich states in Nigeria and Abia is the 12 richest state. Abia has more that one oil well. Abia receives 13 derivation fund and Ebonyi State has not received any, yet you can see high development in Ebonyi State. So, Abia State has not had it good except when we had Orji Uzor Kalu as governor of the state between 1999 to 2007. That is why Abians are crying for a challenge in administration of the state.
Therefore, that is why I asked, which of the governorship candidate to you is worthy to succeed Ikpeazu?
We have the one that has been anointed by the governor in the person of Prof. Ikonne and that was why I said you cannot beat a system that has produced you. A lion cannot give birth to goat, it is not possible. So, whoever is anointed by a governor you did not deliver the dividends of democracy to the people won’t deliver also. Amongst the governorship candidates for next year’s gubernatorial election in Abia State I prefer to others is the candidate of Labour Party (LP), Dr. Gregory Ibe. He stands tall both head and shoulder above the other candidates in the race. First, his antecedent, pedigree and success in private and public service has endeared him to people of the state. Ibe is not coming to make money, he is coming to change lives of Abia people. He is already made with several awards from local and international institutions and governments for his outstanding achievements. Don’t forget that Ibe emanated from poor background and he grew to become a founder of Gregory University in his home town Uturu. So, he knows what it means to be poor hence he will help to liberate the people from the shackles of poverty.
Gregory Ibe is contesting against Prof Ikonne, candidate of the ruling PDP, don’t you think that the power of incumbency will be at work?
Gregory Ibe is not just another politician, he is an entrepreneur, a technocrat and competent to govern Abia State. Ibe is not a career politician because career politicians are social burden to the society and being a burden they can’t do anything to better the lives of the people hence they depend on politics for survival. But in the case of Gregory Ibe, even if he loses the election he bounces back to his businesses. Mind you, he is a renewed philanthropist, an employer of labour, an educationist and a role model to many. So, he understands the plight of Abians and the electorate and myself are sure that he will address the challenges facing the people if elected as the next governor of Abia State.
Do you think the Southeast geo political zone can produce the next president of Nigeria without going into alliance with any of the geo-political zones ahead of 2023 presidential election?
It is simple. The Southeast has a significant impact in Nigeria’s politics, but we have a problem. We are not united by political ideology. You can see through the recent happenings in the zone, so, the only thing that can activate and galvanize that missing political unity that will enable the zone to reposition itself and integrate us into the main political train. It will help us to disregard political manipulations by the other geo-political zones and create a space for national synergy for political reintegration. As for Igbo to produce the next president of the country, that is certain with general support Peter Obi is getting, definitely he will win the number one position next year.
Don’t you think that the rising wave of insecurity and agitation by the Indigenous People of Biafra led by Nnamdi Kanu which is a source of worry to people from the other geo-political zones can hinder Peter Obi from winning the presidency?
Generally, insecurity is a source of concern to all because it creates unemployment, fear of being killed and other social vices. Insecurity also produces irresponsive government, disregard for the people’s welfare and wellbeing. But I can tell you that the kind of insecurity in the Southeast is not peculiar as a matter of fact. How do I have to say that, there are political undertones in the security crisis we have in the Southeast. I won’t mention names, but we all know that external forces are galvanizing this insecurity in Southeast that are alleging that members of IPOB are the perpetrators of insecurity, but we all know that the forces responsible of insecurity in the zone are external. Is worthy of note that one of the reasons for insecurity not only in Southeast, but in the whole country is unemployment and government nonchalance to the plight of the people.