Stanley Okoro-Emegha doubles as Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ebonyi State and the Special Security Consultant to the state government. In this interview with CHIJIOKE AGWU in Abakaliki, he speaks about Governor David Umahi’s senatorial ambition; growing popularity of standard bearer of Labour Party; Mr. Peter Obi and other topical political issues in the state.
Supporters of the Labour Party Presidential Candidate, Peter Obi, recently alleged that Ebonyi State governor, David Umahi ordered the police to disrupt their solidarity march in Abakaliki. What do you know about what happened?
What worries people like me is why people can’t live with good conscience again. Must the people lie about everything? Nobody is willing again to live by the truth and say the truth. What is the business of the Ebonyi State Government with Peter Obi’s supporters and their solidarity march? What is the justifiable reason the governor has to order the police to disrupt the exercise? I think it is a case of giving a dog a bad name just to hang it. Already, we are used to every Dick and Harry mentioning the governor’s name in everything in this state. Is the Commissioner of Police no longer competent to take decision as it regards ensuring law and order in the state? Has anybody try to get security report as it regards the ‘Obidient’ solidarity march in Ebonyi? The truth of what happened is that two factions of the party led by the two persons contending for the governorship ticket of the party were having internal struggle over which faction will hijack the solidarity march. It was at this point that the police had to wade in to forestall ugly occurrences. The opposition leaders like Ali Odefa and Linus Okorie talking trash should get the information very well before talking. Because they looked for Ebubeagu and they didn’t find any of them, then they resorted to mentioning governor’s name. I knew they would look for reasons to say something against government; that was why I instructed that no Ebubeagu operative should go where the Obi-dient protesters were. But rather than commend us, they resorted to mentioning the governor’s name that he ordered the police to disrupt what they were doing.
My advice to Labour Party in Ebonyi and other opposition parties is that they should endeavour to resolve their internal crises, and stop blaming government for every fallout of their internal crises.
Governor Umahi is in court with Ann Agom-Eze over the Ebonyi South senatorial ticket of the APC. What is the true situation currently?
There is no contest at all. Ab initio, INEC and the party didn’t publish any name for Ebonyi South. The reason is that there were some documents that I was supposed to forward to the National Secretariat of the party to forward to INEC; these were the resignation and withdrawal letters of the original winner of the main primary election, Chief Austine Umahi. I didn’t forward it. That was why the governor’s name was not published in the first instance, even before the litigations that followed. The party only had to obey the order of the court for a repeat primary, which the governor equally won. There is no time the governor’s senatorial ambition was in contest. Ann Agom-Eze who is now deceiving herself that she is contesting for senate, did she buy any form for the contest? Does she have N20 million to pay for senatorial form? That the party gave women forms free should not make her to forget who she is. This is a woman who had never paid party dues before saying she was contesting for senate. Even as I am talking to you now, she has no clearance certificate from the party qualifying her to contest the election, because she did not have N500,000 to pay the party. This is a person who is contesting senate with the governor. Our party guidelines state that you must get clearance certificate from the state chapters of the party before you will be qualified to contest any election. She does not have it. I challenge her to publish it if she has it. So, as far as we are concerned, the governor has no challenger to the ticket, and his victory is assured in 2023.
What’s actually happening about the APC governorship ticket in Ebonyi State? Recently, a picture of you and a contender for the ticket, Elias Mbam, in a happy mood surfaced online and people claim that it was part of the ongoing reconciliation ahead of the publication of his name as the candidate of the party. What is the true position of things?
Well, if it’s propaganda that will make Elias Mbam happy, let him continue. But I know too well that INEC has already published Francis Nwifuru’s name as the authentic gubernatorial candidate of APC for Ebonyi State. Elias Mbam did not participate in the APC primary election held at the Pa Ngele Oruta Township Stadium in Abakaliki. He went to his house and called his friends to announce that he won the APC governorship primary election. I want you to know that this same Elias Mbam did not obtain Clearance Certificate from the party as required to enable him contest the election. By ridiculing the party by conducting illegal, unapproved and unmonitored primary election, Elias Mbam violated the constitution of the party. APC at his ward had already commenced the disciplinary action of suspending him from the party for the infractions, and we were already working towards the ratification of his suspension when he ran to court to stop the process. The court directed that we stay action on the matter and we obeyed. We are in court on that and we hope that the right thing will be done at the end of the day.
Elias Mbam, at this point, is no longer talking about Ebonyi State APC Governorship ticket. He is even begging that he should not be expelled, that he still loves the party. The picture they are displaying on social media was a picture he took with me at my office when he came on a courtesy call at APC State Secretariat in Abakaliki. At this point, Elias Mbam already knew that those who promised him APC Governorship ticket only defrauded him. He has come to the painful realisation that it was a scam, and that the ambition is over. We warned him when he was going to them but he didn’t listen. Now, he has lost his position as Chairman of Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission and wasted the billions he would have used to help Ebonyi people and the party.
Other political parties like PDP, Labour Party etcetera have issued their candidates with certificates of return. Why is APC yet to do so across the country?
Issuance of certificates of return is the prerogative of the National Secretariat of our party. At the state level, we don’t have the capacity to force them to do so. However, in our last meeting, it was extensively discussed. We have been mandated to do it in our various states. Most likely, by next week, we will start issuing the certificate of return to our candidates.
The Supreme Court just recently returned Ifeanyi Odii from Onicha Local Government area as the authentic gubernatorial candidate of the PDP in Ebonyi State for the 2023 general elections. How did the APC receive this development?
I can tell you that the Supreme Court ruling means nothing to us; there is no time anything PDP is causing us sleepless nights. The reason is that the governor is on the right path; setting standards in Ebonyi and across the country. He has done so well that the people believe so much in him and whatever he asks them to do, they will do it. Our party is APC and our candidate is Francis Nwifuru, who is from the right senatorial zone. The power rotation started from Ebonyi North to Ebonyi Central and then, South. Now, it is the turn of Izzi of Ebonyi North because Sam Egwu had taken for Ohaukwu. The governor has made the right decision by supporting power shift. He can’t be finishing eight years and someone from almost the same local government area with him will be coming to take over from him. That will be impossible. As a party, we are not interested in Ifeanyi Odii or PDP. Our interest is in the people of Ebonyi State who believe in equity and justice. We also believe that what the governor has done in the state like beautiful streetlights, more than 15 flyovers especially the recently completed Iyere flyover in Edda, the International Airport at Onueke, the David Umahi Federal University Teaching Hospital Uburu, the ongoing Olympic Size Stadium, good road networks, all unprecedented, will speak for all our candidates in 2023. We want a continuity that will further develop the state, and who will continue to maintain these beautiful infrastructure put in place by the governor. And Francis Nwifuru has been following from the beginning and will surely do it better.
You were among the notable personalities that joined the governor to defect from the PDP to the APC because according to the governor, the PDP was not willing to give the South East its presidential ticket. Now, your new party, the APC has failed to do same. What strategy are you going to deploy to convince Ebonyi people and indeed, the people of the South East to vote for the APC?
You know that PDP held on power for 16 years without considering the South East. This is despite the contributions and support from prominent leaders of the South East, like our governor, to the party. Yes, we agreed that APC didn’t give South East a chance, but let’s wait and see. We won’t complain for now, until APC has stayed in power for 16 years without giving South East. APC even tried because the agitation in the party was for power shift from the North to the South and that was what the party did. Bola Tinubu, presidential candidate of APC is from South West. Let’s start from there. The second round will surely be for the South East.
Do you think Bola Tinubu will win the presidential election next year?
Of course, the former Lagos State Governor has the capacity to win the election overwhelmingly. APC government, at the Federal and State levels, has done well across the country and the electorate will reciprocate by voting APC candidates during the election. PDP with a terrible history of corruption and infrastructural decay is not a match to APC in the elections. APC victory is assured in 2023. We are ready to deliver Ebonyi and the entire South East for Bola Tinubu.
What about Peter Obi? Don’t you think Labour Party will sweep votes in South East?
Don’t worry. When the time comes, we will know. Mind you, elections are not conducted on social media. All these noise here and there will not translate to votes. APC will take the day in 2023, take it from me.
You have lasted long in the Umahi administration, holding various positions. What is the secret?
Well, one particular thing that you must know about the governor is that he has the interest of the state at heart. He can disagree with anybody, including his blood brother, to protect the interest of the state. Except you are not close to him, anyone who is very close to him knows that he has no friend or enemy except the progress and development of the state. You earn his trust if you can remove selfish ambitions. If you are the type that thinks that government appointment is an avenue to accumulate wealth, to be building hotels and mansions at the expense of the state, then he can’t work with you. But, so far you are creative and can contribute meaningfully to the development of the state, then he is your friend. So, people like us earned his trust because we have been able to sacrifice our personal interest to key into the vision of the governor which is to make Ebonyi the number one state in every index of development and civilization.