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The Director General of Ikechi Emenike Campaign Organisation, Chief Uche Ogboso, has said that the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in Abia, has come to breathe fresh air into the state.
In an interview with VINCENT KALU, Ogboso said Chief Emenike stands out among other candidates because of his pedigree.
What is Ikechi Emenike coming to do differently if elected Abia governor?
Chief Ikechi Emenike is the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Abia State, and as you can see, the state is in a very sorry situation; some people have described it as the worst state in terms of development, as it has not recorded any meaningful development in the last decade.
Looking at the other governorship candidates in the state, there is no one with his pedigree and status; he didn’t just wake up with the ambition to govern the state, he has long prepared for the job. As a financial analyst, an entrepreneur of repute and a developmental economist, he believes that Abia can be turned into a first class state and be compared with Lagos in terms of economy and industrial development.
The present drivers of Abia are bereft of ideas on how to lift the state to high pedestal. Ideas drive development; the APC governorship candidate is widely travelled and a financial consultant, who believes that no country or state will develop if it does not achieve double digit growth. Expanding the economic sphere and creating opportunities for more people to participate in the development of the state can achieve double-digit growth. He is not happy with the high level of unemployment in the Abia and the shameful level of infrastructure in the state. So, to accelerate development and to take the teeming unemployed out from the streets are his top priority. He is coming to breathe fresh air to deodorise Abia; the state is an embarrassment. He is going to make Abia, a state whose reputation for excellence would be second to none and everything he shall be doing must reflect this. The present annual budget of the state cannot put it on high pedestal of development. As a developmental economist, he will run a much higher budget to turn the state into an industrial hub. Very soon, he will unveil his manifesto that details how he is going to turn around the state.
What are his chances? APC is strong in Abia North; because of him, Abia Central may go for him, but the party’s presence is not felt so much in Abia South
Emenike is very much on ground in the 17 local governments of the state. People who held such position don’t understand the dynamics of politics. He is so much grounded in the state. He started early and the people have fully accepted him. He has chosen a very vibrant pure Christian deputy, a woman from Ukwa. The people of Ukwa since the creation of Abia have always been used, but have not been properly included in the administration. So, for the first time, Ukwa people will be properly incorporated into the government of Chief Emenike and they are very happy, as they see this as their finest moment. The present PDP government was using a lot of people to truncate the chances of APC in Abia South, but now that those things have been discovered, coupled with the anger in the state over the non-performance of the government, the people are rooting for Emenike. Even people from the local government of the governor are angry and have welcomed the APC candidate. Abia people are ready for him because they believed he has come to deliver them. Abia people even within and outside are ashamed of the state. His acceptance is more as he is the only candidate without a godfather, and has not in anywhere meddled with the past government in the state. We want a clean break from what we have now.
You have great people in other parties contesting against him. Prof Uche Ikonne, former VC, ABSU (PDP); Prof. Greg Ibe, proprietor of a university (APGA), and Alex Otti, former bank MD (LP). Don’t you think Emenike fades into oblivion when you compare him with those three candidates?
If you place them one after the other, starting from the candidate of the PDP, who was the VC of Abia State University, the institution went down under his tenure. The medical school of the institution lost accreditation, and it is in the public domain; Abia people have taken note of this. Then, Alex Otti, he has tried twice to win the governorship election, but failed because some people felt that when he was in the bank, he was very friendly with the past government. Then think of Prof Greg Ibe, a proprietor of a university. Yes, having a university is different from running a state.
But, Ikechi Emenike was the chairman of the Governing Council of University of Nigeria, a renowned institution; go and read the account of his positive impact while he was there. He is a financial consultant to IMF, World Bank and other global institution, and he would bring to bear that background to turn Abia, a state whose reputation for excellence would be second to none. Like I said before, the present government is running a very low budget, which cannot lift the state up. He has designed a programme to run the state with a much higher budget, which was informed from his strategic thinking, different from the other candidates. With a higher budget, he will create employment, develop the state and take our unemployed youths off the streets.
Abia youths are already yearning for him. Abia people are wiser; they know each of the candidates, where they are coming from and their capacity. A lot of people misunderstood Emenike; many see him as too straightforward, a person who cannot bend. But, if you come close to him, you will fall in love with him. His philanthropy is great; he has offered scholarship at different levels to Abia students. He is a lover of education.
There is this Abia Charter of Equity, which spelt out the power sharing arrangement among the three senatorial zones. Abia North is insisting that it is her turn to produce the governor, as Abia Central, and Abia South have had theirs. How can you relate this to Chief Emenike’s ambition?
I’m an indigene of Abia North, and I believe that Abia North person with the right credentials and capacity should govern the state at this time, but when you look at it critically, you find out that the present state of Abia needs somebody with capacity like Emenike to bring it out from its sorry situation, then after that, the rotation can continue.
Zoning, people say, brings mediocrity. The APC’s candidate pedigree stands him out among the rest. Because of the present situation, he is the right person we need to bring Abia out from the deep hole. People are not speaking so much about Abia North, especially as those from that zone who have the same capacity or pedigree to change Abia could not get their political parties’ tickets. So when the right person could not get a party ticket, the next thing you do is to step up and look for the next person suitable for the job. I still believe in Abia North, but at this present time, the crop of candidates from there are not ripe for the job ahead.
There is a pending court matter between Emenike and Uche Ogar over the governorship ticket of APC. Are you no worried that Emenike may be labouring for Ogar?
Some people are not happy when good things are about to happen. Since Emenike came out to contest Abia governorship election this time around, the way people have received and accepted to him and urging him, has invited envy. Many people who don’t wish the state well are responsible for the court cases, using it as a stumbling block on his way to becoming the governor, but divinely he is marching on.
About 17 cases were instituted against him; some of them very meaningless, just to distract him. As we speak, about 13 of them have been disposed off in his favour, remaining very few that will go the way of others. Fortunately, the APC has issued Certificate of Return to Emenike and INEC has also published his name as the governorship candidate of Abia State. So, he is undaunted and going around to consult with people and waiting for proper time for campaigns to kick off.
