•Women should have more opportunities to run affairs of govt
Senator Athan Achonu the Labour Party (LP) governorship candidate in the last Imo governorship election, has expressed hope that he will reclaim his stolen mandate, thus banking on the judiciary to make that happen.
He insisted that he won last year’s governorship election, defeating the incumbent, Hope Uzodimma. He claimed to have been denied victory by officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
In an interview with FRED EZEH, he appealed for calm, assuring Imo people that justice will be served before the end of this year.
You participated in the last Imo governorship election. Could you please share your experience with Nigerians?
I had several experiences participating in that election. It’s an election that took several lives and led to the destruction of property. Before the election, the impression people had was that Imo state was a ‘no go area’, a sort of theatre of war because of several news of alleged sponsored killings and other criminalities. When I returned to Imo for the political activities, I realised that there were unofficial curfews in the state. People restricted their activities and engagements. Socioeconomic activity was at its lowest level. Even traditional marriages and burials were done silently or low key because of the activities of armed criminals.
Did you try to change the narrative? If yes, how?
The narrative was changed when we started our campaigns. We started by giving hope to the people through our actions and outreaches, and expectedly, people started coming out from their shelves. Communities and other places that were hitherto quiet became alive again. Imo returned to its old known status of lifestyle and social activities.
What did you tell the people that made them trust you?
My team and I assured them that we meant well for them, and we are in the state to make things better, stating with improving security and that we would guarantee their protection. They trusted us because they were convinced that we are there to better their lives. They supported and believed our messages. Suddenly, people started coming and embracing our campaign messages. Turnout of people at our gatherings exceeded our expectations. I can tell you that we enjoyed genuine love and support from Imo people despite several efforts by the officials of the state government (allegedly) to cripple our good plans for the state and our desire for peaceful elections. Despite that, people were trooping out to support us. You can’t say that we bought the people. Remember that Labour Party doesn’t buy people. ‘We no de give shishi’ was our slogan during the 2023 elections. Nevertheless, people came out massively even under the rain to support us. I was deeply impressed by the desire of the people for a better state.
What do you think was the obstacle that affected the credibility of that election?
It’s the Nigerian factor that affected the credibility of that election and thwarted the desire of Imo people. INEC did so much disservice to the people of Imo State. INEC performance in that election was below expectation. They practically sold their conscience and disregarded all the rules and guidelines they set for the election. They obviously shifted the goal post at the middle of the game. They practically denied us our victory even when it was obvious that we won the election. INEC devices and election results indicated so. Local and international observers also confirmed that the election went the way of Labour Party. Sadly, INEC said otherwise. All effort to prove our case before the announcement of the results didn’t work. But we are in court, and we are proving our case before the members of the tribunal. We are optimistic that justice will come our way at the end of the process.
Many have said the Imo election was like a do-or-die contest. Why was it like that?
It was because the incumbent, Hope Uzodimma, wants to hold the political power by all means possible. He never wanted anyone to look into his operations because he has cockroaches in his cupboard. So he needed to retain the political power by all means so he can continue to loot the commonwealth of Imo people.
What would you have done if you had been declared governor?
Exactly what Alex Otti is doing in neighbouring Abia State is what would have been going on in the state. The world can see the kind of transformation and development that are going on in Abia State. That’s exactly what we would have been doing now in Imo. The state would have been witnessing massive and unprecedented infrastructural and human capital development. But it’s not over yet. With the help of God, Imo people would smile again.
What was the influence of Peter Obi in the election?
Peter Obi’s influence was massive. He’s accepted by the people, and everyone could see it in the love and support people give him. In fact, Peter Obi was the influence and encouragement behind my participation in the election. So, I am extremely grateful to him for the support and encouragement. I had chosen to stay away from politics because of the criminalities and corruption therein. But I had a rethink and threw my ring in the contest, and I am happy with the support and love I received from the good people of Imo state.
What do you make of his (Obi) recent visit to Atiku which many observers claimed was for a possible alliance?
I can’t speak about the visit because I wasn’t at the meeting. But remember that politics is a very dynamic game. Buhari and Tinubu were not in the same political party until 2015 when they joined forces to unseat former President Goodluck Jonathan. Anything is possible in Nigeria politics. So don’t be disappointed or surprised in whatever you see in Nigerian political space. However, I don’t foreclose any merger consideration for both people and parties.
What’s the state of the Labour Party in Imo State?
Labour Party is the only party in Imo State. It’s the party of the people. People see hope in the party and they have embraced it. Apart from the appointees of the state government, the rest people in the state are members of Labour Party. I am sure that majority of the appointees of the government are members of Labour Party even though they might not proclaim it openly because of certain reasons, and we understand the reasons.
What are your hopes or chances in the judiciary?
What I have is hope and not chances. Because I am highly optimistic that the election will be upturned. The case in the tribunal is a straight forward thing for us. We presented enough evidence to the tribunal to prove our case, and we expect them to give us justice because we won the election.
Some Nigerians seem to have lost confidence in the judiciary, but your confidence is high. Why?
There may be bad eggs in the judiciary as it is the case in other professions. But there are lots of men and women of integrity in the judiciary who would never compromise, irrespective of the pressure. Remember that these judges are Nigerians and members of the Nigerian society, and are obviously affected by the rot in the system. But that doesn’t rule out the fact that there are lots of good ones with high integrity and respect for the sanctity of the law. Our prayers and desire is that we come across these good ones who would uphold the rule of law and justice. But for some reason, I am advocating that more women are given more opportunities to run the affairs of this country. I am happy that more of them are in the judiciary and are handling sensitive cases. They are more compassionate and managers, perhaps, because they are mothers and caregivers. It was a woman that saved Alex Otti in Abia State when enemies of the state wanted to thwart the will of the people. Otti wouldn’t have been declared winner of that election if not for the woman that served as Returning Officer. I believe that women would save our democracy.
2027 politicking has started. Alliances and re-engineering are going on silently…
I am not aware of that. Unfortunately, that’s one of the challenges in governance system in Nigeria. Political leaders are more concerned about the next election circle even when they are yet to deliver on the promises already made to the people. Instead of implementing policies and programmes that would better the lives of the people, they would be distracted with planning for the next election circle.
You were in the Senate. What’s your assessment of the 10th Senate vis-a-vis their connection with the realities of the people?
There was never a connect between the Senate and Nigerians. The disconnect has been there and it’s widening, and I will tell you why. When someone that wasn’t the choice of the people is given the mandate, what would you expect? Most of the people in the Senate were never elected by the people. They either bought their way there through INEC officials or through the judiciary. So, you don’t expect them to serve the interest of the people. Their interest and their paymasters become their priorities.
So how can we fix these challenges?
Nigerians would be the ones to do that. They have to rise and say enough is enough! And that can only be done through the ballot so it can be legitimate and globally recognized.
But Nigerians obviously rose up in 2023…
Yeah, but they have to persist and continue. If what you want did not come through in 2023, please continue to push. That the first attempt didn’t work does not mean you should relax and give up. Giving up will be more disastrous. It will strengthen the boldness of the evil ones to continue to do their evil.
What words do you have for your supporters and Imo people in general?
Imo people should keep their hope and confidence alive because a better tomorrow will come sooner than expected. I can assure them that before the end of this year, the stolen mandate will be recovered. The needed change they voted for will come. I am very optimistic that I will be governor of Imo state by end of this year.