From Romanus Ugwu, Abuja
Mrs Oluchi Opara represents many things to different people – a mother, political activist, social crusader, and a stubborn fighter.
She came into the limelight as the national treasurer of the Labour Party who led a revolt for the impeachment of her party’s National Chairman, Julius Abure.
In this interview with Sunday Sun, she dispelled speculations that someone is sponsoring her to destabilise her party, as well as scuttle the presidential ambition of Mr Peter Obi.
She argued that instead of attacking her for opening the decay in the party, she deserves commendations.
Mrs Opara also enumerated the multitude of challenges an average female politician in Nigeria politics battles daily.
How delicate is it for women politicians to operate in Nigeria?
The environment alone is not friendly for women to survive in Nigerian politics and I don’t think that God designed it to be so. It is our men who made it so because there are lots of issues that women face whenever they want to make an impact in politics. Women face so many challenges from their families too because women, according to our society, are expected to be at home taking care of their families while the men are supposed to be in politics. Again, some families, especially husbands, will not encourage their wives to be in politics, and that alone is a minus for the woman. Some religions do not support women going into politics. What about the financial muscle? You know that men already have a lot of money to throw around because they have been in active politics for a long time and politicking has to do with money. Politics is all about money and women don’t have that kind of privilege. Thuggery is another area women are facing serious challenges in politics. Because we give lives, we cannot afford to take the same lives we gave. But men don’t care and can do anything to get to where they are going. More discouraging is the unprintable names they give to women once they venture into politics. All these have contributed in giving women the back seat whenever the issue of politics is played or discussed. What I want to tell women is to do their things without minding what people will say about them. They should know that people must talk about them whether they do anything right or wrong. So, no matter what we do and how we do it, people must talk about us derogatorily and if they don’t talk about you, it means that you are not living. We have seen women politicians being called unprintable disparaging names like Ashawo. Many women get weakened whenever such unprintable names are used on them because those name-callings make politics very delicate for women and discourage them from participating in politics.
Did the involvement of female politicians in alleged financial fraud come to you as a surprise?
I can only talk about myself. As the former national treasurer of LP, money never went missing under me as a woman. The party’s fund never got into my account for personal use. We have the likes of Dora Akunyili, Oby Ezekwesili, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, and many others who were in politics, but never involved themselves in any financial fraud. That one or few women were involved in allegations of financial fraud does not discredit the entire women holding appointments in society. It could just be one or two out of 100 and that does not approximate the actual number of women who do the right thing while holding power.
Does it mean that Betta Edu, Diezani Alison-Madueke, and other women going through trials over alleged fraud did not surprise you?
I won’t say that it did not surprise me because in life we have our different agenda and the targets we want to achieve going into politics. Someone like me wants to write my name in gold. I want to leave a name for my children and the unborn generation. I want my name to open iron doors for my children and relatives. I want to think that they also know what they want in life. I cannot speak for them on what their mission is in politics. Maybe they want to acquire everything acquirable and maybe put their name in the dustbin. I won’t want to do that. So, that is me talking, they have their agenda, and I have my agenda.
Have you met the target of what motivated you to go into politics?
My mission in politics is to change the face of governance. I want to be able to contribute my quota when it comes to good governance. Honestly, Nigerians are not getting a fair deal of governance in the country. This is democracy, but we are not even allowed to speak out on how things are supposed to be. People are not allowed to move freely, security is not guaranteed everywhere; hardship is too much for many people in the country and they can no longer feed normally. By the grace of God, I want to be in a position if I do occupy the position; I want to be able to change the face of things with that opportunity. So, the motivation for going into politics is to change lives. I have been in politics since way back in 2013 as a young girl growing up. I didn’t quite know the things I know now then. I learnt through the process. Yes, as a young girl that time, I will say that I didn’t know what I know in politics now. If I reflect on the journey so far, I will be bold to say that I am no longer the young lady coming into politics back then in 2013. I have learnt enough to be able to educate and encourage women on what politics is all about. I can tutor and give some reasonable advice to the women who want to come into politics on how to navigate and be prosperous in terms of doing things right.
Are you aware that many Nigerians now know you negatively as a controversial person, perhaps because of your hard stance on issues concerning the LP?
My true supporters know that the main reason that I went public means that things were not right. They know me even in LP as a peacemaker, but the fact that I went public means that I could not stomach what I have been able to manage internally. Of course, the upright ones will tell you that truth is truth any day anytime no matter how society tries to suppress it. No matter how anybody tries to perceive me, I have basically done my simple service to humanity and to the nation by coming out to say that someone is trying to soil his finger. He is still trying to accuse the government of the day whereas he is doing worse under his nose. If given the opportunity they will do worse things.
Did you know the gravity of trying to destroy LP and scuttle Peter Obi’s presidential chances?
Of course, people attacked me from different angles, but anyone who saw my approach, and saw how I canvassed vote for Obi will believe that I really put in my best. I did not go public during the campaign period, I did not go public during the election period, and during the tribunal period. I waited for all these activities to be concluded before I went public. I knew it would have been at Obi’s detriment if I had done it before the Supreme Court judgment. I calmed down and waited for all these to be over before I went public. If you noticed the letter I wrote before, you will know that I started writing them internally even during the electioneering period against Julius Abure. It was like my world against Abure before I started putting down those letters and making it official so that many people could know what I was going through. My letters were already with Abure during the tribunal, but I did not make it public until the Supreme Court final judgment on the matter. There is no iota of truth in the claim that I am sabotaging Peter Obi or that someone is sponsoring me to sabotage him against actualising his ambition.
Won’t people’s feelings that you are anti-Obi affect your political future?
I will not tell you whether I want to contest any election or not or whether it will affect me. Let the will of God be done. My life has been a testimony because God has been ordering my footsteps. So, if God says I am going to run for election and win, nobody can counter it. God will even make my enemies vote for me for just no reason. Therefore, I will repeat that the will of God should be done in my life because and if He says that I will win if I contest then I will definitely win. His will must definitely prevail in my life.
Do you regret the role you played in damaging the image of the party?
I can never regret my actions because what I did was a service to humanity and a service to the nation. We have to live by example; we have to call corruption and crime by their names. Don’t just be criticising the government of the day while there is serious corruption going on under your nose. I did what I did to show that we have to live by example. We can’t keep quiet when they are embezzling the party’s fund, transferring money into their wives’ account, family’s account, and their account. I should even be applauded for doing what I did. People should commend my courage for coming out as a woman to speak against evil.
Why can’t you just leave LP since they don’t want to hear your voice?
My brother Kenneth Okonkwo would say, never say never. But, in the meantime, I am still a member of the party and I am going to support the party all the way. I started off my political career with the LP, I have paid my dues, and I have grown with the party. So, for now, I am still with the LP. As I said earlier, never say never because only God can direct my footsteps and I will allow His will to prevail in my life.
What will you tell President Tinubu if he gives you an audience?
I will tell him, Mr President, please change your inner caucus. Anybody giving you advice on the economic policies you are implementing is definitely not presenting the actual truth and picture of what is happening in the country. The aides are just being sycophantic around the President. I will tell him, if he will listen to me, to change his team because Nigerians are suffering. We are suffering because the prices of essential needs of Nigerians have skyrocketed from one per cent to one million per cent. I don’t even remember the kind and level of harshness people are going through. Some are not able to go to work, even the new minimum wage, for goodness sake, cannot fuel the car for one week. The children can no longer go to school. Everything has gone to the rooftop. Mr. President must change his cabinet because they are not telling him the truth about what is happening in the country. They are only interested in what they will benefit from him and I will advise Mr. President to change them. He must do the right thing because some Nigerians voted for him though I did not vote for him. He has to do the right thing.
As a female politician, what are your fears about Nigeria as a nation?
My biggest fear as a woman in politics in Nigeria is the issue of insecurity. It doesn’t favour the female folks. Men knew how to navigate and run around while the women folks were vulnerable. If the environment is made safer for everybody, because as a leader, what you owe your followers is the security of lives and property and when that is not done, you have done absolutely nothing, even if you like, record achievement in other areas. The country is in turmoil when it comes to the issue of security. And I think that Mr. President should look in this direction to see that there is peace and harmony, irrespective of the harshness facing Nigerians. He will also take care of the insecurity.
What will you tell Peter Obi if you sit face to face with him?
I will tell him a whole lot. The last time he spoke on the leadership crisis rocking the party, he said that he is sitting on the fence, but if I meet him, I will tell him to stop sitting on the fence. He should come down, find a solution, and solve the problem like a leader. I want him to assert his authority as he did in Asaba. He must tell Abure to stop damaging the image of the party. He must tell him to step aside for the right thing to be done.
What can make you pipe low in this fight?
The only thing to calm me down is for the right thing to be done and for the EFCC to look into this matter to investigate the allegation of embezzlement, corruption and unfortunately, for the account of LP to be truly audited so that Nigerians will know if I have lied to them or if I am saying the right thing. That will be enough for me.