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By Fred Itua, Abuja
Hon. Osita Opara is a public administrator and community focused leader who served as a transitional Chairman of Mbaitoli Local Government Council from 2003 to 2004, and was elected unopposed in 2004 to 2007. In this interview with Daily Sun, Hon. Opara speaks on his bid for a Senate ticket, insecurity in the South East, immunity for principal officers of the National Assembly, among others.
You have not held any elective position for almost 20 years. Why the sudden desire to go to the Senate when there are less competitive positions?
There is no sequence in going for electoral positions. Some have gone for the presidency as their first attempt. Some climb through the rudiments. I have climbed through the rudiments. I was a transition committee chairman in a Local Government. In 2004, I was elected unopposed. In 2007, I contested for the House of Representatives and won. But the powers that be stopped me. They said they wanted the incumbent from my federal constituency to return because they needed our area to produce a principal officer. They had just introduced a rule then in the House of Representatives that only ranking members will become principal officers. When that happened, I went back to my business. Over time, I served in many capacities. I served as a member of the Tourism Committee of Imo State during Rochas Okorocha. I was a member of the State Creation Committee. I also served for two terms during the late President Muhammadu Buhari as a member of the board of Abuja Investment Company Limited. I oversaw the rebirth of that company. I have not been out of government, but I am a politician who has a second address. I do not need to be hanging around the corridors of power. I was doing what I did before I ran for any elective positions. That was what President Buhari saw and asked me to serve on that board. From there, I now want to contest.
If you thrived in the private sector like you said, why do you suddenly want to go to the Senate?
I have dual capacity. I have performed well both in the private and public sectors. So, it is a rare gift. Some people only have one gift, but I can move in and out. Going by my experience of zoning in the House of Representatives, you have to calculate and know if the opportunities are there. You may want to go to the Senate and the zoning will not fit you. You may want to be a governor and the zoning will not work for you either. So, you check where you fit in.
The question I am still asking, you have not responded. Why do you suddenly want to go to the Senate?
I want to go to the Senate because I want to continue to provide services for my people. I have been under pressure for a long time to run.
Pressure from whom?
From my people. I have a robust profile. You can call someone from my zone and confirm my records. I was a first class Local Government Council chairman and I performed creditably well during my tenure. I did projects that are still working till date. The people are yearning for my return. That is why I am contesting.
If you go by the zoning arrangements in your area, do you stand a chance?
There are no hard and fast rules in my senatorial zone. However, we have our bloc and we know how these things are rotated. The current arrangements favour me and that is why my people are asking me to come and run. There are no serious people opposing me. The incumbent senator has done two tenures and he has graciously decided to go for governorship. The seat is vacant and it is the turn of my area.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu recently said governors will determine who will get tickets to go to the National Assembly from their States. So, have you obtained the endorsement of Governor Hope Uzodinma to run for office?
I am a popular candidate. Whoever wants to work with me will enjoy it because I add value. I have a good relationship with the governor. I worked with him then as a Local Government chairman. We have maintained that good relationship.
Has Governor Uzodinma endorsed you?
My governor has not been going about endorsing people. He has not endorsed anybody. I do not want to use the word powers that be. But what I know is that the various groups support me coming to the Senate. I have filled and submitted my form.
So, have you met with your governor to officially inform him?
That is my strategy. I cannot reveal that to the public. Those are private discussions. I do not want to come to the public and talk about those private discussions.
In the 2023 presidential election, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu did not win any State in the South East. Do you think he stands a chance in the region in 2027?
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I do not know for sure. The situation is fluid. Nothing is certain for now. I have not conducted any polls yet. But I know he will perform better in the South East. From the trends, you can tell. In the past, he had just two APC governors from the South East. Today, APC has three governors and the other two governors are supporting him. He has penetrated the region.
There are fears that the current security situation in the South East may affect the conduct of next year’s general elections in the region. Do you share those thoughts too?
I do not think so. The South East does not have the kind of insecurity that will affect the conduct of elections next year. Of course, there is insecurity everywhere in Nigeria. Every part of Nigeria has one security challenge or another. The most important thing is that the government is working out plans and actions to address them. No society is completely free from insecurity.
Running for an election is expensive in Nigeria. You have been out of office for a while. Are you willing to spend billions of your hard earned funds to run for an election you may not win?
Running for an election is a calling. If you have the calling to be a musician or a doctor or a priest, you spend funds to achieve these things. If you look at money, you will not do anything in life.
If your party in the State and the governor eventually settle for a consensus arrangement that does not favour you, will you accept the outcome?
When we get to that bridge, we will cross it. We are not there yet. Do not worry. Let us get there first. I will get the ticket. I am the best aspirant right now.
Can you tell us some of your key achievements in office as Council chairman?
To be a senator, you have to be highly educated. I have three masters degrees and other certifications. I am a fellow of over five institutions in Nigeria. I am a patron of over 200 organisations. As at 1997, I had a stockbroking firm. I won best chairman several times. I need to be in office to help my people. But you must have the calling to serve.
The teething security situation in the South East appears to be unending. If elected a senator, what solutions would you proffer?
The first solution is state police. If I have my way, we will have a Local Government police. We already have local vigilante groups. This has worked in many places.
Are you not worried about abuse?
That is why we have the National Assembly. The parliament will make laws and fine tune them to handle them. If other countries have handled it, why can’t we?
Governors enjoy immunity. Are you worried that governors will use state police against perceived opposition elements in their States?
There will still be the federal police. There are crimes that are handled by federal and state police. These things will be defined in the constitution. That is why we have recommended a Commission for state police.
Do you support calls that immunity for governors should be expunged from the constitution?
I do not support that. People who hold such positions as governors, without the immunity, they will be abused. I am a strong believer that governors should be allowed to enjoy their immunity.
If the Executive enjoys immunity, do you support those who want National Assembly members to enjoy the same privileges too?
I do not think so. Members of the National Assembly are not exposed to what governors are exposed to. The case of Bukola Saraki was different. It can be fine tuned. The legislature can work around it and ensure that such abuses are prevented.
