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From Magnus Eze, Enugu
Governorship candidate of Action Alliance (AA) in Enugu State, Chinonso Daniel Ogbe is a known activist in and around the Coal City. The legal practitioner has taken up several agitations for the people.
In this interview, he speaks on what he would do differently if elected governor of the state, predicting that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) will be kicked out of the Lion Building (Government House), after 24 years of dominating Enugu State politics.
The Presidential and National Assembly Elections were held last Saturday with most of the results out. What’s your rating of INEC’S performance?
The INEC did not live up to expectations in the manner in which it conducted the February 25 Presidential and National Assembly elections in Nigeria. One of the major factors that encouraged people to come out in their numbers that Saturday, was the belief that election results declared at the polling unit level would be transferred to the Irev using BVAS. That would have ensured that the outcome of the election would be devoid of much controversy. Unfortunately, that was not to be. It is also common knowledge that election did not start on time in many places. INEC, to say the least, disappointed a vast majority of the populace, if truth be told.
People have complained about non electronic transmission of results by INEC. What’s your expectation on March 11?
I can’t really tell what will happen on the 11th of March because even INEC promises to remedy the anomaly it perpetrated in the presidential election in the forthcoming gubernatorial election, many won’t believe INEC, because INEC earlier promised to carry out transfer of results from the polling units in accordance with the law prior to the presidential election, but ended up doing the opposite. Nevertheless, I know as a fact that the governorship election would be keenly contested in some states, despite the shabby manner the presidential election was conducted; considering some political variables. Enugu is one of the states that promise to have an interesting governorship election, owing to the fact that many people are interested in the pedigree of the person that will become the governor of Enugu State this year.
How prepared are you and your party for the March 11 elections?
I am ready for the forthcoming governorship election, and my political party being Action Alliance has given me the needed support to sell my leadership agenda to Enugu State people. As I noted earlier, many electorates in Enugu State are now looking at the various governorship candidates based on the antecedents of the candidates irrespective of their political affiliation. I have over the years in Enugu State interfaced with the good people of the state on issues bordering on governance, even before this election season. In a nutshell, I have reached out and I am still reaching out to the electorates of Enugu State in soliciting their support in the oncoming governorship election.
But, like I have repeatedly said, empires rise and fall. PDP will not be in power forever in Enugu State, and we are already seeing it. The party has governed Enugu State since 1999, and I think a vast majority of Enugu people are not happy with the performance of PDP as a political party so far. Furthermore, PDP has not been winning elections the way they claim in Enugu State prior to now. Most of the electoral victories recorded by PDP in Enugu State were products of electoral malpractices; which interestingly, a former member of the party in the state who is currently chairman of one of the political parties in the state has openly confessed in a live radio programme in Enugu, how he participated in rigging election for PDP in Enugu State and also apologized to Enugu State people. So, with the current reforms made in our electoral system, the heightened political awareness existing among many citizens, and the fact that the time for PDP to pack and go has come, are enough to let you know that something good awaits Enugu State in the forthcoming governorship election. It is going to be a battle akin to that between the biblical David and Goliath. Their rigging machine will fail them just as it did on February 25.
What will you do differently if you emerge victorious at the poll?
As a politician, it may not be difficult for me to make promises on what I will do if I become the governor of Enugu State, as every other politician can also make promises. However, beyond making promises, I will utilize the resources of Enugu State to work for the betterment of Enugu State. I hope to enthrone a united Enugu State and also mobilize our people to confront numerous challenges facing us as a people.
Have you ever considered possible alliance or working understanding with maybe any of the major political parties in the state, ahead of the election?
I have examined the various governorship candidates of the political parties referred to as the major political parties in Enugu State, and respectfully assert that none of them is worth being identified with in the form of an alliance. They are members of the old order in Enugu State, despite their present political affiliation, and were part of those who retrogressed Enugu State if we are not denying the fact that Enugu as a State has not made progress since the inception of the current democratic dispensation. I don’t believe in forming an alliance for the sake of dethroning an existing order, when those who seek to embark on such line of action are still part of the old order which they seek to dethrone. The major alliance to be formed and which is being formed in the forthcoming governorship election in Enugu State is an alliance with the good people of Enugu State who are yearning for good governance. They are the ones that will decide who they believe will make Enugu State great.
