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From Ogbonnaya Ndukwe, Aba
Chief Alexander Ifeanyi Ikwechegh is All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) candidate for the Aba North/South Federal Constituency in the February 25, elections. He spoke on various issues in this interview.
You have been on campaign; what can you say of your experience so far?
In the first place, we are not new to the needs of Aba residents and have for long, tried to assist in our own little way despite not being in government. At an early stage in life, I chose a path of assisting people in need and this has continued even till now. I grew up in Aba and have somewhat, succeeded here as a businessman, and the little efforts we are making are meant towards giving back to the society. Answering your question then, the responses, we believe, have been very encouraging. The people are yearning to have Alex Ikwechegh, as their representative in the National Assembly. We will win with a wide margin, come February 25th.
You are sounding so confident. Are you not mindful of the incumbent, Chief Chimaobi Ebisike, of the PDP, and others from other parties vying for the same position?
I know people are there promising to do this or that if elected. We are not competing to outspeak or outboast any of them. What we are talking about, is what we know how to do, and know we can do for Aba. The incumbent has not made a comment in the chamber of the House, since he went there about two years ago. Aba people are aware of the good work done by our late representative, Prestige Ossy, how he carried Aba and its people along. That is what I want to replicate and continue from where he stopped, if elected. We thank God, this time, that the era of godfatherism, those that sit at home to write election results to favour who they want, is over. The new Electoral Law, signed by President Muhammadu Buhari, has taken care of that. Also, the accreditation process and Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), being introduced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has rested results on actual votes to be cast. So, it is the people that will elect those to go for them.
Two interventions you made at incident scenes, the shops that got burnt along Ukaegbu Road, in Ogbor Hill (Aba North), and your visit to Iheorji Avenue/Ohanku Road (Ndiegoro), during the killing of a policeman, where you made donations and contracted out rebuilding of destroyed shops and residential houses, caused disparaging comments by your opponents, especially those in government and the PDP, who saw it as cashing in on the unfortunate incidents, to woo the people with “cheap politics”. What can you say on this?
I heard those disparaging comments and even the visit of those in the PDP government, to Ukaegbu Road. To me, there is nothing wrong with hearing that your brother and sister has a problem, and going to see him or her. The fire incident in Ukaegbu Road, happened early while I was away, and the government and its agents did nothing. On return, my attention was drawn to it and I promptly went to sympathise with the victims whose businesses were destroyed.
I assisted by paying to rebuild their shops and gave each of them money to restart life. Then, at Ndiegoro, a police officer was killed, and a reprisal attack saw the destruction of properties, including lifelines with which petty traders make ends meet. Many of those that had no hand in the unfortunate incident, were arrested by the police. Again, the government that claims it represents the people did not go, nor send anyone.
The House of Representatives member, who went, had gone with campaign posters to seek votes. Within my party, APGA, we felt, the victims, including the police, the family of the slain officer, and the traders and residents of the area where the incident occurred, needed assistance from a higher authority, to calm nerves and for peace to return. So, we went, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, Hon Obinna Ichita, deputy governorship candidate of our party, and myself among others. We met the police top leadership, met the wife and children of the dead police man, made some cash donations and awarded scholarships to his children, and later went to Ndiegoro/Iheorji Avenue (Ohanku Road), where we also met and discussed with the villagers/residents and those that lost property. We promised to assist the traders restart business, contracted the rebuilding of houses and shops that were burnt, and even signed as sureties at the police station where those that were wrongly arrested were detained. We got them released, and if that is cashing in on the people’s fate to do politics, then, that is why we want to be elected to change the narrative, this time.
Your name, Onye Ocha N’Aba, seems to be popular, especially within the so-called slums of Ohanku, Obohia, Omuma, Uratta, Ogbor Hill, among others. One may ask, why so, in view of your sort of being a fledgling urban town boy?
You know in the past, Aba residents saw themselves as one people, irrespective of where one came from-Old Bende, Ukwa/Ngwa, Imo, Anambra, Enugu, Port Harcourt (Rivers), Uyo (Akwa Ibom), Calabar, Edo/Delta, Hausa (North), and Yoruba. All of us lived together, played together, and see one another as relations.
This spirit made me to become a brother in need, indeed, to those needing assistance. Again, helping to do some of the things being associated with me, in the area of assistance to the poor and needy, is my belief that Aba, has been so much good to me, personally, that I should respond by giving back to its people. I feel for the people, their pains, their woes, and all that they are going through.
The poor, impassable condition of roads, capital flight with multi national companies leaving the town to continue business elsewhere, and lack of jobs for our youths, graduates coming out from educational institutions, are too much to bear. What pains me most, is that, parents after eking out funds to train their children in higher institutions, continue to feed and cloth them. Instead of taking over by offering them good jobs, those in authority including the elected representatives, return home to give them commercial motorcycles, tricycles, sewing machines, on ‘hire purchase’ contracts.
How can you ask a university graduate in whose parents spent their fortunes, sold priced family properties to train, to engage in riding Okada, or tricycle at a cost of N1.8 million, for you, and calling it dividends of democracy, instead of helping him or her get better employment? This is sheer wickedness and I will ensure such thing doesn’t happen again. Our youths must be gainfully employed. We will use our exposure in other lands, to assist our youths learn entrepreneurship, not Okada or Keke riding.
We will give them the benefit of what we know about using new information technology (ICT), to develop and grow. This in turn, will revive and grow our local economy. Aba used to be called the “Japan of Africa”. All that has gone down the drain, due to lack of foresight by our leaders, who got hoisted on us by godfatherism. They had no plans to govern, and therefore had no prepared policy blueprint. That is why, we are currently suffering and they are doing nothing about it. If elected into office as a House of Representatives member, I will use the position, to lure the Federal Government back, to help reconstruct and rehabilitate roads linking Aba/Abia, with Port Harcourt, Bayelsa, Delta, Edo, to Lagos, as well as Enugu, Benue, Kogi, Kwara, Niger and Abuja. Our brothers in Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Central Africa, Congo, among others, who deserted coming into Aba, to do business must come back. We will see that there is conducive, peaceful environment for them, our people and investors coming in to set up business to live and operate together. We need an entrepreneurship attitude to move forward, this time, and that is what I’m bringing to the table, if elected. The late Prestige Ossy, brought it into play during his tenure and Aba enjoyed his representation. Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party used it in Anambra, when he was governor, and it worked and that’s what he is offering to Nigerians as he campaigns for the presidency. Also, I will encourage young people to engage in agriculture. Our youths, must engage in farming, to produce food for the populace. I will help them form partnerships with one another, as well as those in authority, to excel. Like I said earlier, I won’t give youth Keke, or machines to kill and destroy themselves in hire purchase contracts, and call it democratic dividends. Like we have been doing in the past, we will up our assistance levels. We have been asking women in the suburbs of Aba to visit particular filling stations, to collect bottles of kerosene free, fuelling vehicles, Keke and motorcycles for riders, and assisted more than 250 youngsters to study in higher institutions, while helping many others to travel abroad, in search of training and greener pastures.
Politicians seeking elective positions engage in such things you have mentioned, close to elections and abandon them soon after, whether win or lose. Did you think of asking for votes in future, when you started yours?
Not at all. It started like a play thing, helping out. As things got better for me, I began angling to do more, to create a non complaining environment but, you know, there is nothing one does, with people not associating it with what gains the person expects, either immediately or in future. When we carry out certain things that the government ought to do or to have done, like building and grading of rural roads, we see our efforts as assisting, rather than showing off to win the people over. That is why, even as we speak, we are currently grading about seven major roads and streets that ought to have been tarred by the government. We are not confronting them; we are providing access for our people. It is our little way of assisting the society.
Many of Aba residents are skceptical that the election might not be free and fair. Any assurances to your supporters that their votes will count?
Yes, this time, it will be different. INEC, has been assuring us that it is ready. We have also seen the position of the new Electoral Act. So, our people should have no fear. The current government in Abia, managed by the PDP, has failed woefully. It’s elected representatives, are not seen. They only come to seek votes and even tell people things they have said before they did not fulfill. Our constituents know them and having tested and found them wanting, would not make the mistakes of voting them in again. We will ensure that votes cast for us at polling booths are protected. We will win again this time. Aba is APGA stronghold, and we have no fear.
