From Obinna Odogwu, Awka
Candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) for Akpabuyo/Bakassi/Calabar South Federal Constituency for the 2023 general elections, Andrew Thomas, has lamented the alleged poor representation being suffered by his people.
Thomas, a lawyer based in the United States of America, described the current representative of his people as a sleeping lawmaker who has spent about 20 years in the National Assembly with very little achievements to show for it.
In this interview, Thomas, who had worked as a journalist in Nigeria before moving to the US, spoke on other issues of concern including the crisis rocking his party at the national level.
Why do you want to represent Akpabuyo/Bakassi/Calabar South Federal Constituency in the National Assembly?
There are many reasons I have put myself forward. In one word, service. For far too long, the Akpabuyo/Bakassi/Calabar South Federal Constituency has had to grapple with many challenges that should have been holistically addressed but for the quality of representation. The constituents have not been represented with the vigour that they deserve. Let me use an example. INEC created 130 new polling units. The incumbent was comfortable with INEC creating 116 new polling units in Calabar South, while just 13 new polling units were created in Akpabuyo Local Government Area. And believe it or not, INEC only allocated one new polling unit to Bakassi Council Area. However, you want to spin the argument for this; it is clear we have a sleeping representative who, for the records, has been a member of INEC committee in the National Assembly. We need a representative that is relatable; a representative that has a 2022 and futuristic mindset; a representative that looks like the majority of the constituents who are young, savvy and desire quality representation in the National Assembly.
Are you saying that you’re not impressed with the performance of your current representative; and indeed, all those who have represented the constituency before now?
It is not what I say; it is what the people are feeling on ground. One fellow has been representing us for almost 20 years in the House of Representatives. Has the democratic dividends been commensurate with that period of time? The answer is an emphatic NO. The outgoing representative of Akpabuyo/Bakassi//Calabar South Federal Constituency has contemporaries that are senate president (Lawan) and Speaker (Gbajabiamila). The only high profile positions he has held as a very high ranking legislator are chairman of Labour Committee and presently NDDC Committee. The convenient argument for those who still need to be convinced that we need a fresh start in 2023 will be that all politics are local and the man is on “ground.” My simple answer to that is that if you are a grassroots politician, it should yield patronage at the federal level. Almost all the politicians in Nigeria who are grounded locally have a stake at the federal level. Even if they are in opposition, they have a say in their party affairs at the national level. Our campaign for a fresh start in 2023 is to represent our people with dignity. Being a legislator entails much more important responsibilities than attending social events and paying condolence visits. By God’s grace, if we are elected to represent our people in the 10th session of the House of Representatives, we will empower a functional outreach and special duties unit to provide access to our constituents when they need support for their social and cultural obligations. We will focus on legislating more existential issues of poverty, unemployment, and several challenges yet to be addressed by the Federal Government. These issues include implementation of the recommendations on the holistic resettlement of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Bakassi in true faith to the 2006 Green Tree agreement; the ratification of the treaty that amends the sea fisheries act of 1992. The perennial problem of gully erosion in Calabar Metropolis among others which we have documented in our manifesto, “Fresh Start 2023”
What would you do if you don’t win?
Very simple. I will return to my job. I am a lawyer in the United States. Politics is not a full time job for me. It is a call to service. In keeping with my family tradition of a long history of public service, I have toed the path of my grandfather who was an employee of the Nigeria Railway Corporation and a chaplain of the Nigerian Army. My father was also a staff of the Nigeria Railway Corporation, and he also retired without a blemish as a chief superintendent in the Nigeria Customs Service since 1999. Most of my formal education has been in public schools and the first job I held for almost eight years after leaving university over 15 years ago was as a journalist in one of the foremost media conglomerates in Africa. I have the capacity, character and competence to pursue the legislative and empowerment agenda of the long deprived constituents of Akpabuyo/Bakassi/Calabar South Federal Constituency.
Of the three most popular presidential candidates for this 2023 poll; that is, Peter Obi, Atiku and Tinubu, who do you think is the best for Nigeria?
My party, the ADC, has a presidential candidate, Dumebi Kachikwu. Mr Kachikwu practises all he preaches. With the support of forward looking members of the ADC, Mr Kachikwu has insisted on the party being administered in accordance with the spirit and letters of our constitution, as well as guidelines for political parties as enshrined in the extant laws and INEC regulations. That is why the same merchants who claimed to be party leaders have been shown the way out. This was done by following due process, a culture that is still evolving in the Nigerian democratic space. Without any fear of contradiction, Dumebi Kachikwu will get my vote as a loyal party man.
Do you not think that the recent crisis that erupted in your party will affect it, especially your presidential candidate at the polls? You already know the drama playing out there. And again, how far has your party’s leadership gone in resolving this crisis?
On the contrary, what you consider a crisis was a successful attempt to practise what the ADC preaches. It was the only party that had a leadership that had been in office for 17 straight years. Our presidential candidate and other stakeholders of the party considered it an aberration. This anomaly was rectified by following due process of law in ousting them. INEC is well aware and in due course, a new national leadership will be elected via a convention. The ADC does not have any crisis. What happened was ousting merchants who had hitherto turned the party to a meal ticket. In any case, a party in a democracy should be a shining example of due process and other key tenets of democracy. ADC embodies the tenets of democracy. It is the only party that a candidate that was not considered a factor emerged the presidential candidate.
That is the beauty of democracy. ADC has been electing candidates at all levels and 2023 will not be an exception.
Outside of your presidential candidate, which of the aforementioned three is your next choice? Is it Obi, Atiku or Tinubu?
Does it really matter who my next best choices are? I believe it does not matter because ultimately, Nigerians will elect the President they deserve in 2023. In practical terms, elections have and will always be a choice between or among many evils. No candidate is perfect. Among the candidates running for office, Nigerians know who has their interest and God willing, they will elect a President of their choice if INEC demonstrates its commitment to free, fair and credible elections in 2023. In short, I will defer to Nigerians choosing their President. All I have is one vote.
Based on available reports, many Nigerians are not happy with the APC’s performance at the federal level. To them, the APC has, so far, performed very badly, especially in the area of economy and security? Do you hold the same opinion?
I will not want to comment on the performance of the APC. Nigerians know where the shoe pinches them. If they are still comfortable with the APC in 2023, God forbid, I can only wish Nigerians well in all their future endeavours.
How would you rate the performance of your state governor, Prof. Ben Ayade, so far?
That is a story for another day. It depends on who you are asking. And regardless of how you assess his performance, there are those who believe he has done well. But ultimately, the outgoing governor should search his conscience and reach a conclusion if he has served Cross River faithfully in line with his oath of office in 2015 and 2019. Posterity will be the final judge.