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From Stanley Uzoaru, Owerri
The Chairman, Committee on Strategy and Planning of Labour Party (LP), in Imo State and member of the Presidential Campaign Council, Mr Ike Ibe, is an economist.
He has been a governorship candidate in the state for three times.
In this chat with Sunday Sun, he gave an insight of how the Obi-Datti movement would transform to a new Nigeria, as well as his possible recontesting of the governorship of the state, among others. Excerpt:
Now that you’re here with Labour Party, are you aspiring for any position?
I have been a governorship candidate of some political parties in this state, as long as we’re alive, we would keep aspiring.
Yesterday you were not in Labour Party and now you’re holding a strategic position of the party, tell us specifically if you have the ambition of governing Imo?
I’m a member of Labour Party and I’m a member of the campaign movement of Peter Obi as you observed. I’ve known Peter Obi for several months now and I’m part of the leaders of the party and I know many people at the national and state level, so my presence with them now only suggests that I’m part of them.
What’s your opinion about Obi-Datti movement?
Obi-Datti movement is a movement that has come to stay ,so many circumstances have made Obi become the mega star that he is today. He has come with a positive disruption in the system in politics, campaigning in election and support base. So, the Obi phenomenon in Nigeria today is a very big disruption, that is why you see over 180 support groups across the nation,everybody is interested in participating in this process of change ,everybody is tired of what is happening in Nigeria,everybody is tired of poor security, everybody is tired of poor economy, everybody is tired of poor infrastructure, everybody is tired of education decay, everybody is tired of ills of the society. Peter Obi represents that vision of what Nigeria should be, a new Nigeria that is possible, so this is what is happenibg nationwide . Peter Obi himself as a person,this is beyond him ,this is about Nigerians, we Nigerians see ourselves as running for president through Peter Obi. It’s personal to all of us ,that’s why everybody is contributing in their various capacities, in their communities, everywhere ,you see what is happening in the social media,when it started,they said it was just four people tweeting, now it has become millions of Nigerians on the street ,now the party is doing great campaign and you can see what is happening in the stadia in the country ,some state governments have come to be funny by locking up their stadia ,when people take this to the streets,it becomes more bigger ,what is happening is unique and and never seen in the history of Nigeria and it is the beginning of a new and regenerated Nigeria where everybody would be proud to answer a Nigerian.
Some people are insinuating that Obi would opearate as regional president, do have the same opinion?
It is only those who are mischief makers that will describe him as that, he has bigger support in many states beyond the Southeast. Obi is not a regional president, but he is going to be president of Nigerians, but born in the Southeast just as we had once president of Nigeria born in the Northeast or born in the Northwest. Obi is going to be president of Nigeria born in the Southeast ,that’s the difference.
Alright sir, if the people of Imo give you their mandate to govern them, what would you do differently?
Well, it’s going to be like the Obi presidency because the Obi presidency is coming people have lost faith and hope in Imo State. People are now craving for genuine leadership ,people are craving for leadership that works for the people are craving for leadership that would provide necessary infrastructure without grandstanding and not politicking about it. These are what the people are craving for and these are what we are likely to give to the people.
Looking at the arrays of politicians aspiring under Labour Party, people are afraid the party might plung into crisis like other parties, do you share the same feeling?
Well, this is politics ,if you are sitting in a church and a mad man comes to the church and to your seat and says, “o boy shift” you must shift,as worshippers in the church you must be careful , the mad man is watching the alter,you are watching the mad man to see whether he would jump up from his seat and jump up to capture the blessed sacrament and run away. So, the Labour Party has noted all these things happening in the other parties and they be on the lookout to see that nothing happens because they are now presenting an image of a party that wants to make a difference, especially with the positive destructive entrance of Peter Obi,so the party cannot do anything less than the quality he has across the states.
