From Okey Sampson, Umuahia

Prince Benjamin (BB) Apugo is the Ochiagha/Oparaukwu Ibeku, Umuahia North Local Government Area of Abia State. He is equally a BoT and national caucus member of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

In this interview, he spoke on how Abia has existed over the years without what may be called a fitting government. He equally spoke on Peter Obi’s presidential candidacy of the Labour Party and what it has done for the Igbo race, and more.

Seven or eight months to the end of the administration in Abia, do you still hold that belief that this government has not performed?

What are you talking? You are from Abia State, likewise I am from the state. Why are you asking me that question? Don’t you see the whole place is bushy, rotten? I have always said it, there is one thing you people always want to hear from me; this is my home town, I’m an Ibeku prince, the owners of the land. There is one thing Umuahia North Local Government has, that other Local Governments in Nigeria do not have.

One is that a former head of state and commander in chief of the armed forces, comes from here and Dr. M. I Okpara, former Premier of defunct Eastern Nigeria came from Umuahia here.

If you ask me whether this government is performing or not, l will tell you there is no government here. It has been so, there has never been any government here for some past years.

What’s the way forward?

I’m an All Progressives Congress (APC) man but it is shameful for me to say it because APC did not do anything for me, for my Local Government and state. As a BoT member and member national caucus of APC, I have nothing to show, even in appointments, nobody from my home was given any appointment. I registered Ikechi Emenike in APC, others like Uche Ogah, I received them at the stadium for APC but nobody from Ibeku was given anything. You people know me that I wouldn’t like to compromise, that’s why it is so and I’m not happy about that.

Are you happy that the party structure in Abia has been given to Ikechi Emenike?

How? I am not going to talk about Ikechi Emenike because I don’t know about him, I have forgotten about him. I brought him, I registered him in APC, but he knows how he plays with them; he is the type of person they want. For me, I always follow the laws and culture of the land, I respect it.

As a BoT and national caucus member of APC, are you going to support Ikechi Emenike as the party’s flag-bearer in 2023?

I don’t even know if Ikechi Emenike is contesting election. I don’t even know who will contest on the platform of APC because I learnt they are in court.

Are you in support of the APC Presidential candidate, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu?

I don’t know him, I am in the same level with him in APC; he has not talked to me, so, how do I support someone whom I don’t know; I haven’t met him. Nobody has come to say to me, Tinubu sent him to me.

What do you have to say about the Muslim-Muslim ticket of the APC?

I have told you earlier that I don’t know Tinubu; he hasn’t come to me, so, anything that he does, doesn’t in anyway affect my decision about him or about me not knowing him.

People have been talking about an Igbo man becoming president of this country and Peter Obi has come out to fill the gap. Is he going to receive your support?

No, no, no, let us not be sentimental about Peter Obi being an Igbo man, it is sentimental. We are going to vote the right person. I will vote the right person, I won’t be sentimental about Peter Obi. Whether he is an Hausa man and I decide to vote for him, I will vote for him. Let’s stop bringing in this Peter Obi being an Igbo. From what you are seeing, are only the Igbo people supporting Peter Obi? We are not supporting Peter Obi because he is an Igbo man, we are talking about the right people.

And let me tell you what this Peter Obi’s thing has wiped out; nobody is going to call you Biafra again. Everybody now knows that as an Igbo man, you are a Nigerian; we are even more Nigerian.

You talked about Peter Obi’s presidential candidacy wiping out Biafra from the Igbo race, how do you mean?

Look, we have been saying forget about this Biafra, Biafra you call an Igbo man and you will still see some stupid Hausa or Yoruba men still saying you people are Biafrans. ‘You want us to give you nomination and you declare Biafra’. How can we declare Biafra that was dead years ago? We are all Nigerians. So, what I am saying is that for the mere fact that, that man (Peter Obi) is contesting presidency in Nigeria and he is an Igbo man, at least we have gotten that question of Biafra off. Peter Obi is not contesting in Biafra now, he is contesting in Nigeria, so, you can’t see an Igbo man and call him Biafra anymore. I as a person is happy with that one.

What do you think are the chances of Peter Obi winning the presidential election in 2023?

I think I have answered this question before. I am not in his party, but I will vote for the best and the best will win the election.

Is it true that you endorsed Chief O. B Aguocha of Labour Party (LP) as the man for Ikwuano-Umuahia seat at the House of Representatives?

The person you are talking about has not even come to me to tell me he is contesting election. If he comes and I look at him and see he is better than the candidate from my party, I will support him. I’m not doing party thing now.

As a statesman and opinion moulder, what are you telling the people of Abia with regard to the 2023 governorship election?

Well, like I said earlier, I’m not supporting party, I’m supporting individual because of what that individual will do for Abians. So, I’m not talking about individual. When they come out, of course they will come to me and I will advise each and every one of them that we have suffered, that they should better take their money, their billions and go and sit down; let’s support this person for the development of Abia State. What I’m telling you is my secret, but I will announce it later.

Are you saying you will reserve your comment on what should be in Abia in 2023?

Yes, its not yet late, I will make a statement, you will hear it.

Some people are saying you have sympathy for Labour Party and her candidates. How true is that?

I have said it time and again that I am not particularly voting for a party, that I will vote for an individual who I know will bring us out of this problem that we have suffered for 24 years. There is no way you will want me to vote for someone who has kept me in darkness for 24 years. I will vote for individual; I don’t care about party, including my own party, I don’t care about that one. I am not a contractor; since the beginning of this present political dispensation, I have not gotten one contract as to make me not say my mind.

You said you are after individuals, not party, are you advising your supporters to toe the same line?

Of course, they have their own conscience, but I think that anybody who has a clean, clear conscience in Abia State should forget about party.

Could it be said that generally, APC has failed because it didn’t offer you opportunity to help people you wanted to help?

The party failed in my home, here. They may have done well elsewhere but here in my home, Umuahia Ibeku, there is no one person APC has given a job.

What do you think was responsible?

Well, I am looking at it whether it is revenge because Dr. (M.I) Okpara and General (JTU) Aguiyi Ironsi came from here.

Maybe, they felt that people from here must have benefitted a lot by the virtue of producing head of state of Nigeria and Premier of the Eastern region.

No, no, no. They know that we even lost for having them and they continue to make us to continue to lose.

Would you like to comment on the feud between the PDP presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar and governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike?

I’m not a member of PDP, but I know that you don’t carry politics too far to the extent of damaging one another; that is no politics. I’m not a PDP man now but I was one of the founders of PDP, a BoT member. In fact, I was one of the pioneers that decided to leave PDP and others followed when former President Goodluck Jonathan wanted to do third term, that’s how we left the PDP.

In fact, the PDP logo, umbrella, I brought it at MUSON Centre in Lagos. Atiku knows, some of these people now parading themselves in PDP, we didn’t see them that time. The umbrella is the logo of Bende Consultative Assembly, so, when they were looking for a cow, hen and all what not, I presented this umbrella; Dr. Alex Ekwueme was the chairman and they embraced it.

In PDP, you have many good people there but you also have many bad people. Bad people in terms of those who never developed their states, who looted their states and we have some who developed their states. It is in APC that I cannot give testimony of them because many of them, I don’t know them, remember we came from the PDP. So, I think Atiku and Wike will settle their differences because party is party, you don’t perpetually commit something that will put you in hatred for life. Because one day, PDP may no longer be there; you have another political party, you may want to join hands to build together; you will be scared of one another.