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By Dickson Okafor
Chief Elvis Aniebo is the South-East Zonal Coordinator of Renewed Hope Grassroots Movement (RHGM) and Patron of the Dynamic Youth Organisation of Nigeria (DYON), which he led in solidarity to support Enugu State Governor Peter Mbah, when he won The Sun Man of the Year” award.
He commended the media company, which he noted has won the heart of the entire people of Enugu State.
Aniebo, who spoke with Sunday Sun on the sidelines of the Sun Awards event, commented on various national issues.
What motivated you and your group to show solidarity to Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State at The Sun Awards?
Let me first express our heartfelt gratitude to the Management of The Sun Publishing Limited for being a credible media institution and for conferring its prestigious award on Governor Peter Ndubuisi Mbah. It is an honour well-deserved. By this simple act, The Sun Newspaper has won the heart of the entire people of Enugu State including my humble self and members of the Renewed Hope Grassroots Movement (RHGM) for honouring our amiable son and visionary leader in recognition of his exemplary leadership in the state within the past two years in office. In my recent interview with the Sun I explained why I joined Southeast governors, stakeholders and APC leaders to endorse President Bola Tinubu for a second term in office. In his acceptance speech, Governor Mbah further underscored his leadership maturity and team spirit by dedicating the award to his team. This reflected his humility, accountability, and an understanding that governance is a collective trust. He pledged to do more and continue raising the bar of governance, which resonates strongly with the ideals of progressive leadership that Nigeria urgently needs at all levels.
Don’t you think that Governor Mbah’s switch to the ruling party may not earn him re-election if Peter Obi emerges as ADC Presidential candidate in 2027?
That is a mere speculation, it is not true. The people of Enugu State have settled for continuity in 2027 with Governor Mbah because he has turned the state into a new Enugu State which can be seen nationally and globally. Mbah is indeed tilling the ground – that aptly summarises the depth and sustainability of the ongoing transformation in the state. We don’t care about the political affiliation of Governor Peter Mbah because of his performance and no fair minded Nigerian would dispute Governor Mbah’s achievement given the heights he has taken governance within such a short time. Every elected office holder gets re-elected if he gave a good account of himself in his first tenure. And that is Governor Mbah’s selling point. As a grassroots political leader and youth advocate, the people of Enugu State and Renewed Hope Grassroots Movement (RHGM) South-East Chapter particularly commend Governor Mbah’s commitment to reforms that prioritise security, productivity, human capital development, and economic competitiveness, values that align seamlessly with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. His governance model in Enugu State stands as a sub-national example of what purposeful leadership can achieve when vision meets courage and competence. Therefore, Ndi Enugu and Ndi Igbo have endorsed Governor Peter Mbah for a second term and have expressed their full solidarity with the government of Enugu State. So, we proudly identify with and align ourselves with his development strides, which have placed Enugu State on a fast lane of sustainable growth and national relevance.
Many governors have defected to APC. Power blocs are also aligning in ADC in the build up to 2027. Are you not concerned that there may be an implosion in the APC? Some political analysts have said the governors pouring into APC will not give Tinubu victory in 2027. What is your view?
Political alignment and realignment is expected, especially during general election cycles because there is no permanent enemy and no permanent friend, but permanent interest. The so-called power blocs battling for ADC‘S presidential ticket are not a threat to APC ahead of 2027. Who are the leaders in ADC? They are the same people who destroyed PDP. Politicians who refused to zone the Presidency to the south in 2023. As far as Atiku Abubakar is concerned, ADC presidential ticket cannot be zoned to the South. So, to me, Peter Obi and other Southeast leaders who defected to ADC made a huge political blunder. Don’t forget that politics is in a frenzy stage in the country because politicians have started going cap in hand jostling for endorsement in order to win the ultimate prize in Nigerian politics in the contest to occupy Aso Rock Villa Presidential Villa, Abuja on May 29, 2027. Expectedly, the game comes with intrigues and horse trading. But in all, President Tinubu will be re-elected. The Renewed Hope Agenda and economic reforms of President Tinubu have a strong economic base which is yielding the desired results
What gives you confidence that the people of South-East will align with your movement to re-elect President Tinubu in 2027 when the region claims that it has not benefited from the APC government? Given the hardship and insecurity in the country, many feel that President Tinubu has delivered on his mandate. What is your view?
I will say that things are getting better under Tinubu. The New Hope Agenda of this government has started yielding results as the prices of essential commodities have come down. The state governments no longer owe salaries as was the case. Today, the exchange rate has gone down. As we all know the governors have confessed that they are receiving a huge amount of money as monthly allocation which is one of the blessings of fuel subsidy removal. On the claim that the South-East has not benefitted anything from this government, it is a lie because President Tinubu created the South East Development Commission (SEDC) within a year he assumed office. The Minister of Works David Umahi is from the Southeast and the wife of Chief Chukwuemeka Odimegwu Ojukwu, Iyom Bianca Ojukwu is the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and she is also a daughter of Enugu. With these federal appointments, Southeast cannot say it has not gained anything from the Tinubu-led administration.
My agenda for President Tinubu in the remaining two years of his first term is to end terrorism through the military support of the United States. If there is security, farmers will go back to their farms, there will be enough food for the people because the price of foodstuff will come down. Again, I urge him to engage more economists and experts to improve and sustain the economic reforms to reduce hardship and reposition the country.
Nigerians are angry over the decisions of the Senate regarding the Electoral Act Amendment Bill on real-time transmission of election results and replacement of BVAS with smartcards. What is your take?
The Senate did not reject electronic transmission of election results in the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill. They only declined to make mandatory real-time transmission of results to the result portal. It was collectively passed hence the Senate did not reverse electronic transmission of results contained in the 2022 Electoral Act. During the consideration of the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill, the Senate rejected proposals for real-time results transmission and a 10-year ban for vote buyers thereby opting instead to maintain existing sanctions of fines or jail terms. The provision was jointly agreed upon by the Committee of Senate and the House of Representatives. So, the position on electronic transmission emerged from a consultative legislative process and the key stakeholders were all involved in the exercise hence deliberation at various legislative retreats supported electronic transmission of results. So, the Senate did not deviate from the agreed position of the National Assembly. The misunderstanding is caused by the opposition as any misunderstanding of what was collectively passed is unfair. The problem some people are pointing to is not transmission of results electronically, but they say it must be mandatory at real-time. That means from collation centres results must be transmitted directly to the IREV and viewed instantly. However, even so, some Nigerians have warned that mandatory transmission of election results by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in 2027 may throw up several challenges. Their fears are rooted in Nigeria’s current digital inadequacies which, they believe can mar the success of the policy. Also, the electorate considers electronic transmission of election results as a foolproof means of neutralizing the manual collation practice in Nigeria. But in spite of these views and fears, the 10th National Assembly has performed creditably and through stabilization of the legislature and I assure you that the 2027 general election will be free and fair.
