2015: PDP losing power will be natural justice -Ize-Omoregie Ize-OmoregieOdaro Ize-Omoregie (Agbaka), formerly a member of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and now a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Edo State. In this interview with BANJI ALUKO, he speaks on the break up in the PDP, APC’s plans for Nigeria, the government of Governor Adams Oshiomhole, among other issues. Excerpts: AS a leading figure in the Edo APC, you must be happy with what is happening in PDP right now. Have you been considering where your party will benefit from the implosion in PDP? What is presently happening in PDP is not unusual because PDP is known for crisis. However, the crisis in the party lately has escalated and it is only natural that an implosion occurred. As it is now, President Goodluck Jonathan, is too busy fighting with members of his political party that he has no time to concentrate on the task of developing the country. By the time the PDP collapses completely, it will only amount to natural justice. PDP cannot have its cake and eat it. They have been foisting themselves on the country, but nature is ready to fix things for us in this country now. So, Nigerians should rejoice because their cries have reached up to the heaven and a solution ison the way. Besides, what do you expect? Is it not a known fact that the PDP has not been able to lift Nigerians out of poverty because they have been sharing our wealth. They have destroyed every good thing about Nigeria but they still want to impoverish us the more. What has the PDP done to the wastages and corruption in the Nigerian system? Under the supervision of the PDP, unemployment rose to an unbelievable level and youth restlessness has festered. What has the PDP done to ensure that the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) is passed? These are the questions we must ask ourselves. I tell you, to take Nigeria out of the woods, the PDP must go. So, what option do Nigerians have? That has to be the APC. We need to make a change and the APC is the only party that must be supported to remove the PDP from power. I said this because, of all the political parties in the country today, it is only the APC that has the realistic chance of removing the cancer called PDP. The APC, unlike the PDP, is based on Nigeria’s interest, and not self-interest. The PDP governors are like emperors and the party lacks national agenda for the country. You can see that the governors in the APC are not like those in the PDP who don’t know what to do with power. See for yourself what these governors are doing. On the other hand, look at the PDP governors. What have they achieved? Nothing. So, dislodging the PDP is the major concern of the APC. Is dislodging the PDP the only interest of the APC? Of course, it can’t be. In any case, the essence of political parties is to seek power so as to use it for the good of the people. This is where the PDP that prides itself as the largest political party in Africa has failed. We have realised that to develop the country, the first step would be to remove the PDP from power. Once that is done, the rest will fall in line. The PDP has not delivered the dividends of democracy to us in this country. Since 1999, it has been failure all the way. In what sector are we going to praise the government of the PDP? Is it in education, health or power sector? The misrule of the PDP has meant that our students now travel to Ghana and other smaller West African countries in search of quality education. These are some of the problems PDP on our nation. While other countries are moving forward astronomically, we are drifting in Nigeria. But people claim that since the defunct ACN louthed internal democracy, APC might not be different in its disposition on the issue. APC was formed on collective membership and it cuts across the geo-political zones of the country. I want you to know that this is the first time, Nigerians, who are concerned about the problems of the country, are coming together to launch an attack on the virus that has hindered our growth. Remember that this is also coming well ahead of the generalelection. This means that we have enough time to strategise on how we are going to defeat the PDP. The APC will also offer a level-playing field for everybody, irrespective of the background. Are you saying that what you see in the PDP can be termed primaries? I can assure you that in APC, internal democracy will reign supreme and our primaries will not be like the kangaroo s that PDP conducts. We envisage free and fair primaries in all strata of our political unit. We also envisage large followership and we are sure that taking power from the PDP is just a matter of time. It appears succession struggle in your party has started well ahead of the next governorship election. Is this not unhealthy? I think succession struggle is not only entrenched in African politics. Partisan politics is all about caucus and negotiation to get power. However, I think it could be too early now because by the time the election approaches, many of the aspirants may not have air in their balloons anymore. So, I think they should save their energy for the time it would be needed most. However, I must say that it is not surprising that people are queuing behind to succeed Governor Adams Oshiomhole. The most important thing is for whoever takes over from Oshiomhole to continue from where he will stop. We must understand that Edo State has moved from the sorry state the PDP administration left it. Right now, a new leadership that works for the people has been installed in Governor Oshiomhole. That, to me, is more important than who succeeds the governor. Whoever takes over from Oshiomhole will have a lot to do. I won’t give names now but I must say that whoever wants to rule Edo must have the interest of the Edo people at heart. What legacy will Governor Oshiomhole be leaving behind when his term expires in 2016? As they say in Benin, when you have many worms in your soul, even a blind man will know. We are witnessing what had eluded us in a very long time. I have spent a number of years in the United Kingdom and I want to say that the standard of roads that are being constructed in Edo State can be compared with what is obtainable anywhere in the world. These days, when I drive on the Airport Road and some other roads within the Benin metropolis, my heart is always filled with joy. Oshiomhole has restored the can-do spirit and things are moving up in Edo State. The previous government collaborated with corrupt politicians and they brought the state to its knees. Go to Edo North, Central and South geo-political zones and see what this governor has done. These are the legacies he will be leaving behind. He has also brought godfatherism to an end in this state. That alone is an achievement. My advice for Governor Oshiomhole is that he should sustain the tempo of the developmental projects that he has started. He must not slow down at all. Already, he has achieved much but a lot still need to be done. How has the transition from ACN to APC been in Edo? There is no problem at all and we are very calm. We have been moving well and fast. Very soon, the APC will be launched in Edo State and all the leaders and members of the merging parties will be involved. The thing is that there has always been understanding between members of the ACN, CPC and the ANPP even before the merger. So, I don’t anticipate any problem. The PDP has been trying to give the impression that the merging parties are strange bedfellows but we all know why they are saying that. Obviously, they are jittery about the merger and they don’t want it to happen.
Posted on: Mon, 09 Sep 2013 11:24:48 +0000
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