Igbos are wiser now, they’ll vote for Buhari –Nwoye, Enugu APC chairman

Dr. Ben Nwoye, a lawyer and the Enugu State Chairman of All Progressives Congress (APC) is a vibrant young man who believes that his party is a mass movement poised to take over power from the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP),

after March 28, 2015 presidential election. In this exclusive interview with Sunday Sun in his Enugu GRA office, he said that unlike the previous elections when the East shunned Gen Buhari, the party’s flag bearer in the presidential election, “Igbos have become wiser and they are ready to give the APC presidential candidate their votes in large number this time around.” Excerpts.

The political arena is getting hotter by the day, what are the chances of your party in Enugu State which is re­garded as a PDP state?

So far, so good, it has been great and won­derful. The era when Enugu State was regarded as exclusive for PDP is gone for good. Num­ber one evidence is when our presidential flag bearer, Gen Muhammadu Buhari came to the state for campaign recently, well over 250,000 party supporters and fans trooped out to wel­come him. It has never happened before. For the first time since the inception of the 3rd Re­public, Enugu people now have choices. They can now choose between APC and PDP. It was not so before now. The PDP had been bragging for many years that there is no opposition in the state. We have deconstructed that mystery. They have been oppressing our people and because they have no avenue to express them­selves, they took it as normal.

But the position is so vibrant now and it has been proven that the wind of change blowing across the nation has caught up with Enugu people. People are now talking in the state, ex­pressing their anger. This is a state where the minimum salary of mere N18,000 is not paid. The people have found their voice. Teachers, nurses, court workers etc. are asking why? The market women, the religious people, traditional institution, everybody is now saying that this is time for change, positive change which the APC represents. It was not so before. Since 1999, the type of discussion we are having now, we never had. That was why on the 10th of January 2015, well over 250,000 people came from all corners of the state to welcome the next president of the country, our candidate, Gen Bu­hari to Enugu State.

Such a scene was never seen before in Enugu on Buhaari. It was unheard of in this state, but it happened. Remember that on the 31st Decem­ber 2014, a priest, Rev Fr. Ejike Mbaka, told his congregation of more than two million people at the Adoration Ground, Emene to chorus “change” three times and everybody shouted “change”. Those were people from different part, of the country and beyond.

Nobody believed that this was possible. But the truth is that people are tired of PDP. They want change. The Governor of Enugu State, Barrister Sullivan Chime has done well in the area of road construction in Enugu city. There are now good roads in Enugu urban but life does not start and end in the city. Indeed, ma­jority of our people are living in the rural areas where he has neglected completely apart from few roads in his Udi community. So, what about health issues, education, water supply and other indices of development? As for rural development, Sullivan administration had done very badly and he has to be told so. He forgot our rural people and rural roads. The rural ar­eas are where food stuff is produced. How do they evacuate their agricultural produce? In the area of agriculture, he didn’t fare well. These are things APC government in the state will focus on when we come to power. The unemploy­ment rate is too high in Enugu state. Indeed, it is said that we are one of the worst hit in this regard. Again, we should ask about his contri­bution in the area of Internally Generated Rev­enue (IGR). Enugu is now a begging state. He couldn’t build a single industry in the state for the period of eight years he has been in power. It should not be so because agriculture alone can give a lot of money to the state, areas like palm oil which our founding fathers used to build all these edifices we see around which have stood the test of time. But APC government will cor­rect all that if by they vote our people, we take over Lion Building come May 29th this year.

But do you think this will be easy be­cause some people I spoke to in Enugu still see your presidential candidate, Gen Buhari as a religious fundamental­ist who may be out to turn the nation into Islamic country if he comes to pow­er. How do you hope to counter this be­lief or perception if you like?

One thing that doesn’t stay steady for a long time is lies. It is a lie and I can assure you that Gen Buhari is not that kind of person. That is the kind of lies they say about him to paint him black in the eyes of other people. When they see that the issue of religious fundamentalism is not working against him, they go to certificate and other non issues. The truth stands straight. The truth is that this is a general who comes out at a time we need somebody that can rescue the nation from bad governance, unemployment, insecurity, a president that can deliver. When the United States of America faced the problem of 9/11, they lost a little less than 3000 people. And the whole country came to a standstill. I was there. Things changed in the way they looked at such security situation. They immediately restored order and united the people on the is­sue. But here, look at the issue of Boko Haram, which has resulted to unprecedented security situation in this country with many deaths. And the president will only tell you after every dev­astating strikes by the terrorists that he was on top of the situation. You ask yourself, on top of which situation? Things cannot continue in this way. This is why many people are clamouring for a change.

Why was it that Buhari failed in the previous elections and you think he now has won the hearts of the Nigerian people? What has changed since then?

Let me tell you one thing, Gen Buhari was never indeed rejected by the people if you look at the previous elections he participated in prop­erly. Number one is that he didn’t have enough funds to prosecute his previous campaigns. This was why he could not visit many states, yet he was able to win substantial votes then. The second issue was rigging. He was rigged out in some of the elections because PDP is masters in rigging game. But the situation this time is different. People are calling for change because they are tired of PDP government which has been in power for about 16 years now without much to show for it in spite of huge income to the government which disappeared into private pockets. As we all know, corruption under PDP government has reached unprecedented propor­tion and nobody is in jail for this. Things cannot continue like this or the country itself will die. See how Nigerian youths struggle to go to other countries some of which are less endowed like Nigerian because of corruption and bad gover­nance. You can see the level of hunger in the country and level of unemployment etc. Last Christmas, many workers across the country and especially federal workers could not receive their pay some for upward of three months. This is the evidence that our economy has collapsed. All the lies about Buhari cannot stop him from winning the elections holding on March 28, 2015. The PDP should focus on issues about what they have done with our money for the past 16 years, while President Jonathan should tell Nigerians what he did with all the money that came his way in the last 6 year he has been in power and not the name calling and character assassinations they are doing which will take them no way.

You are the chairman of APC in the state, why are you also going for Enugu East senatorial seat which you tried in 2011 and failed?

In 2011 when I contested the Enugu East senatorial seat, after returning from the United States of America (USA), I was the choice of the people but I was rigged out. I didn’t know what was happening. But this time again, I was called by my people to come and lead at that level.

They know I will not go there to collect what belongs to them and pocket as some people have done in the past. For example, I want our people to ask Senator Gill Nnaji who has been at the National Assembly for the past 12 years what he has achieved for our people. Our peo­ple are not fools. It is only a party like PDP that could present somebody like Gill Nnaji to rep­resent them again at the Senate after the past pe­riod which was a disaster. He was at the House of Representatives for two tenures, and moved up to the Senate in 2011. Now what is his score card after all those years? Nil is the answer. And he is being projected again. In the United States where I stayed for many years, what moves you on to the higher level, retains you where you are or your are rejected politically is your verifiable records. But here, when elections are coming, all these people who have mismanaged their chances will move in with rice, salt and cheap cloths to deceive the people to get their votes. And because of hunger and low political aware­ness, some of them will receive those things, clap and dance for them. That is all, you will not see them again until the next elections. Because of impunity and lack of internal democracy in such party, the same people will bulldoze their way into the same position, leaving other bet­ter qualified candidates to wallow in agony for opportunity denied. Our party APC is out to change all that. For example, Nigerians saw how our presidential candidate emerged, very transparently. The PDP cannot do that.

But let me warn that this time around, it will not be business as usual. Those who plotted the previous rigging must be aware that we are ready for them now. And Professor Jega, the INEC boss must be careful this time. In 2011, he started election and suddenly stopped it mid­way for no good reason. He said that materials did not get to many places on time. Why not stop those places material was the problem and allow others to continue. That stoppage enabled PDP to strategies on how best to rig because they saw that the first poll was going against them. Nobody should try such trick again and Jega should be well prepared so as not to bungle this one again. That was how I was rigged out in 2011. In Enugu State, our governorship candi­date will beat the PDP candidate if the election is free, fair and transparent. I will also beat my fellow contestants at the senatorial level.

Why do you or rather why did your party oppose the INEC state chairman posted to the state from Anambra?

Why would we not oppose him in view of what happened in Anambra during the last gov­ernorship election there. It was a total mess up there as many candidates were laying claims to one position or the other and it was alleged that he was the person behind such nonsense. So we had to ask why was he posted to Enugu of all places if no ulterior motive is intended over such action. But we are watching them, as we have complained and nothing is being done to change him.

How do you see the role of judiciary in election matters in the country?

As an attorney myself, I expect them to show exemplary conduct as people occupying judi­cial temple. It is already clear that some judges are corrupt and some of them were shown the way out on this score but those remaining should remember that justice is what makes a nation great. Both high and low should be able to depend on the judiciary to get justice when they are oppressed. But if we operate the judi­ciary that is compromised, democracy will have no meaning here. Indeed, it is because of the be­lief of some people that they could do anything and get away with it that they could cheat you with impunity and boldly tell you to go to the court. That is why I agree with the view that nobody should occupy any electoral position in dispute until the matter is sorted out in the courts. In the past, people bulldozed their ways to high positions and when the matter was tak­en to the court, they used state funds to defend themselves by hiring the best lawyers.

While the matters that lasted for a long time was in court, they were busy plundering the wealth of the people, lining their pockets with public funds and even when removed at last, they laughed at those they cheated and the sys­tem because they had lost nothing. Instead, they gained a lot with their families and friends as major beneficiaries.

All this must stop with the wind of change blowing everywhere in the country, and with our presidential candidate, Gen Buhari on pow­er, things will sure change for better.

By SAM NWANZE – [email protected]