Obi Will Be Voted Out Next Year
Former Governor Chris Ngige is the governorship candidate of the Action Congress (AC) in Anambra 2010 election. He fielded questions from SAMSON EZEA on the polls that will shape the character of the general elections in the country in 2011; the planned council election by the state government; his encounter with the PDP before the recent disputed party primaries and other sundry issues.
WHAT is your reaction to the plan by Governor Peter Obi to conduct council elections before the governorship election next year?
I have heard the rumour. It is rife and thick all over the place: that he is sending the list of Anambra State Independent Electoral Commission (ANSIEC) nominees to the House of Assembly. I also heard that in the coming week, the House will approve that for him and he intends to conduct the council elections before the governorship election so that he will have foot soldiers as local government chairmen and councillors, who will be in the forefront of his campaign.
Well, we watch and see what will happen. We are practising politics here. I do know that the reasons he gave for not conducting the elections in the past, are still tenable; they still persist till today, except for the expiration of the term of office of the last holders in that commission.
However, I think the governor should let the sleeping dog lie. Let the incoming government in the state conduct that election and put up a new ANSIEC, so that it doesn't bring in structural distortion in the polity.
Looking at it constitutionally, however, Obi has the right to conduct the election. How is your party preparing for it?
We have not been informed. The process is that after the commissioners have been screened and cleared, the commission will be inaugurated. And before they conduct the election, they are supposed to give a 21-day notice to all the political parties. Thereafter, they publish the timetable and put up the processes for the election to take place. We know that all these things will get us into December, January.
I think he (Obi) is just trying to disfigure the political configuration in the state. But all efforts should be geared towards conducting the guber election that is due for February 6, 2010. Don't forget that we have just done the updating of the voter register in the state. It is the same voter register that will be used for the council elections. This is because the law made it mandatory that it is the same register produced by INEC that will be used in the council elections.
So, I don't know! I think if the time of the council election goes in pari-pasu with that of the governorship election, we might run into some kind of disjointed movement that may not augur well for the polity.
The posters of Andy Uba have adorned all nooks and crannies in the state capital. It seems that he is joining the governorship race.
Andy Uba received an honorary doctorate degree last week's Saturday from the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Akwa. I am told he received a doctorate degree in Business Administration and the major reason the university gave in their citation is that he built a class in the name of his late father and donated it to the Business Administration department of the school.
I know that there were some activities in his camp constituted mainly by members of Anambra House of Assembly. I think they were those who printed those posters to welcome him. The posters have no party emblem or logo. It could be just be their own way of saying congratulations to him. I have nothing against such action or award.
From the information available, it is clear that the man is warming up to join the race. What is your reaction to this?
The more, the merrier! And I don't know how he will join the race because he has not undergone any party primaries. Anyway, if eventually he goes into the race through substitution, people can interpret it in different ways.
If you didn't go through any primaries and hinged your hope that the Court of Appeal would give you the governorship seat and it failed; and at last, you go and displace somebody else in another political party, there is already a moral burden for you to carry. You have a lot of explanation to do.
Being among the top contenders in the coming election, what efforts are you putting in place to face others, especially incumbent Governor Obi who enjoys the power of incumbency?
Power of incumbency is effective when you have put things on ground for people to look at and remember you. There is no incumbency power in vacuum. If you are an incumbent and you have not impressed your people in three and half years in office, I don't think there is any incumbency factor anymore. It works where a governor has done well for the people.
If you look at the political landscape in the state, there is failure in government business. Infrastructural development has failed completely. Three quarters of contractors employed by the government in the area of road construction have deserted sites. They have not been working in the past seven months because they have not been paid. I don't know what you want to make out of it.
Nothing has happened in the area of water supply and power. Huge amount of money has been paid as part of mobilisation with little or no work done. In the area of security, you cannot score the government up to 10 per cent because a lot of Anambra home associations in various states of the federation and Diaspora have all cancelled coming home. Those who are residing in the state cannot travel or sleep with their two eyes closed because of fear of the unknown. What kind of thing is this?
The cardinal responsibility of any government is to protect the life and property of her citizens. It is a first line order in terms of governance, just like we have first line charge in budget. It doesn't matter how you do it; nobody is interested in how you do it. Nobody is also interested in how much you spent to do it. As a matter of fact, it takes precedence over other areas of government business. It is only when you are alive that you can ride on road, drink water and use electricity.
Government in the state has failed woefully in that aspect. Kidnapping is the order of the day here. The average kidnapping or killing of human being in this state for money is not less than ten in a week. It calls for worry. The government has not really done enough. They are big in terms of finances received from federation allocation. They have played foot in terms of performance.
As far as I am concerned, this government will be voted out of power next year. If they like let them bring all the money in this world and share, like they are doing right now. If they like let them bring 2,000 vehicles, one million bags of rice as they are doing now. The people will collect them because they were what they starved them of in the last four years, but they will be voted out. I am sure of this, as people are sure of night and day. This government is going; nothing will stop the people from voting them out.
'I'm Don't Give Soludo A Thought'
ISN'T it time power shifted to the people of Anambra North because, the way things are, they may still lose out in the election?
The power configuration in the Anambra State is very clear. The genealogy of the number one power occupant in the region called Eastern Region, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, the first Premier, came from Onitsha, which is the northern zone. We had Dr. M.I. Okpara from the present Abia. We had Chukwuemeka Ojukwu, who was a military man, but we don't consider them because they are appointees.
When Ojukwu declared Biafra, the Federal Government called Anambra and other parts of East, Eastern Central and appointed a civilian administrator, Ukpabi Asika in 1967. He reigned again, as a civilian, unfettered without a House of Assembly from 1970-1975. So, from 1967-1975, it was eight years' reign for Asika from the northern zone of the state.
Thereafter, the first civilian governor of Anambra State was Dr. Chukwuemeka Ezeife from the South. After Ezeife, army took over and in 1999, democracy returned and Dr. Chinwoke Mbadinuju from South took over. I came in 2003 and from Anambra Central, while my successor, Obi also comes from Central.
But what I want to point out is that in all these, we never quarrelled as brothers over who is governing us. All this aggregately put - Zik and Asika combined - spent 15 years in office. They reigned unfettered; nobody quarrelled. And in all these contests to produce governor, people of the North contested rigorously. There was no concession in power equation in the state. It has been an affair that is thrown open to all.
I am not against zoning, especially when it is agreed upon by the different zones. When the different zones in the state have an agreement for power shift, it will work. For now, there has not been any meeting called for that purpose. Even this time around, if you look at the stalemated PDP primaries, there were so many candidates from the North: Dr. Alex Obiogbolu, Chief Emma Anosike, Tony Nwoye and others. Where is this marginalisation when it is a contest and they give it their best efforts?
As far as I am concerned, they are our brothers. God has put us together here whether we like it or not. Mark you the word, Anambra, is derived from the Anambra River that traverses their own area. I believe in dialogue and everybody agreeing to something.
Anambra people have been doing things on the basis of merit. Who can get it? It has always been thrown open. The only time we did consensus in a power struggle in the state was in the selection of the Senate President in 1999-2000. Chuba Okadigbo wanted it and we all supported him including myself. I was a national officer of the party (PDP) then. When he lost to the late Evans Enwerem and Enwerem was later impeached, it was thrown to Southeast and Anambra was asked to bring a candidate. The other two senators from the state - Dr. Nnamdi Eriobuna and Senator Mike Ajegbo - conceded to Okadigbo. Okadigbo coasted home to victory unopposed even when some people were prodding Ajegbo to contest. Okadigbo was from the North.
I am open to dialogue. I love people from the North. They are my brothers and friends. I have a lot of respect for them.
Are you not worried about Soludo's emergence as PDP candidate and what PDP can do in the election?
Are you sure he has emerged? Well, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said he has not emerged. I listened to the INEC lawyer, Chief Amechi Nwaiwu (SAN). He said that Soludo had not emerged and that his client had not recognised him as a candidate.
I don't know what you want me to say again. Do I comment on somebody whose nomination is still doubtful, foggy and uncertain? To do so will be a dissipation of my energy, which I cannot put into other things now because I am so busy.
I am not giving him (Soludo) a thought. When he clears the foggy of uncertainty enveloping him, then I can talk about him.
While in AC, were you ever approached by PDP to fly the party ticket for Anambra 2010 election?
There was what the PDP did in 2008/2009 called Alex Ekwueme Committee on Reconciliation. I was not in the country and I was not among those who returned to the PDP. They were calling most people who were in the party before to come back. If you remember very well, I was a foundation member of the party and also once a national officer of the party for many years.
When I came back, I had some discussions with the national chairman of the party. He invited me. He is my personal friend and we talked. I also talked with other well-meaning people in high echelon of the party and government. I spoke with our elder statesman, Alex Ekwueme. It is true that they wanted me to come back to the party. But I also gave some conditions in order for me to come back. The conditions were not met. I stayed in my abode because it is cool for me. Progressives in the AC surround me.
Part of the conditions I gave was for the creation of an enabling environment for the progressives in AC and PDP to have a linkage that could result into a fusion of the greater minds in these parties either in a succour system or osmotic pressure balance. In politics, you must talk; there is no two ways about it.
Did you at any point demand automatic ticket as a condition to go back to the party?
Why do you say so? I haven't listed all the conditions for you. If I list all the conditions for you, it will be too much. They are about seven conditions. I don't think I am ready to do that, so that we can respect the sanctity of the discussions.
Are you saying that you never demanded that?
But I was going to run for an election. Why won't that come up in the discussion? It came up and I gave my own conditions. They wanted to look at the conditions I gave to them on that basis. If you remember, PDP has a tradition of giving back automatic ticket to their governors whose elections were quashed. Mine was quashed in 2006. It supposed to remain intact. I also pointed out to them that technically, a court has quashed the sack meted out to me in 2005. An Ogidi High Court presided by the late Justice Alex Egbuna quashed it.
It was a lengthy discussion that spanned over so many areas but at the end of the day, I decided that I could stay in AC and effect the changes in the state and Nigeria in general.
But they did not get back to you again?
No, we had finished discussion on this. I have told you what you need to know. I don't need to tell you the number of discussions we had or who and who participated in it. Of course, I did consult members of my party and intimated them of what was going on.
Rig Anambra 2010 And Reap Chaos, Says Ngige
Considering what happened in the 2007 general elections, how do you think free and fair elections could be possible without electoral reforms?
Let me be frank to you. I have read through the Electoral Act and the Nigerian Constitution from cover to cover. The Electoral Act, as presently written and laws therein are enough to carry us to a successful and credible election. It is only because of the Nigerian factor, which is corruption. They call it Nigerian factor, but it is corruption.
Corruption is in all facets of our daily life. What we do - whether in government, trading in the market, the man in office who is taking bribe, the electoral officer who is falsifying documents, the politicians who will buy thugs and buy result sheets from a man whom you know is underpaid as an electoral officer - these are things that are militating against credible elections in our country today.
If we decide to purge ourselves of these vices, especially that of corruption, we will conduct a credible election here - an election that can meet international standard. The electoral reform is not there, but we can have the will power to do so.
The electoral reform is not majorly the removal of Professor Maurice Iwu; I don't agree that it is the major reform. Iwu is a human being; he has his feelings like other human beings. He operated in a very difficult terrain during Obasanjo's reign. Maybe he was also afraid of his life and did so many things that were obtuse. But the Anambra election will be a mirror of what people will expect in 2011.
I also said that because most of the things recommended in the electoral reform are constitutional issues that will need constitutional amendment, I do not see the present National Assembly effecting any amendment before the members leave.
Why?
If I tell you I will give you a shirt to wear to a function, you will first of all look at the one I am wearing to know what kind of shirt I will give you: quality shirt, rag-tag shirt and what have you. The present National Assembly has been enmeshed in ego problem since the Constitution Review Committee met in Minna and were unable to resolve the issue of chairman and co-chairman. That has also snowballed into their inability to receive President Umaru Yar'Adua for the 2010 joint budget sitting recently. How do you now see them amending the Constitution, when they cannot agree even on the venue of a joint sitting or who heads a joint sitting? These are issues that can be easily resolved in the spirit of parliamentary or legislative comradeship.
What about the fundamental issue of reconstruction and reconstitution? And we also know that after they have gone round and resolved the matter, they have to sit down in separate Houses before they send back their recommendations to two-thirds of state Houses of Assembly across the country that will say yes before any part of the Constitution could be altered.
I am not a pessimist or an alarmist but I can tell you that I don't see this Constitution being amended before the 2011 elections.
Aren't these happenings part of PDP's conspiracy to continue to hold unto power unfettered?
I don't think so. There is no unanimity of voices in the differences in the House. You heard what PDP said because they are the majority party and also what the Senate leadership retorted. The party is talking about following tradition; that the venue is usually the House of Representatives because of space.
I don't see it as conspiracy. The only thing is that the times we are in, the PDP has done a lot of things wrong. So, whenever anything wrong happens, they say it is a conspiracy by the PDP. I do also know that if there is strong will by the executive and legislature dominated by the PDP, we can amend the Constitution and effect the electoral reform if the party is very keen on it.
What message do you have for your supporters and other Anambrarians?
They should have fate in the system. Nobody can rig election here again. The people of the state are determined that nobody would do what they did in the 2007 elections. Out foreign friends are also determined that it will not happen again.
Recently, I received the Deputy High Commissioner of Britain and the Head of Political and Economic Affairs department of the US Consulate in Lagos and their fact- finding was what should be done to have a credible election in Anambra 2010. They were on fact-finding tour in the state and I received them in audience in my house in Alor.
They have already talked to the people and they have heard their complaints about the voter register. I confirmed the complaints and told them that INEC had promised that they would rectify them. How they will rectify and when, we have not seen. We have complaints of names in wards being transposed to different council areas and 000 is recorded for them.
If they are able to effect those corrections, it shows that INEC is ready to conduct the election. But if by the time they publish the register and they are there, we shall let the world know that the register does contain names of voters and people have been disenfranchised ab initio. If you are disenfranchised ab initio, that is the beginning of rigging.
We will not accept rigging because international observers and monitors will be here. The Nigeria Police have promised that nobody would rig because they would be here in full force.
So, if everybody is affirming that things will be done right and that day a section of security or electoral agency abdicate its responsibility, there will be chaos. We cannot allow anybody to announce results that are not from polling booths here. Anybody who tries that does it at his or her own peril.
Is it true that PDP wanted you dead at the peak of the crisis between you and Chris Uba, as alleged by Audu Ogbeh?
Ogbeh has exposed this before now. He is not hiding it. That is why he wrote the letter he sent to then President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo. I was aware of the situation. Many attempts were made on my life. In 2004, my government's lodge was bombed at 3am during the holocaust they visited on the state between November 10 and 14.
At that period, Chuma Nzeribe made a broadcast on the NTA that they were in charge; that they had seized power in the state and that I could not come to the state again and that I would be a dead man if I came in.
What Chief Ogbeh is saying is not novel. He is a godly man and a good Christian. When they found out that he was not ready to co-operate with them in the evil act, they pushed him out office so that he would stop blocking them. Before then, I had been suspended from the party.
One good thing about life is that we have history. Whatever you do is recorded not by yourself but by others and you will not be there to contest whatever is written. That is where history is a supreme thing. You are not there to contest and it could be unkind to you when you have not done well.
The best thing for one to do is to lay good legacies why you are alive. That is what Audu Ogbeh did and is still doing. Those who fought us that time, I said I have forgiven them. I don't know what history has for them.
