Brown Chimezie

Eze Michael Ezekwobi is the Royal father of Governor Willie Obiano Support Group, Lagos State chapter. He spoke on the just concluded Anambra senatorial election where Chief Victor Umeh of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) won. He said the victory is a warning shot to other south eastern states about the ability of APGA to take over the states in 2019.

How would you describe Umeh’s victory in the just concluded Anambra central senatorial election?

It is a good development in Anambra politics. For some time now, Anambra central slot in the senate has been vacant. And this has affected the state negatively. But with Umeh’s victory, you should expect vibrant contribution of APGA in making positive contributions on the floor of the senate. Years of acrimony and inter party rivalry actually denied us our allocation in the senate. That ugly development did not augur well for some of us in that senatorial district.

 What’s your advice to him?

My advice to Chief Umeh is for him to use his victory to unite the people of his zone. Now that he has won, it is time for reconciliation. He should initiate policies that would promote unity among the people. In turn Anambrarians from that senatorial district should also embrace APGA as a political party. APGA should be seen as a core Igbo party with national outlook.

 What is the implication of Obiano and Umeh’s victory ahead of 2019?

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It is a strong message to other South Eastern states that APGA has come to stay. First, Governor Willie Obiano won the governorship election, and then followed by Chief Victor Umeh in the senate. All these back-to-back victory is an indication that in 2019, APGA will win the poll in those states. This development is sending a message across that the Igbo actually need their own party because you have to start from somewhere. You must have your own party, a family party from where you can spring into national limelight. So, the core South East states should vote for APGA in the next election. That is the only sure bet of grabbing allocation of the region from the centre. If we have our own party, it is to our own advantage. With this development we can easily negotiate at the centre and the cry of marginalisation will die once and for all. APGA victory in the region will also unite Igbo along the same political ideological line.

 What is the secret behind nkanyin bu nkayin slogan?

Nkanyin bu nkayin jingle is a home-grown ideology that promotes appreciation for home grown political movement. As a royal patron of Obiano Support group in Lagos, I played a vital role in mobilising Anambrarians in Lagos for the governor. Nkayin bunkayin, which literally means ‘our own is our own,’ gives the people sense of belonging. It made the people see the party as their own party. Our message then was to mobilise the people to vote for the governor.

 With the political timetable out, how prepared is APGA?

First our message is for people to participate in the voters registration exercise. Through voters’ registration, Nigerians would be able to exercise their franchise. So my advice is to all APGA members to participate in the exercise. APGA is a national party, yet it must also be actively vibrant in the south-east. Remember that Ojukwu, the pioneer APGA leader is from the region and the party has strong Igbo followership. Igbo should see the party as their own party and from their strong point in the region; they can now reach out to the centre. We have to spread our net. We cannot afford to put our egg in one basket; we have to make sure that we participate actively for us to remain relevant.

How do you see the call by Nigerians for restructuring?

Actually, agitation here and there is a result of marginalisation. Restructuring is important because the country is too large and the centre cannot actually cater for the needs of the federating states. For instance, for years the people of the south east have cried for true federalism, other regions like the south -west clamoured for state police. These thorny issues would be addressed once and for all through restructuring. People are also agitating because they do not have trust in the government at the centre that is why everybody wants a country where they would have sense of belonging. Regions should be autonomous and be able to make their own decisions, pay tax and have control over their own resources. It is proper to restructure so that the component regions or states can grow and develop at their own pace.