In this interview, Senator Ehigie
Uzamere told journalists why the Peoples Democratic Party deserved a
second chance in Edo State and why he decided to return to the party he
once derided. JOHN ALECHENU reports
You defected from the
Peoples Democratic Party to the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria.
Now, you say you are defecting from the ACN to the PDP. Why?
You see, the first responsibility of a
leader is to define reality; and the reality today in Edo State is that
despite all the razzmatazz and media visibility, it is an unfortunate
situation that we find ourselves in the present party and government in
the state. I make bold to say that the people of Edo South are actually a
people in bondage. And this is unacceptable. Many people see through
all the façade but lack the courage to speak up. But now, I am showing
the way and I expect my people to follow so that together, we can build
afresh. Our people have a saying, ‘if you do not enter a house, you will
never know the internal contradictions therein.’
What has changed in the PDP to make you want to return to a party you once described in the worst of terms?
Number one is the issue of godfatherism.
We have now discovered that it is a cankerworm in all the parties and
that certain people blew that of the PDP out of proportion for their
political aims. Soon after acquiring power, they slide into that very
whirlpool that they criticised so bitterly in the past and upon which
they shored up their support base and popularity. But we have to see
through this syndrome of godfatherism proper.
You must have the leader. And we have
raised the consciousness of the people to draw a thin line between
genuine leadership and godfatherism.
So in the past in the PDP, the way the godfather was perceived as dishing out instructions is not what we have today.
The PDP leadership has gone through
turbulence. I have met with its leaders and we now have an understanding
on due process, transparency in the emergence of candidates as well as
internal democracy. You can perceive the change of demeanour; lessons
have been learnt. You talk about tokenism, there is no perfect house.
But even this is not as rampant as before.
Closely linked to this is the culture of
impunity. This has led to a situation where a lot of people left the
party. The PDP of today is now more accommodating. There is a new
national chairman. Free primaries are being conducted. In fact, from
verifiable facts, it is now the APC that is now imposing candidates. We
saw this during the last April local government election. The PDP has
reformed and the party is putting the government of Edo State on its
toes. We saw that in the widow abuse issue, the proposed sale of Edo
House in Lagos as well as the sacking of 800 teachers without due
process. These are people who have done over 30 years and you are asking
them to write competency test instead of retraining them.
To be specific, you once described
the Edo PDP ticket as worthless as (if not) more worthless than the
Zimbabwean dollars…(cuts in)?
When I speak, it is because I want people
to trust me. From what we can all see, the PDP, Edo state chapter, has
been re-engineered and repositioned to deliver on good governance. With a
politically contrite heart arising from its former outing in the state,
the party is now equipped mentally, morally and politically for good
governance. Secondly, Mr. President’s transformation agenda has impacted
significantly on the party’s readiness and credentials.
I believe very conscientiously that the
reformation is genuine and that the party deserves a second chance. Even
Almighty God will not despise a broken spirit and a contrite heart.
Another reason why the PDP deserves a
second chance is the need to take Edo South Senatorial District to the
mainstream of national politics. Edo South indigenes have not been able
to make in-roads into the Presidency whether in military or civilian
regimes. I believe firmly that the PDP remains the only party for now
that can give us this opportunity. The effort of the All Progressives
Congress is significant but may not endure in this regard. Even in the
APC, the people of Edo South are not in the first and second eleven of
its national players. The APC will only condemn our people to local
government, senatorial and impotent state players. The party holds no
prospects whatsoever for Bini people in their quest for political
ascendancy.
Therefore, the PDP remains the best route
to our political emancipation. As an advocate and supporter of
President Goodluck Jonathan, I am sure that during his second term as
President, Edo South will make the needed breakthrough.
Can you be a little more specific?
First, let us admit that the PDP ticket
in Edo State, which was once worse than the Zimbabwean Dollar, has now
significantly appreciated in value, having been re-denominated by the
repositioning efforts of the party itself and Mr. President’s
transformation agenda, people should be able to see the big picture
always. I will also like to emphasise here that the ACN, to which I
belonged, is defunct. I will not join the APC because I consider its
aims, objectives and philosophy to be inconsistent with the
socio-economic and political interests of our people. Remember, my
political vision has been and remains a state or nation where every
segment gets what it deserves within the limits of its contributions to
the whole and where everyone, whether individual or group, is free from
domination and oppression.
In the exercise of the mandate freely
given to me by you in my first tenure on the platform of the PDP, I
protested and fought against the domination of the people of Edo South
Senatorial District by the forces, structure and dynamics of the party
and government of that time. The heat generated by the resultant
friction led to my inevitable exit from the party. I said then that the
PDP’s ticket in Edo State was worse than the Zimbabwean Dollar. My
movement from PDP to ACN was smooth due to my policy of putting state
interest above partisan considerations.
We genuinely believed that the ACN would
approximate ideal democratic culture in the conduct of governance and
its internal affairs. Consultation, rule of law, collective decision
making, team spirit, accountability, etc, were expected to be the
hallmarks of the party. But that was not to be.
What in your estimation is wrong with the APC which is now in charge of Edo State?
I believe that a party organised around a
sole administrator, who overturns and overturns, depending on his mood,
desires, whims and caprices, cannot dispense justice, equity and
fairness in a heterogeneous polity. The people of Edo South Senatorial
District have been criminally short-changed by the current party and
government in Edo State. Let us consider the following questions. Apart
from statutorily provided appointments that should reflect the
geo-political character of the state e.g. commissioners, how many
positions of critical importance are occupied by Edo South indigenes? In
the location of projects, how many projects are sited and executed in
Edo South considering the population, landmass and resources of the
district? The reality of our political system is that every government
empowers a new class of people through patronage. How many indigenes of
Edo South origin are in the new class created by this government
vis-a-vis the number of indigenes of other districts? A dispassionate
analysis of the above questions would reveal a grand deception against
Bini people never before known in our political history. Let us say no
to this grand deception. Our people are considered good only for crumbs
or left overs (called Izobo). That is why they are given petty
contracts. It dawned on me that the ticket given to me was perceived by
them to be a ticket to an errand boy, who would be ordered at will to
perform given assignments without questioning, without consultation and
without refusal. This amounts to slavery by other means.
I know that the journey would be rough as
the road would be laid with mines, the weather would be inclement. But
those who contend with us contend with Him that created us with great
destiny. I am a Christian and I would quote here from the book of Psalms
chapter 20, verses 7 and 8 which tells us, “Some trust in chariots,
and some in horses: but we remember the name of the Lord our God. They
are brought down and fallen: but we are risen, and stand upright.”
I am not afraid to take the lead and show leadership in this regard because as we say, one with God is in the majority!
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