Uzodimma’s re-election by Imo people is fait accomplie- Ebegbulem

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Uzodimma’s re-election by Imo people is fait accomplie- Ebegbulem

Following in the success of the All Progressives Congress (APC) at the just concluded General Elections, Governor Hope Uzodimma’s loyalist and Imo State Commissioner for Trade and Investment, Comrade Simon Ebegbulem, in this interview x-rays the determinant factors. Ebegbulem, who served as CPS to the former APC National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, in looking ahead to the November 11 gubernatorial election in the state, asserts that Imo people will return Gov. Uzodimma for a second term in office.

He also described as laughable the allegation by the opposition that the APC rigged the Presidential election, insisting that Asiwaju Bola Tinubu enjoyed the majority votes of the masses following his background as a pro-democracy activist, nationalist and strategist.

EXCERPTS:

The general elections has come and gone, but not without controversies here and there. How would you describe the exercise as conducted by the INEC?

The just concluded general elections may not be your perfect election, its outcome however reflected the will of the masses of this country. INEC did their best through the introduction of Bimodal Voters Accreditation System (BVAS), which for me is bringing sanity into our electoral process.

The process may not be perfect but I believe that if we continue with the achievements made so far, 2027 may be better. The problem we seem to have as a nation is that politicians are in the habit of discrediting the process if they lose an election. But when they win, the electoral umpire becomes the best. It is only in Africa you see persons who know very well that if an election were to be conducted within the folds of their family, they will lose.

Yet, you see such people running for elections and raising false alarm after losing the elections. So, we may not have a perfect election. Even in the US, one of the baston countries of democracy, there is no perfect election. But I am very optimistic that Nigeria is getting there in terms of conducting a free and fair election.

You said the result of the election reflects the wishes of Nigerians, but candidates are heading to the tribunals to challenge the result of the elections. What is your take on that?

Going to court to challenge the result of any election is very democratic even though sometimes it could be abused. Abused in the sense that some candidates may see clearly that they lost the elections but due to pressures from either lawyers or political associates they will decide to go to court, knowing fully well that they have no case.

If you look at the results of the presidential elections, you will see clearly that Asiwaju Bola Tinubu is the only nationalist in that contest and he got the deserved result. Just look at the voting pattern; Atiku got most of the states in the North, because he is from the North. But, in that North too, you are aware that majority of the governors are APC therefore they were able to either defeat the PDP in their states or Asiwaju will come second, while Obi of Labour will be nowhere, apart from few states like Kaduna, Plateau and maybe Kwara. In the South West, they voted massively for Tinubu, but surprisingly APC lost Lagos State to Labour.

And, this happened because the Igbos in Lagos voted Obi. In the South East, Obi cleared the votes because of the Igbo factor, but he could not garner such support in the core Northern states where the votes are. Atiku and the PDP lost their traditional grounds of the South South and the South East. So you could see why Atiku and Obi lost the elections.

The APC governors in the North stood solidly for Tinubu and that was the advantage Asiwaju had. So it is laughable each time they alleged that the APC rigged the elections. You saw an election where the National Chairman of the APC lost Nassarawa State to Labour Party; the President of the country, Mohammadu Buhari lost his state Katsina, to PDP. And our presidential candidate, Asiwaju lost Lagos State to Labour, yet people come and talk about rigging. If it were rigging why would Asiwaju allow anybody to win Lagos State. Infact, from our own experience in the South East, the LP rigged heavily, because they used everything to intimidate our voters, forcing everybody to vote for Peter Obi or you are dealt with. If you read Governor Umahi’s interview few days ago, he lamented, even how family people betrayed him to vote Obi. In most cases not as if our people deliberately betrayed, but they were intimidated, threatened to vote Obi by those in the Labour movement. Funny enough the Labour people are crying foul after rigging massively in the South East for Obi.

I honestly don’t understand the hues and cry by these people because Obi lacks that national spread to win election as President. But, I can understand that Labour did not envisage the defeat that faced them because they were not set up as a political party but as a movement.

They were using the social media to embark on propaganda, inciting the public, raising false alarms. Because they were not prepared as a party is the reason we observe the crisis that has engulfed the Labour at the national level, in record time. As we speak today, we have three Labour party governorship candidates in Imo State. Is that how they intend winning elections? The earlier they face reality the better for them. These palace jesters must not destroy the progress Obi has made so far in the last election. I expect him to be calm, think deeply in order to know why he failed then try next time since age is still on his side.

The governorship election in Imo State is in November, how prepared is your party, the APC and Governor Hope Uzodimma, for the election?

We are very prepared and ready for the election. First of all, the developmental strides of Governor Hope Uzodimma in Imo State is very intimidating and that is why you saw people like Rt. Hon. Emeka Ihedioha being intimidated out of the race. And, I don’t blame him because he is smart enough to see the future that Uzodimma’s re-election has been endorsed by God Almighty. Governor Uzodimma is constructing the road from Owerri-Mbaise-Umuahia road That road leads to Ihedioha’s community. He failed to do it, but Uzodimma is constructing it today.

The Owerr to Okigwe and Owerri Orlu roads are second to none. These roads have opened up the economy of the state. Every investor coming to the state can easily access every part of the state without hitches. The usual flooding in Owerri is now a thing of the past due to the underground tunnel constructed by this administration. Some of these projects are not sexy projects in the sense that people don’t really see them after completion but they are very huge projects in terms of funding and it takes only a governor with the heart to help his people to embark on such projects.The Uzodimma administration has also eliminated all forms of double taxation or illegal collection of revenue and that is why you see investors trooping into the state.

The governor has created an enabling environment for business to flourish. This administration is constructing a state of the art market called the Eke Ukwu. This market is the ancestral market of Owerri people, but was demolished by the Okorocha administration. If you go to Douglas road today, where the market is relocated, you will see huge construction of market stores, equipped with state of the art facilities.

In terms of infrastructural development, Governor Uzodimma has delivered the dividends of democracy that will guarantee him victory in the November election. The acceptance of the APC government in Imo State was reflected in the just concluded general elections where the APC picked 25 out of the 27 seats in the state House of Assembly. We picked two Senate seats out of the three and so far we have five House of Reps seat, and still expecting one or two more. So, I don’t see any of the candidates that have that credentials to challenge him in the forthcoming governorship elections. Happily, all the parties have concluded their primaries, the Labour Party has three factional candidates and the PDP is parading Sam Daddy. Governor Uzodimma will chew all of them like crackers.

But the opposition in the state are insisting that the Governor has not done well particularly in the area of security?

Thank God you mentioned the opposition, but not the masses of Imo. The opposition particularly, the few elements in the PDP are still day dreaming that they will return back to power. They created this insecurity in order to divert attention of the people from the good works of the governor. But the whole gimmick backfired during the elections. Our people now know the truth that these people are enemies of the state trying to destroy the economy of the state due to their selfish ambition. That sympathy for the governor, for all he passed through in the hands of these wicked politicians. That was what motivated our people to come out enmass to vote massively for APC. Our people realized that this was a wicked gimmick by these people to destroy the state and paint the governor negatively in the eyes of the world. Their plan was to create a sense of insecurity wishing there may be calls for a state of emergency in the state. But thank God the Federal Government came to our rescue and today Imo is free in the hands of these enemies of democracy. His Excellency, the Governor remained focused and continued his projects across the state despite attempts to distract him. And today the people are happy and they will surely give him a second term mandate come November 11, 2023.

You were spokesman to the former National Chairman of the APC, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole who has won his senatorial election. As a close ally of the President-Elect, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, what role is he expected to play in the incoming administration?

Yes. We thank God for all the victories. Comrade has remained a dogged and rugged fighter. If you recall his election was the first victory to be announced by INEC. Despite the fact that the PDP has a sitting governor in Edo State, he led the party in winning two senatorial seats, five House of Reps seats. He is a man loved by his people. If you recall, it was because of our President-Elect, Ahmed Tinubu, that he was illegally removed as National Chairman of the APC; when a section of the leaders nursed the fear that he was going to impose Asiwaju as candidate of the party if allowed to remain as National Chairman.

However, he remained calm despite the persecutions, but you could see how God still brought Asiwaju, and today he is President-Elect. So, to answer your question, Comrade is now Senator-Elect and I can tell you he is one of those to watch out for in the Asiwaju-led administration.