Presidential endorsement: Igbo Leader, Ohanaeze has made itself cheap — Chekwas Okorie
candidate as well as National Chairman of the
United Progressive Party, UPP. In this interview,
he previews the forthcoming contest, his chances
and the lot of Ndigbo among other issues.
Excerpts:
By Chioma Gabriel and Johnbosco Agbakwuru
How did you emerge as UPP presidential
candidate?
There was a consensus among members of the
National Working Committee of the party that I
should be the candidate of the party for the 2015
presidential election.
This was on the eve of our national convention which
took place at Aba, Abia State, on December 11, 2014.
So, at the National Executive Council meeting, that
motion was moved and adopted by NEC, especially in
the light of the fact that the party had zoned the
presidential slot to the South-East zone where I come
from and for the fact that nobody else came forward
to contest.
On the day of the convention, there was a proper
election as required by the Electoral Act, which was
supervised by INEC officials and being the sole
candidate, I garnered all the votes.
I requested NEC to approve my nomination of
Barrister Bello Umar as my running mate, because
according to our constitution, the candidate makes a
choice, but the party will approve or vice-versa, and
he was approved.
Some Nigerians have expressed fears that the re-
scheduled elections may not hold. What is your
view?
I expressed my great reservation and suspicion when
the postponement was done. I made it very clear at a
press conference I addressed that by that
postponement, the credibility of INEC has been put to
serious question and the independence of the
commission has been eroded based on the fact that
the decision to postpone was orchestrated by people
in the executive arm of government.
Okorie
My fear is that having considered the reason given
for the postponement as not convincing, I fear that
what happened might be a prelude to other sinister
motives.
It appears my fears are not misplaced in the sense
that shortly after Nigerians accepted the
postponement for the sake of it, other things started
coming out, especially from the PDP. Some of their
campaign officers started querying the proposed use
of PVCs by INEC. They also began to suggest the use
of TVCs and queried the use of card readers and all
the measures to be put in place that will help to bring
about credible and transparent elections that will be
acceptable to the Nigerian people.
We saw the PDP attacking these things one after the
other. In other words, trying to throw us back to the
dark days where anything went as elections and
results were announced, and people were asked to
go to court and resolve their differences.
Do you have the backing of Ndigbo having ceded
the presidential ticket to South East?
Of course, the Igbo people are known to be very
sentimental and emotional and now that they have
their person running for the Presidency, you do not
rule out that sentimental attachment to the
opportunity they have not had for a long time and
that is beginning to rub off positively on the party.
Thus, we expect that we will make a major impact in
the election though we do not have the capacity in
terms of financial muscle to showcase some cultural
jamborees by way of campaign rallies. That is luxury
for those who can afford it but for those who cannot
afford it; they have to be a little more cost effective in
their approaches.
So, we have adopted traditional methods of reaching
out to the people – going to the market places, door
to door, social media and the result is beginning to
show some promise.
But Ohaneze has recently said it endorsed
President Goodluck Jonathan for presidency.
When it comes to politics, this kind of thing has
always happened. Even though what Ohaneze has
done this time is a little scandalous, it has not been
different from what has always happened in Nigerian
politics especially the Igbo politics aspect of it.
Igbo politics
The second republic people will remember very well
that almost every Igbo political leader was in NPN,
and they were all fighting for number two position. It
was so bad that what NPN did was to decide to give it
to any Igbo man provided that he brings N2million at
that time.
It was for the highest bidder and that was how Alex
Ekwueme being an extremely successful contractor
and consultant paid.
He did not become running mate because Igbo
people sponsored him but because he out-paid the
others and that was what prompted Nnamdi Azikiwe
to come out because he had already stated that he
was not going to run.
So, when he saw his people clamouring for number
two position, he could not reconcile it with the fact
that he led the struggle for Independence. That was
how he came and he came late and chose the
smallest of the parties at the time – NPP (Nigeria
Peoples Party) which was founded by Waziri Ibrahim.
And when he was asked why he did not go to a big
party where all his associates were waiting for him,
he said his people were better off being majority in a
minority party where their voice would be heard than
being the minority in a majority party where they
would be assimilated without trace.
And the masses identified with their own and they
voted for him while others who went to majority
parties lost in their domains and NPP dominated the
area (South East). Not just that, Plateau State had a
shoulder to lean and Solomon Lar became the
emancipator and liberator of his people.
Now is not different, those who will always go to
'food is ready' will not be part of building anything. I
founded APGA; it was worst in the case of APGA than
I have it now. It was only after we had won Anambra
State through the court that the party became
attractive.
So, I am not surprised. As a matter of fact, I am not
much disappointed by what Ohaneze is doing now
but I feel sorry for my Igbo people. What has
happened is that Ohaneze is simply hawking
endorsement as if it is hawking pure or sachet water.
Satchet water
An endorsement should be a logical outcome of a
negotiated understanding contained in a written
memorandum of understanding.
There are so many problems confronting the Igbo
people that any patriotic, caring Pan-Igbo
organization will present on the table and have it
negotiated and as a result of that, endorsement will
come.
Look at Afenifere, they are now telling you the reason
they are supporting the government which are
justifiable endorsement. What did Ohaneze say?
Instead, they are busy denying whether they were
given a particular amount of money or not.
Is it not scandalous that the umbrella organization
that is supposed to speak for the interest of Igbo
people has made itself so cheap? This is not the first
time Ohaneze is doing this. It did it in 2011 but that
time, there was no opposition, and people could get
away with it.
Now, the situation is different. I am running and you
will see what will happen. As I said, UPP will be the
revelation of 2015 election when the results start
coming in. Why is it that in spite of the spate of
endorsement, the beneficiaries are afraid of the
popularity contest that would be tested on the basis
of one man, one?
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