The Senator, currently representing Abia South senatorial district in the Senate and former Deputy Governor of Abia Stae, Enyinna­ya Abaribe is one of the leading governorship aspirants in the state. In an interview with select journalists in Lagos, Abaribe enthused that, his candidature would guarantee victory for his party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Excerpts from RAZAQ BAMIDELE:
What are the challenges you expect to meet in the state as the new governor? Let me say that the challenges of devel­opment in every State in Nigeria will also be exactly the same that if you are in Abia, you will have to confront – under­development, massive unemployment, infrastructure that is not at par with what you need for a 21st century economy and then of course the basic ones of educa­tion, health, environment and agriculture.
Basically, what I think is the biggest challenge you have to face will have to do with all the young men and women who are coming out of schools without a job. First, we will need to deal with how do we produce people that are functional in our state at the moment. Abia stands at a very good vantage position being at the top of the whole Niger Delta region and all the ancillary industries in the Niger Delta – the oil and gas and all the other things that go with it. And Abia will provide manpower and skills. Usually, when people want to do anything within the Niger Delta region, they can come to Aba to get it. For specific reasons, all the while, Abia has always had through Aba an industrial set up with skilled people, artisans and managerial skilled people who have been doing things locally. Now, what we need to do is to move their skills up and also to be able to train them enough to fit into the manpower needs within the oil and gas region. We think that as a matter of policy, you must be able to move people away from the grammar school literary type education to technical based education now and that you will have to do if you are Governor of the State.
The other challenge that you have to meet if you are Governor of Abia is infrastructural challenge. Because the amount of money that comes to the State which forms the basis of the spending in the State is very low, compared to the sur­rounding states. So, whoever is going to be Governor will have to do two things: first prudence, which means that what­ever money that you get, you are going to get the optimal use of that money. That is the only way to go.
What are the factors you see as stumbling block to your aspira­tion?
For every politician, whenever you put yourself forward to the people, you will always have challenges. The challenges are two-fold. First of all, you have chal­lenges from those who also are having the same ambitions like you. Secondly, you have the challenge of fitting within the dictates of your party, since we are running a democracy that does not allow any independent candidate.
First of all, you have to look at yourself and be sure that you meet the criteria that are set up by your party. Once you meet that, second one will now be that you are trying to put forward your credentials and your reasons for running. Other people are also putting up their own and what you want is a level playing ground so that the party people who have to make the choice of who becomes their candidate would be able to do so without hinder­ance. So, I do not see any challenge. I have been in the field; I have done consultations at all levels; I have done consultations with stakeholders in the State – individually and collectively. I have done consultations with the party people in Abia North, Abia Central and Abia South. I come from Abia South and I have also done consultations with people at the state party level.
I can tell you that I had a lot of enthusi­asm from people when I went. No other aspirant in Abia has been able to traverse the State in the way that I am doing.
Do you think you have done well in the Senate to deserve being trusted with bigger responsibility in the state? Of all the people who have been in the Senate from Abia, I think I have done more than anybody. If what you have done for your people is the cridential, then I deserve to be Governor based on that and the evidence is clear. This is not evidence that is coming just out of my mouth but the evidence is pictorial and otherwise, for which we will expect that people can verify.
Does your aspiration have any­thing to do with the zoning for­mular that appears to be in your favour?
As I said, I started my consultations in April; so, between April and May, we went all over the States and concluded it with the party in the State. Ultimately, by the time we completed the consulta­tions in May, June had passed and it was in July that the State party now took the decision to zone the Governorship for­tuitously to my zone – Abia South zone. So, I could not have come because of the zoning. Actually, I would want to think it was because we had sufficiently told the party the reasons why they needed to take the best decision that also may be part of what made the party to zone it to Abia South.
What do you see as your sell­ing points that put above other contenders?
Three things: Character, competence and integrity. All the political actors in Abia know for one thing that it is not just enough to talk the talk. You should also be able to demonstrate by your actions the type of person that you are. I can say this without any fear of contradiction that anybody in Abia knows that if it is in terms of character, uptightness and being able to be your own person and actually work for the people of Abia, they will not find me wanting. If it is in terms of being competent enough to do the job of Gover­nor, they will also not find me wanting because I have been at various levels and demonstrated at various times that I have the ability to run a state.
Running for Governorship poll is expensive especially in the South­east. How prepared are you? I do not think that running for Governor is expensive in the way that people see it. It may be expensive elsewhere but in Abia State, it is not that expensive. Sec­ondly, running for Governor is also a col­lective thing; It is not something that one person can do. The funding for whatever you do, you may just find that it is taken care of in different aspects by different people. This brochure that I have is made by somebody and that is his contribution. This arm band was done by somebody; people have been doing T-shirts and all those things. I have been very lucky that I have people who believe in the project and they have been coming forward and helping me to do all that. I also know that at the end of the day, whatever that will be needed for sustaining the governor­ship race will be available because I have commitment from all friends of Abia in the project.
What benefit will your candida­ture bring to the party in the state?
I can make a prediction today and I want you to take the prediction to the bank; if I am given the ticket of PDP in Abia, there will be an exodus from every other party to PDP because most of the people who are in the other parties and all that are just waiting for PDP to make their decision. I know that they will not have anything to challenge PDP for once we have the ticket. We have not been talking about other parties because we know those other parties are actually PDP people who for one reason or the other found themselves in those places and I know that a consensus builder coming into the race will bring each and every one of them back to PDP.

 

Abia 2015: My candidature will give PDP victory, says Abaribe