Mr Patrick Ejike Ochuba is a native of Ngodo Isuochi in Umunneochi Local Govern­ment Area of Abia State and a member of the Committee for People’s Awareness (COPAN). In this interview, he speaks on various issues particularly, the 2015 general elections. Excerpts:
What is COPAN all about?
This is a youth organization which came up as a group of likeminded progressives who desire the best for the good people of Abia State. The organization is well rooted in the villages across Abia State and we strategically connect to our members and non-members through their mobile phones.
Is it 2015 election that prompted your forming this organization?
No. COPAN was formed in Umunneochi LGA in 1996 to function as a youth organiza­tion. We have played remarkable roles in the politics of Umunneochi in the last 18 years, but today, we realize that we can play vital supportive roles to governance at all levels, hence our interests in Abia State and national politics.
So, what are the main aims of form­ing this organization?
Because politics is all about interests and politicians are complex set of people, it is very difficult to share common interests. But in COPAN, we are preaching fairness, equality, peaceful coexistence, harmonious living and uniform infrastructural development among the good people of Abia State. We believe that the government cannot solve all our problems alone, we believe that individuals can through voluntary services support governance at all levels, so that we can achieve the Abia State of our dreams
2015 elections are around the cor­ner, what role will COPAN play here in Abia State?
Our key roles in 2015 general election would be political education and mobilization. We would continue to offer voluntary support services (VSS) to our great party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the government of Abia State and its agencies, as well as the Independent National Electoral Commis­sion (INEC). As at today, close to 100,000 Abia people receive our regular text mes­sages informing them current political issues and events in the state. In today’s politics, most people believe that politics is meant for a set of special people, so they are less concerned about politics, but COPAN wants to change all of that. Politics is all about you, your welfare, your children’s welfare, your community welfare. Politics determines how well you live and how secure your properties, investments and environment become. So, COPAN encourages you to join politics and become politically aware and active, so that together, we can decide and work to improve ourselves and societies. This is a mobile age, over 70 per cent of Abia people have mobile phones and we are reaching out to everybody through text messages. We have strategized to the extent that we are on ground in all parts of Abia state; we have coordinators in all the 17 LGAs of Abia state, down to the ward levels. So, we are trying to make everybody in Abia to be politically alert, to know what is happen­ing in the state at every given time.
What is your stand on the current zoning issue in the state?
Yes, COPAN supports power shift! You may call it zoning, if you like. When a man has three sons, the family inheritance belongs to the three sons. There are serious problems when any of the sons tries to dominate and possess the entire family inheritance. The South East people are demanding for ad­ditional state, so that they will have a sense of belonging with other zones in the country. South East is making a demand for equity and every southeasterner in Nigeria is supporting this movement. This equity principle should manifest in the entire Abia State politics and in our family lives. We support that Abia South should produce the next governor, because denying them the opportunity would not only be unfair but would also retard the development of the state. We are promoting the True Equity in Abia State (TEAS), so we believe that the government resources, ap­pointments, projects, elective positions should be harmoniously and uniformly distributed. So in terms of zoning of the governorship seat in Abia state, we feel that it would be very fair and for a peaceful living in Abia for the governorship seat to go to Abia South. We know that it is not constitutional to zone the governorship position but we feel that since Abia North and Central have produced the governor, it is just fair for the next governor of Abia state to come from Abia South. I think that is the right thing to do, so as to make all Abia people feel that they are one big family, constitution or no constitution. We are preach­ing for equity not just for the position of the governor but for other key elective positions like the senate and House of Representatives. Every local government in Abia State should be given a fair opportunity to produce either the Senator or the House of Representative member. People should not be encouraged to dominate others over elective positions. Every eligible person has the right to be elected and equal opportunities should be extended to all interested persons, through a workable power shift arrangement tagged TEAS.
How will you marry Abia Charter of Equity with the zoning formula in the state?
I have heard about Abia Charter of Equity and I have also tried to analyze the structure and content of that Charter, but I think it is ambiguous. A lot of questions are being asked about the Abia Charter of Equity. From what we can read on the pages of newspaper, Abia Charter of Equity says that the ABIA acronyms means Afikpo, Bende, Isuikwuato and Aba zones, but it is not clear why Bende LGA and Umuahia LGA who should both be under Bende zone should have produced the governor on two consecutive times, totaling 16 years, if ever the Charter arrangement was being implemented. Abia Charter of Equity is not clear to the people of Abia State. Political arrangements and understanding on senatorial zoning system is more understood and clear to even a blind man. No official document on this Charter is shown to the people of Abia State, at least to inform and educate our minds. So in clear terms, Abia Charter of Equity is not clear to Abians and that is why we are promoting a True Equity for Abia State (TEAS) which is based on the three senatorial components. Under our TEAS, we promote that Abia South produces the next governor in 2015; that either Ohaofia, Bende or Arochuk­wu should produce the next Abia North sena­tor, because Isuikwuato produced a senator (1999-2003) and Umunneochi have produced a senator for 3 terms (2003-2015); that either Umuahia North, Ikwuano or Isialangwa North should produce the 2015 senator because Isi­alangwa South (1999-2003), Umuahia South (2003-2007) and Osisioma LGAs (2007-2015) have produced senators; that either Aba South, Abia North, Ugwunagbo or Ukwa West should produce the next Abia South senator. TEAS also promotes that House of Representatives seats should uniformly rotate among the member LGAs.

‘Abia people don’t understand Charter of Equity’