Edo 2012: ‘Coming together of Anenih, Ogbemudia, Igbinedion will give PDP victory’

[MrVan]

By SIMON EBEGBULEM

Mr. Okharedia Ihimekpen is the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Director of Publicity in Edo State. In this interview, he declares that the recent re-union of Dr Samuel Ogbemudia, Chief Tony Anenih and the Esama of Benin Kingdom, Chief Gabriel Igbinedion  will produce the force that will defeat Governor Adams Oshiomhole of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN)  come July 14 governorship election. Excerpts:

Do you think the PDP has the fire power to defeat Governor Adams Oshiomhole, whose performance has amazed the people of the state in the past three and a half years?

PDP is prepared. PDP is set and PDP will win the election. I am bold to say that in a free and fair election, PDP will win.

How possible is that when most of the PDP leaders are now in the ACN?

That one is history because you can see that they are now coming back home. For instance the Esama of Benin, Chief Gabriel Igbinedion, is now fully in PDP.  Dr Ogbemudia is fully in PDP. This election is not a laughing matter; every body must deliver his votes in his ward and, if you don't do that, you are not a leader. I have traveled round all the 18 local governments and the 192 wards, I can tell you that from what I see, Gen.Charles Airiavbere is the next governor of Edo State.

You think that with the developmental strides of Oshiomhole in the past three years, the people of the state will vote PDP, particularly knowing their poor performance in ten years while they were in power?

Oshiomhole has not done anything. He has only succeeded in hoodwinking the people. Let me tell you, development is not a project, it is a process. If you talk of what we see today in the schools such as the red roof, that is a UBEC project of the Federal Government. The governor is supposed to tell the people that the Federal Government is contributingto the projects.

Look at Airport Road, the government has expended N18 billion. But you could see the advert placed two weeks ago about the road contract awarded by the Federal Ministry of Works,  Amadokia Road, awarded for N1.4 billion,  about eight kilometers, that is an average of about N200 million per kilometer as against N3billion per kilometer in the roads being constructed by Oshiomhole. So, Edo people have discovered Oshiomhole's hypocrisy.

In a free and fair election, PDP will win and the idea that he has changed schools into red roof, I will put it to you that the hood does not make the monk. Go to that school now, there is no security, no teachers. And the current curriculum of the schools says that, from 2014, for any child to sit for SSCE, the child must be able to pass computer science and ICT but there are no teachers for these subjects. Go to the schools, you said you have changed the roofs but you will find only the headmaster and a teacher. It is despicable, this not our portion, we did not bargain for this. So, let us rephrase that thing you call development, how he has underdeveloped Edo in the past three and a half years.

Gov.Oshinmhole and Gen. Airhiavbare If you say Oshiomhole has painted only school roofs, what comes to mind is that if the PDP had painted roofs in ten years, Oshiomhole would have done some thing else?

The difference between the parties is the individuals. The people you are talking about that ruined the PDP government in that ten years or eight years are the same people now in the ACN starting from the deputy governor. Or is it Ize-Iyamu, Anslem Ojezua, almost all the commissioners in this cabinet? These people are migrational politicians, they migrated to the ACN. Today we have a new brand PDP. And I can tell you, after July 14 when PDP would have won, because they are migrational politicians, they will come back to the PDP like the return of the prodigals.

What is actually new in PDP, because, like you said, we have Chief Igbinedion, Chief Anenih and Dr Ogbemudia, these have been the same leaders in the party since 1999?

Yes, these people are the patriarchs at the apex, they are not involved in the politics of the state. We call them national leaders. I served in Lucky's government but you will remember that Lucky's government was perpetually at war with these leaders. Even when the leaders tried to call him to order, it was difficult because it was perpetuated by people like Ize-Iyamu, the present deputy governor,  the commissioners.

Oshiomhole is the only neutral person in this government even though he was a friend to Lucky's government. So what we say in essence is that Lucky was perpetually at war with those three leaders you mentioned. Now that a new crop of leaders have emerged starting from Dan Orbih down wards, I am telling you it is a new PDP and expect the best. It is different from the migrational politicians  in the ACN today, tomorrow they might also go and hijack ANPP. They are politicians in motion.

There are some people currently in court over alleged involvement in purchase of voter's cards and they were identified as PDP members. Why is the PDP involved in the buying of cards if they know they are popular?

The reverse is the case, they are not PDP members, those people are ACN members. We have apprehended four people now who were buying cards. They are presently at the police station in Ekpoma. I am not aware of any PDP person buying cards because we are on ground, we don't need to buy cards to win election. But even these cards I don't know how it will be useful for them because you cannot buy a card and come to my area to vote when we know ourselves.  The PDP is ready for the election and God has ordained us for vicory and nobody can change it. The people of Edo  are calling for a change.

But the same Chief Anenih is still in charge of the PDP, that is why I said people can't understand what is new in the party?

Don't relate the whole to Chief Anenih. Chief Anenih has never been a governor. He was only a minister for three years and what he achieved in those three years, no minister has achieved that in the history of this country. When Chief Anenih said there was no vacancy at Osadebey Avenue, it was the resolve of the leadership of the party that all the South-South governors then will return because they were preparing for Obasanjo's second tenure.

So let us separate Anenih from this.  That administration used the Grace Group to fight these leaders in the PDP and it was this same Grace Group that metamorphosed into ACN today, that brought Oshiomhole in. But we are happy that these people are on the other side today because we don't want people that will pollute the PDP. You will see what will happen, July 15, I will call you and I will remind you that I told you that nobody can stop the PDP from winning.

Why is Gen Charles Airhiavbere promising to do what is already in existence in the state like free education?

Airhiavbere is a man of integrity. He does not want to promise what he cannot do. He has campaigned every where in this country. You are saying that there is already free education by Oshiomhole, but there is no free education. There is nothing in the schools.

Airhiavbere is not a talkative, he cannot promise what he cannot do. And saying that he is dodging debate is not true. I am telling you now that you will watch him on AIT by 7pm today (Wednesday) and he will discuss issues. He has programmes on agriculture, education among others. The truth is that the gods of the land and the people have spoken. PDP will sack Oshiomhole come July 14.

Vanguard Nigeria