Imo State United Progressives Party (UPP) governorship aspirant Dr Osmond Ukanacho spoke with AUGUSTINE AVWODE on his plans for the state, zoning principle and other issues.
Why did you dump the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the United Peoples Party (UPP)?
It is because I have a vision and I need a suitable platform through which I can realise that vision. After a careful consideration of what the United Progressives Party (UPP) stands for, I came to the conclusion that it is more suitable for the vision than the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). So, I think that with the UPP, I can achieve that vision. And why do I think so? The UPP as a party has a wonderful manifesto. It is the manifesto of the party that actually attracted me to it. The truth of the matter is that, if you look at the PDP, as a party, it has never implemented its manifesto and I think it is not a good idea. It is the deviation from the party’s manifesto that informed why the party has continued to perform very poorly.
But how would you respond to critics if they say you left PDP because you have no chance of achiving your ambition at the party?
I will tell them that it is not true, that it is not because I won’t be able to secure the ticket of the party that made me to dump it. The truth of the matter is that everybody knows that the party has never adhered to its manifesto. I say this with all sense of responsibility that PDP has not adhered to its manifesto all through these years; their promises to people all through these years have not been delivered. I am pretty sure that if I should contest on that platform and win, it will still be business as usual. It is not a question of not being able to get the ticket, I don’t agree with that.
Apart from the manifesto of the UPP, what else attracted you to the party?
The party has clear cut progressive tendencies and as a progressive myself, it is only just natural for me to find it attractive.
The general perception is that Governor Rochas Okorocha is doing well. What do you want to offer Imo State that is different from what the incumbent is doing now?
When you look at Imo State in the past 12 years, you will see that there are still a lot to be done. Imo produces the largest number of graduates in Nigeria and it has been so annually. So, the primary concern of any government should be how to engage these graduates. For me, therefore, the first thing will be how to absorb this number of graduates into the system through gainful employment? Besides, the rate of insecurity in Imo State is something else. It is very alarming. And I think we cannot continue like this, a solution has to be found, which I cannot tell you now for obvious reasons.
There is the question of infrastructural decay that requires urgent attention. If you look at what is happening in the developed world and in developed democracies, you will agree that those developments were made possible by human beings and not spirits. And those things can be replicated here through good governance. So these are some of the reasons why I want to govern the state.
Given that UPP is a new party, do you think it stands any chance?
I don’t think it would be difficult to wrest power from the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) in the state. I strongly believe that it will be very simple. Don’t forget I run a foundation known as Osmond Ukanacho Foundation with my own little resources. We will leverage on the fact that in these past years, we have touched many lives in Imo State and indeed, Nigeria at large. For instance, sometime last year in Benue State, where I delivered a lecture to some disabled students in the higher institutions, we gave out more than 43 wheelchairs and 43 clutches to disabled students; we also gave out scholarships to them as well. Those things and others that we have done in Imo State would speak for us. Come to think of it, government should be for the people; it is for those who cannot put food on their tables. It should not be for the wealthy. But increasingly, the government that we have today in the country is for the rich. The common man has no place or position in the present set up. The gap between the rich and poor is too wide. We are coming out to tackle that by bridging the gap between the rich and the poor.
What do you have to say about the agitation for power shift from Orlu to Owerri zone?
Power shift among the three zones in the state, namely: Okigwe, Owerri and Orlu zones is very important. It is called, Imo Charter of Equity. Okigwe has done it, Orlu did it and it was the turn of Owerrri. But, that lasted for just a year and four months. It was during the tenure and reign of the late Senator Evans Ewerem. He ruled for only one year and four months. As a matter of fact, the equity did not say it must be eight years or it must be two years, or one tenure. But unfortunately, Okigwe couldn’t do it for eight years the second time, they did for four years. It was supposed to get back to Owerri before it went back to Orlu. It is the turn of Owerri to produce the governor of Imo State. That is why we are saying; it has to return to Owerri for us to complete our own agreement on equity.
What are your strategies to wrest power from the incumbent?
You would be surprised when you get to the state and see the kind of crowd that is following me. These are people who believe in what we have done so far. We have touched the lives of the people with our own resources. And I think that if we have a level playing ground and quality legislation, we can do better. Like I said, the youths in the state desire a change. The present situation in the state is like what it was in 2011. Back then, the people desire a change and they got the change. Anybody could have won the election because the people desired a change. Today, the people are yearning for change and they will get it.
Are you saying your party is fully on ground in the state?
Of course,yes. Don’t forget, the fight is not just for one or two local governments. We have 27 Local Government Areas in the state and we are on ground in all of them. We have offices in each of the council areas and there are people running the affairs of the party in those local government areas. As a matter of fact, I must let you know that the founder of this party, UPP also founded the ruling party in Imo State today, I mean the APGA. So, the spirit of APGA has left the party as is now in UPP.
What is your plan to tackle the challenges posed by insecurity in the state?
There is no place in any part of the world where there is no crime. We are talking about minimizing it to the barest minimum. Our plan is to ensure that the 27 local government areas are monitored from the Government House at the snap of a finger. With modern day technology, we can see all the local governments in Imo State from the Government House at all time. That is what we are going to do, and we will ensure that insecurity is reduced to the barest minimum through that method.
What are your programs?
I want to revive the educational sector in the state. We would ensure that the internally generated revenue in the state is increased. I know that in Imo State, we are going to look at the area where we have comparative advantage, like the area of oil palm produce. This is one source of revenue for the government that has been grossly neglected and we would revive it. We will tackle the issue of unemployment, and erect industries and meaningful infrastructure. As everybody knows, Imo state is the highest producer of palm oil and we can go back to that area and do things right. The whole of Imo State, there is no factory that makes maximum use of farm produce in the state. At least, we can do something about that and create more employment for the youths.
Politics is capital intensive. How would you finance this ambition?
It is true that politics in Nigeria has been highly monetised by money bags. But I want all Nigerians to know that money is not everything. That is not to say we are not ready, we are very ready. We have done our home work and very prepared to give this project our very best. However, when President Obama contested in the United States, he did not have the amount of money that everybody expected a presidential aspirant to have. But he was able to raise the money he needed for the campaigns. In the same way, we are going to rely on our friends, associates and business partners to be able to meet all the financial obligations of this project. But I must sound it right away that we are not going to be part of the politics of money where people just share money for the sake of it, no. That is not in our vision. Our vision is to leave a legacy of change. We want to make sure that there is total and complete change in the state.
