Dr. Chike Obidigbo is one of the governorship aspirants on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Anambra State. In this interview with Nwanosike Onu, he speaks on the chances of his party in the election.
After your bitter experience in the last governorship election, what motivated you to come out to contest again?
I decided to enter into the governorship race of Anambra State again purely because I understand the present challenges of the state and I have sufficient imagination to capture the designs for the future prosperity and development of Anambra. I possess the intellectual capacity to build, consolidate and expand existing foundations. In Anambra State, we urgently need an economic renaissance that would allow private sector operators and leadership at all levels to contribute towards shaping the future of our economy. We must diversify, if we must create mass employment for our rising army of youths. This needed structural shift must be directed at Agriculture, Industrialization, and the development of critical infrastructure, all planned and executed with certain single mindedness.
Did you dump the APGA for the APC because of the betrayal you experienced?
No. You know what happened in the last election and the primaries. Before I was not into polities, I was drafted into the race for governorship by the former Governor, Peter Obi and he came from APGA. After that came all the endorsements from zones, groups, Local government areas to the Senatorial Zones, from all kinds of leaders and groups in the state. All of them gave me the support I needed.. At a point it was very obvious that I was going to be the candidate of APGA in that election. Even Willie Obiano knew that I was going to be the candidate of the party. So after all that happened, it became an opportunity to look at the political terrain to study what the Igbo nation needs. So after that study for almost one year I became satisfied that for Anambra State and the entire Igbo land must be part of the national discuss, we must key into the centre. APGA like you know is a one party state and decision making in APGA is simple so in that process, they make a lot of mistakes. After what happened to me then, it gave me the opportunity to look at the terrain clearly. It is the outcome of those months and years of retrospection that I was made to understand that for Anambra to operate satisfactorily and provide for our people, you must key in to the center. A national party has a broad think tank base. When you are with a party at the center with several other people, you are in the position to represent your people better. A party like the APC is one of them. When issues that have to do with getting the entire ethnic interests to brain storm on a way forward for their people, the PDP would enter into a caucus meeting, the APC would hold its caucus meetings, then, what will APGA do, maybe. look for the next beer parlor. In the best interest of Anambra State and other southeast states, they should align with the party at the center if not, we will continue to lose out. The Igbos, including Anambra people, must find a way to get proper representation and that informed my choice of the APC. As I speak now, if you give me APGA ticket free of charge I will not take it
People are clamoring for change. what do you think should be done for Anambra State to chart a new cause?
The truth is that today Anambra State is at a crossroads and the real problem is that we lack clear vision to address our mounting challenges. If we take a look at the rising rate of graduate unemployment in a state richly endowed with abundant human and material resources. For instance, it is certain that so much more need to be done in a creative dimension to steer the good, enterprising people of Anambra State away from the quagmire. Indeed, we need a new leadership to drive the collective efforts of Anambra people to come up with solutions to our problems. We urgently need to deploy our energies in a positive direction. When we do that, it is possible to create new jobs on a massive scale out of the virgin economy. Anambra State would be well off when we can maximally explore and explain available resources for overall benefit of our people. I use this opportunity therefore to offer my service and to call on all responsible men and women with impeccable character to join hands in the rigorous pursuit of a socially acceptable and economically sustainable future. Interestingly, it is only together that we can make Anambra ‘The Light of The Nation’, shine again. There is no room for ineptitude or mediocrity. We must bear in mind that the change Anambra desires is to rebuild our society with a view to renewing our endearing value system.
Do you envisage any intrigue playing out during the APC governorship primary?
Today, we have the APC committee for Anambra State governorship election, which is headed by a former governor, Senator Chief Jim Nwobodo. I am pleased with the committee and it will help in achieving a level playing ground during the primaries. The caliber of those in the committee would also help in getting the South East key into the APC, which is the party at the centre in Nigeria. I am sure they will not want to soil their hands with corruption. They are people that have integrity. My ambition to become a governor is not a do or die matter and if at the end they say I am not the candidate, there will be no problem. If the committee gets it right in Anambra State which is the head of the Southeast, then, we are set for the rest of the zone.
What is your political philosophy?
Democracy enunciates the basic ingredients of a truly civil society, where all citizens are equal as important stakeholders in the nation building process. Against this background, my driving philosophy in my career is that in whatever I do, my life must impact positively on the lives of others. One cardinal objective is to uphold the Rule of Law in order to achieve equal opportunity. This retrogressive style had been encouraged by Nigeria’s dubious electoral system before now. The one hundred and seventy nine towns of Anambra State have peculiar challenges which we hope to confront head on. Towards this end, the new government under my leadership plans to partner with them to tackle their problems in a bottom-up approach that has been the style of my Charity organisation “Osisioma Foundations” There is no doubt that Anambra people are leaders and trail blazers in academia, commerce, business and industry. The government under my leadership would seek to provide a driving force to harness the innate potentials of our people especially the youths and women. Extreme individualism, our current bane does not augur well in the long run, for a developing society. So, we must develop some meeting points for social engagement and for enterprise.
If elected governor of Anambra State on November 18, what will be your action points?
Well, it is now eighteen years since Nigeria returned to the path of democratic rule and Anambra State would be going to the polls to elect its fifth civilian governor. Within the period spanning 1991 through 2017, Anmabra has witnessed four administrations. In the course of these administrations, efforts have been made to uplift the state through roads and other infrastructure. If given the opportunity to pilot the affairs of the state as Governor, the following shall therefore constitute my action points to take the state to another level. My effort will be geared towards institutional revitalization, human capital development and wealth/job creation. These are the areas we are lacking representation. Successive governments mostly concentrated on roads but we need these other areas to expand and grow our economy. The state’s economy should be first then; other areas will fall in naturally.
