All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) Senatorial candidate for Anambra North and former Anambra State Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters, Dubem Obaze, talks to Senior Correspondent, OKEY MADUFORO, on his ambition and his days in office, among other issues
Three persons laying claim to Anambra North Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) senatorial ticket
As far as I am concerned, PDP does not have a candidate. So I am not worried about people that do not have a candidate. This game plan of PDP having more than one candidate, and after the elections the party now presents a candidate, can no longer work again. It cannot be tolerated again. That situation is undemocratic and anti-people. It does not help our democracy at all. That shows that the PDP is not in the state.
The party is not on the ground here. Since we, in APGA, are supporting Mr. President, I urge them to just support us and all our candidates in Anambra for the election.
Alleged alliance between APGA and PDP
If I am asked to talk, I will ask them to allow us 100 per cent representation in the three senatorial seats, the 11 House of Representatives seats and the 30 House of Assembly seats. I am sure if they give us all that, it would be equal to the presidency that we are not running for.
Tenure as Commissioner for Local Government
It is a question of knowing what your people want and acting on them. So when you are called to serve, you first of all know what the people want and not what you want or what you are to impose on them. You must appreciate their needs and try to meet those needs and not imposing things on them. That was what we did at the local government areas in Anambra. We did a need assessment to find out what the people need in Anambra. These things range from roads, to primary healthcare, to housing and education. Those are things that our people want. They want poverty alleviation.
When you work on programmes that will help you to do those four or five things, then you are on your way and those are the things that we did at the local government level. Every single community was touched; every family was touched. When we go to rehabilitate the community health centres and schools are functioning and salaries are paid, you touch the lives of the people. We never missed paying salaries at the local government. Those were plans and programmes that worked out in a way to impact positively on the lives of the people. The policy of giving money to the fourth-tier of government, which is the town unions, and elevating the traditional rulers’ status were planned clearly and also implemented. I am glad that they are still being implemented today. I think the people voting for me in the primary election or the wide acceptance is simply a function of what we did while in office at the local government level.
They knew that we tried when I was commissioner and they felt that it was good to give back something in appreciation. I am very grateful to God for allowing me to serve our people. I am also grateful to our former governor, Peter Obi, for giving me the opportunity to serve. I am equally grateful to our present governor, Willie Obiano, for continuing these good works that Obi did.
Bill on local government autonomy
It is good, but we must encourage active participation at the local government level. The autonomy is a fantastic idea, but we must, as a people, hold our local government chairmen responsible. By so doing, you hold the governor responsible. At some point, if you go back a few years back in 2008 and 2009, some of our local governments had like N200 million in their accounts. All we said was “this is your money, but you must tell us what you are doing with the money or what you want to do with the money”. That was why you saw some council areas that did roads worth N100 million. In most states, you would not hear a thing like that.
Representation of Anambra North in the past
Our senators have tried, and you will only give what you have. I am not criticising anybody, but you must understand that I come from a different background. I have lived in Anambra consistently and constantly for the past eight years and I know everywhere. I was opportuned to serve as Commissioner for Local Government for that matter. I know our people and their needs, so I will approach it differently. Some of them live in Abuja. So when you are elected and you move back to Abuja, it is difficult to come home. So they do not know the issues that they are supposed to address, or attend to. It was not that they did not serve well or whatever.
If you see my campaign slogan, I say I will do better. With the exception of the late Chuba Okadigbo who was very good and was a Senate president, I know that I will do better than other senators put together.
Cry of deprivation by Anambra North
Well, the Senate is basically a legislative arm of government. However, you must have follow-ups. What the governor is doing in agriculture is good and if you have a senator who is supporting the governor, he would be doing a follow-up at the national level to assist the governor in that sector.
It is not the governor’s work alone, but also the duty of the senator and House of Representatives members to go and ensure that some of these things get to us.
Take a look at what they are doing in Kwara State; they are doing mechanised agriculture and even encouraging our people. I may reach out to people that have the money and expertise to come here and help our people succeed.
Obi’s defection to PDP
I am an APGA man, and our Oga, Peter Obi, is an APGA man. He is just in PDP, as far as I am concerned, on a sojourn and he did it in a very decent manner. He never called anybody or a meeting to say come and follow me let us join PDP. If he had done that, may be there would have been problem. So what he is doing now in PDP is good for the South East. But this is an APGA state and APGA is South East-based party. When it comes to the election, it is APGA. We are very much in charge. Nobody will lose Obi and be happy. However, as far as Anambra is concerned, as far as South East is concerned, we are in control here and one man cannot make a forest. We must have several Peter Obis in PDP to make it. I have my own personal reasons for remaining in APGA.
