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| AJUMBE, IMO ANPP CHAIR |
Dr.
Vitalis Ajumbe, the Imo state chairman of the All Nigeria Peoples Party, ANPP,
spoke recently to a group of journalists on some burning issues.
Sir, looking at the security situation
in Imo state currently, what’s your take? Does the ANPP have any panacea?
I have spoken severally on the rising
rate of crime in the state since the advent of the current administration. As
you all know, no day passes without a major incident. Even the smaller thieves
like pick pockets have come back, making Imo one of the worst states to live
in. The situation is very unfortunate because apart from the vulnerability of
life and property of Imo citizens, it has very grave implications on the
economy of the state. Many people have relocated their businesses to elsewhere.
You all live in this state and you will agree with me that the economy of the
state is lying prostrate.
The most worrisome is the recent
discovery that people in government are involved in high profile crime in the
state. Take the case of the kidnapping of Miss. Nkiru Syvanus in which an aide
of Governor Okorocha is alleged to be involved. Even a policeman is also
fingered in that incident. The question then is, where do we go from here? If
the very people you would complain to are those perpetrating the crime, it
means we are not safe at all. As it is, our lives are only in the hands of God
So, what do you suggest? Is the
situation completely out of hand?
Yes, the situation is getting out of
hand. The government should do something immediately. I can see top officials
of the Okorocha administration involved in some needless fights. For me, they
should pay less lip service to the issue of security because that is the key.
Let the governor concentrate on this issue of security and involve people who
know better. He should consult more widely on the issue. As it is, Imo has
never had it so bad.
Sir, what is the opposition really up
to? Some people hold the view that things are the way they are in the state
because the opposition parties are not living up to expectations.
I can assure you that the ANPP is
playing its role. As a matter of fact, I can beat my chest to say that ANPP is
the only parties that have been insisting that things are properly done. Those
who stood the chance of benefiting are not doing much. Take the PDP for
example. Because it is populated by people who are self seeking, the party
cannot bite. As far as I am concerned, the PDP does not have what it takes to
give the people of Imo a credible alternative. This was a party that had power
but allowed it to slip off its hands simply because of selfish interest. The
PDP people who worked against Ohakim did so because they thought if he lost,
the new governor would embrace them. It turned out to be different. Now, they
are all suffering it. They thought only Ohakim would suffer the loss. I read
the book written by one of Ohakim’s former aides, in which he blamed the
military for Ohakim’s loss. I disagree with that somewhat. Ohakim lost because
those working with him did not apply themselves properly to the cause. This was
a party that had 305 ward councilors, 27 local government chairmen and what
have you. How could it have lost an election? It was simply because the party
stalwarts thought that if Ohakim lost, they could be brought in by the
in-coming governor. Soon after the election, the PDP local council chairmen
went to Okorocha and pledged support. They even gave him gifts. But when he now
went ahead to dissolve them, they took him to court. That’s PDP for you. They
had told Okorocha that they supported him. But supporting him would have meant
that they should have accepted to support their sack.
If I were Okorocha, I wouldn’t have
bothered sacking the councils because the PDP chairmen and councilors would
have ended up defecting to his party. The same thing is true of the State House
of Assembly. The PDP members of the House are just there by name. Majority of
them are doing the governor’s biddings. But I can assure you that the ANPP will
remain steadfast in insisting on good governance.
The on-going merger talks among some
political parties involve the ANPP. What do you think are the chances?
The chances are quite bright. Each
party in the merger talk has set up its own committee to handle the matter.
There can be no doubt that the only way to remove the PDP from power is to form
a merger of all the opposition parties. My only fear is that of those in the
parties who may not be able to divorce their personal ambition from the ideals
of the merger. They think they are lords and have the tendency of seeing the
merger talks only from point of view of their selfish political interest. That
is my fear. Otherwise, it is a welcome development.
What are the implications at the state
level?
At the state level, the ANPP is
already talking with the CPC. After all, they are our brothers. The CPC is an
off shot of the ANPP. We are also talking with the ACN in the state. The ANPP
in the state has been meeting and is keenly monitoring what is happening at the
national level.
There is so much anxiety over 2015.
Even with the merger talks going on at the national level, are there any
developments at the state level?
Yes, the ANPP in the state is also
gearing up, even with the merger talks on. As I said, nobody knows what the
outcome of the talks will be. What is not in doubt is that the ANPP remains a
credible alternative for any Imo citizen who wants to vie for positions to give
the people purposeful leadership. A lot of people have already shown interest
in contesting for election in 2015 on the platform of our party. And many of
them are currently in other parties, especially the PDP. They realize that they
have no hope in the PDP. I can tell you who will emerge as candidates in the
PDP. Some people who know that they will not make it there have already
approached us. Discussions are going on.
The only hindrance is the on-going
merger talks. We expect that by April this year, the situation would have
become clearer so that we can take a bearing.
On 2015, the major issue in the state
seems to be on which zone should produce the governor. What is the ANPP’s
position on this?
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