Retired Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG), Azubuko Joel Udah is a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress.
In this interview with NGOZI UWUJARE in Abuja, he spoke on the 2023 presidency, noting that Senate Chief Whip, Dr Orji Uzor Kalu would be the best candidate from the South East if he contests for president in the 2023 elections. He also spoke on last November’s governorship election in Anambra State, praising President Muhammadu Buhari for allowing free and fair election among other issues.
Many presidential aspirants are already coming out to express their interest in succeeding President Muhammadu Buhari. What is your position on this?
They have the right to contest election in as much as they are Nigerians. But I think for fairness and equity, it is the turn of the South East. That is my position and should be the position of any just man.
Unlike what many had predicted, last year’s Anambra governorship election was largely free and fair. What’s your position on this?
Like I said sometimes ago, I had the confidence that everything would go well in Anambra State. That state has been very fortunate for having people that have done well as governors. All the governors there have been on a good trajectory of improving the people’s lives. In that election, you know there were so many factors that came in. The determination of the federal government under President Muhammadu Buhari ensured that not only was INEC given freedom to do what it needed to do, but they were unhindered. President Buhari also ensured that there was room for free and fair election. Everybody knows there was no room for any hanky-panky at all in the election. Also those who came out to vote, their votes counted. People should be commending the President of this country who gave chance for the people to cast their votes and rejected money politics. Everything went smoothly. The introduction of electronic transmission of results was superb. And like I said before about the elections in Ondo and Edo last year, everything went well in Anambra. Kudos to Mr President. If he had shown any other body language, maybe we would have seen some other things happening in Anambra State now. But at least everybody saw how the election went and it was a close call between the APGA, PDP and the APC. It was the best that has emerged from the election. All kudos once again to Mr President.
As we begin the journey to the 2023 general elections, what is your advice to the people of the South East?
My advice to the people of the South East is that showing apathy to election is not something that can help their area. They have been crying about marginalisation, but this complaint is not only limited to the South-East; other parts of the country are also crying of marginalisation too. But they should continue their complaints until the problem is rectified. Nobody is saying they should not do that but they should stop the violence, the killing of the police and so on. For those of us from the South East, we feel very bad about the killing of policemen. This is not in the character of people from the South East. The earlier this is stopped, the better. So my advice for the people of the South East is that we should have good focus and stop the issue of violence.
Your party, APC, has been having unresolved issues over its convention. What is your advice to the members?
Well, my advice is that all is well that ends well. You know there are problems all over the place and it is a mark of the type of politics that we have in Nigeria. However, I hope that by February, things will stabilise and all the problems that we have been having in many states, like having parallel executives, would have been properly handled. And I am looking unto the president as the leader of the party to intervene and tell all the members he would no longer tolerate any nonsense. I pray things should be done properly for the party to come out as one and face the 2023 general election. All the problems being witnessed currently will not help us as a party. The opposition party, the PDP is organising itself well. Why can’t we do the same as a ruling party? I know when the president called everybody to order, the problems would be resolved.