Brown Chimezie
Uche Nwosu, governorship candidate of Action Alliance (AA) in Imo State has debunked allegation that he rented the huge crowd that graced his flag off campaign rally at Dan Anyiam Stadium, Owerri, saying that the crowd is an indication of his popularity and evidence that he can deliver 1million votes to President Muhammadu Buhari, this Saturday.
We hear that the Senator Hope Uzodima governorship campaign team prevented you and your supporters from entering Dan Anyiam Stadium, Owerri during President Muhammadu Buhari’s presidential campaign rally. Is that correct?
Senator Hope Uzodima and his supporters could not have stopped us from gaining access into the stadium. Yes, they don’t have the right to stop me and my supporters from attending President Muhammadu Buhari’s campaign rally in Imo State because President Buhari is the presidential candidate of Action Alliance in the February elections. Hope is a governorship candidate just like me so he doesn’t have the right to prevent me from supporting Mr. President. I promised to give President Buhari 1million votes and the crowd you saw at Dan Anyiam Stadium during the flag off of my campaign is evidence that I can indeed give President Buhari 1million votes.
But your party will see your action as anti-party activity?
It is not anti-party because Action Alliance (AA) adopted President Buhari as our presidential candidate. The National Chairman of our great party was there when we unveiled President Muhammadu Buhari as the presidential candidate of AA and we promised to give Mr. President 1million votes. So, it is a perfect alliance.
Your father in-law and Governor of Imo State, Owelle Rochas Okorocha was recently suspended by the state chapter of APC for allegedly supporting and funding your campaign which the party say, amounted to anti-party, what is your take?
Governor Rochas Okorocha was never suspended by the Imo State chapter of the ruling APC. Those who claimed that they have suspended him are those I call impostors and members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). The real APC leadership in the state is led by Daniel Nwafor and until Daniel Nwafor suspends Owelle Rochas Okorocha that is when the governor will remain suspended.
Governor Okorocha has condemned the adoption of the presidential candidate of the PDP, Atiku Abubakar by the Ohanaeze, isn’t that a sign that APC and President Buhari have been rejected in the South-East?
President Buhari has not and cannot be rejected by Igbo. The teeming population in the South-East geo political zone especially the people of Imo State are for President Buhari. Is Ohanaeze a political party? Ohanaeze is made up of few persons who sat in an office and declare interest for a particular candidate without consulting Ndigbo. Am I not an Igbo man, am I not supporting President Buhari? Is former Senate President, Ken Nnamani not an Igbo man, is he not supporting Buhari? Is Owelle Rocha Okorocha not an Igbo man, is he not supporting President Buhari? Even the minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, is he not an Igbo man? Many of us who are leaders in the zone are strongly behind President Buhari’s re-election and not just few individuals from the region who claimed to be speaking for Ndigbo. The so-called leaders of Ohanaeze are people who cannot win ordinary councillorship election or chairmanship of their town unions. Mind you Ohanaeze is not a political party and they cannot decide for Ndigbo which party or candidate to vote for.
The main opposition, PDP has accused President Buhari of planning to rig the presidential election, as a candidate, are you not concern that the president may also rig the governorship election in favour of the APC candidate?
I disagree with you that President Buhari will rig the general election. President Buhari believes in transparency and he has promised Nigerians that the general election will be free and fair. Buhari is a man that does not carry excess luggage and so you cannot influence his decision. If you’re not popular the president will not help you win election no matter who you are or how close you are to him. You can testify to President Buhari’s popularity, judging from the crowd in all the places he had gone to campaign. President Buhari is the last person that will encourage you to hire crowd for him because he is a realist. The President Buhari that we know, cannot carry you on his back and cross the river, rather, you must cross the river yourself. So, any APC candidate that is hoping that Buhari will help him or her win election, the person is deceiving his or herself. The president believes that you must be popular before you will decide to contest election if not; you are on your own. Once president Buhari wins his election and you think he will help you win your own election, I’m sorry for such person because Buhari will allow the people to choose their candidate in spite of party affiliation.
Do you foresee the March election in Imo being declared inconclusive?
I don’t think so; I will win at the first ballot
Do you believe in winner take all?
No, I have said it earlier that I will run an all-inclusive government where all the candidates will make input so that together we can advance our state.
Do you intend to return to APC after the elections?
I’ am a candidate of Action Alliance and if I win on the platform of my party I will remain in AA. If there is a reason for me to leave AA for the ruling party in future, time will tell.
Knocks and kudos have trailed the suspension of the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Walter Onnoghen by President Buhari and many have accused the president of violating the constitution, what is your reaction?
I won’t comment on the issue because the president has told the world that the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) communicated him to suspend the CJN which he said guided him. There is a law guiding the decision of the president and except there is no law guiding him that is when you will say President Buhari has violated the constitution. Mr. President has respect for the rule of law and because there is a law backing his decision it will be unfair to say President Buhari violated the constitution. What he did is for the interest of the nation. Don’t forget that the CJN admitted that he forgot to declare some of his assets which is violation of the law because ignorance is not an excuse in law.
How realisable is Igbo 2023 presidency, when the South -West has indicated interest to contest for the position?
For equity and fairness, Igbo should be allowed to produce the president in 2023. The Yoruba will be unfair to Igbo if they go ahead and try to stop South-East from producing the president in 2023 because Igbo voted for Chief Olusegun Obasanjo twice as the president of this country. So, I urge my brothers and sisters in the South-West to show understanding even though power is not given, but through dialogue and compromise both region will reach an agreement. However, Igbo must not allow this opportunity slip off our fingers. We must therefore vote massively for President Buhari if we must produce the president of Igbo extraction in 2023. Failure to do so will open the floodgate for Yoruba to clinch the position. Because if they vote massively for President Buhari in February that will be their negotiating power above Igbo when the time comes. You don’t expect a man you did not vote for to hand over power to you. The reason Igbo should prefer Buhari presidency in 2019 to Atiku is because constitutionally, President Buhari has just one more term of four years to complete his tenure, but constitutionally Atiku is allowed to do eight years of two terms which terminates in 2032. I don’t think there is any Igbo person that will want the zone to wait till 2032 before power shifts to South.
The fear of some people from the region is that President Buhari cannot be trusted considering the lopsided appointment of this administration, what is your take?
Constitutionally, President Buhari has not violated the law by way of appointment. He has not in any way violated the law so far. He has abided by the principle of federal character in his ministerial appointment. If the president had gone contrary to the law, he would have been impeached. That is why I’m appealing to Ndigbo not to repeat the mistake of 2011 and 2015 when we voted for PDP out of sentiment and there is nothing to show for the 16 years we voted for PDP. We stand the chance to be appointed into juicy positions if Igbo vote for President Buhari this Saturday.