Chief Modestus Umenzekwe is a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC). In this interview, he speaks on the forthcoming governorship election in Anambra State and some recent developments in the party
The race for the governorship election in Anambra State has commenced; what kind of personality is APC looking as its candidate?
The candidate must be a cool-headed man, who is well accepted not just in Anambra but in the whole country. So, APC is looking for a game changer, an honest person, with proven track record of integrity, a person that has the capacity, a well-groomed seasoned politician, who has verifiable means of livelihood.
For a long time, Anambra has not been on mainstream politics. What are those things the state is missing as a result of that?
The state is missing connectivity, and that connectivity, comes with a lot of things.
How do you see the removal of the Speaker, Lagos State House of Assembly, Hon. Mudashiru Obasa and the emergence of the first female speaker in Lagos State?
Well, politics is dynamic. I can’t say for sure what prompted his removal, but then, the Lagos State House of Assembly has its own modus operandi, just like every other state of Assembly in Nigeria. And Lagos as a state has what is called Governance Advisory Council (GAC), that looks into all these things. I have not taken time to study why he was removed but I know that in most cases, Lagos is very meticulous in handling issues. So, there must be a reason. I know that the governor cannot make mistake. Also, the Governance Advisory Council (GAC)cannot make mistake, and the eggheads in the state House of Assembly cannot make mistake.
There are insinuations that his removal is connected with his governorship ambition, which some believe will clash with that of President Bola Tinubu’s son, Seyi. How true is that?
I don’t want to go into internal issues of Lagos State. I am from Anambra State but Lagos is a state where we are making a living like every other Nigerian, and that is why I keep saying that Lagos is a mini-Nigeria, which explains why I have been calling on the National Assembly to grant Lagos a special status in the budget as proposed in the 8th Assembly by Senator Oluremi Tinubu.
On the second leg of your question; I will say that President Tinubu is in Aso Rock does not stop his son from contesting for the governorship of Lagos State if he wishes. If Seyi wants to contest, so be it.
The ballot boxes will be there and people will vote whoever they want. So, it is his right to contest whether his father is president or not. I don’t see that ambition as something that would cause problem in Lagos State because there are examples all over the world where such thing happened.
I have never seen Seyi Tinubu, but I am saying he is free to contest like every other person. We shouldn’t create problems because there is no nexus between Obasa’s removal and Seyi Tinubu, if it is true that he has an ambition.
How would you assess the performance of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu in the second year of his second term?
When you say second year of his second tenure, are you throwing away the first term? It is the totality of his administration we are talking about. I told you that Lagos has always been blessed with good governors; governors who are decisive, who work according to the tenets of the GAC.
There is always continuity, so Lagos is blessed to have Sanwo-Olu on the saddle of this administration/ At least, every part of Lagos is being opened up, bridges, roads, sophisticated infrastructure, red line railway, blue line railway and all that are going on at the same time. We have not talked about different levels of empowerment, women, youths, and all that. Now, everybody is coming to Lagos as the most secured state in this country.
Is it not enough to say that the young man is doing well? You will appreciate the way he was able to contain the damages experienced as a result of #EndSARS protest the way Babatunde Fashola was able to contain Ebola during his own time. I mean you need to give the young man kudos and to tell him to ride on.
What is your take on former Governor Naisr El-Rufai’s criticism of your party?
Is it a sign that APC is in crisis? APC is not in crisis. APC is one family and will continue to be one family.
Given the state of the nation, what is your message for Nigerians, especially the youth?
My advice to Nigerians, particularly the youth is that they should be godly because when you are godly, you have a settled mind. When you are godly, every other thing would be added onto you. When you are godly, you will shun crime. When you are godly, you will be patient, and the patient dog, they say, eats the fattest bone.
So, let us also be patient with the government, whether at the federal or subnational level, knowing fully well that they are working. They are trying their best, so we should continue to pray for them and criticize them constructively.
Generally, let us not run this country down, let us not present Nigeria as a very bad country before the entire world because we don’t have another country than Nigeria. It is our responsibility to protect the image of Nigeria. God has given us this country, so we should not destroy it.
If anybody has done wrong, you call the person to order, but don’t condemn the whole country before the whole world. Above all, let us love one another, which is the summary of the total injunctions given to us by the Almighty God.
