A former Information and Orientation Commissioner understand Governor Adams Aliu Oshiomhole’s administration, Prince Kassim Afegbua has thrown his hat in the ring for Edo Governorship ticket under the All Progressives Congress (APC). In this interview with our Correspondent in Abuja, the nation’s seat of power, the Communication Specialist said he is on a mission to snatch the state from Governor Godwin Obaseki’s unremitting destruction.
Excerpts:
Interviewer
You’re among those contesting for the Governor of Edo state, can you make us understand why you think you should be the next Governor?
Speaker
Well for me, I haven’t seen turn by turn in Edo political history since 1999. Every senatorial district in Edo has always produce aspirant at the turn of every event.
Now that Obaseki will be finishing his 8 years of Governorship, incidentally who’s from Edo south other aspirant are already coming out both from Edo South, Central and North. Many people talks about zoning and there has never been zoning in Edo Guber contest.
Secondly in terms of the politics of Edo state APC is just presently been taking root in Edo Central. Before now, APC haven’t won election there, expect during Oshiomhole when they won the local government areas in Edo Central.
Interviewer
One of the seven sins of politics, in the words of Mahatma Gandhi, is politics without morality, where’s your moral high ground if you wouldn’t give space to aspirants from Edo Central?
Speaker
I have given you the scenario involved.
And number one, let it be known that under the constitution of APC nothing stops anyone from contesting because there’s no issue of zoning.
The PDP at the National level had section seven sub sections C as a zoning provision that power should be within the north and south in the country. In the case of APC, they don’t have it.
Now within the state we talking about morality, morality is not law and law isn’t morality.
What obtains is the fact that every individual has full right to prepare himself for election which is what every aspirant in Edo State have been doing.
Secondly, politics is all about negotiation. If you look at the demography in Edo State, the Edo Central represent 12% of the voting population and so they cannot bully us in the name of seeking governorship and say it must be their turn. It has to be negotiated.
So what am saying is that in Edo Central we also have a Governor that ran for 18 months and few days. So, for me, I’m looking at the Edo picture, my capacity to deliver, my understanding of the dominant politics of the state, my friendship with a lot of people cut across everywhere.
Interviewer
How much do you have for this election since election Nigeria is cash-and-carry?
Speaker
I have paid my dues, I’ve fought for the people to be somewhere both at the local and national. So, I found out that this is the time for people to also look in my directive. I will run a government of transparency in all aspect.
My main purpose in this race is to correct all the abnormalities Governor Godwin Obaseki has created and rebuild the whole garmont of the state architecture he deliberately destroyed as a bitter soul who has nothing to lose if Edo goes into flames.
Just look at the state of decadence and paralysis in education, healthcare delivery system, road infrastructure, environmental degradation, insecurity and the rest of them. Parents and old school associations are the ones renovating schools, buying computers, tables and chairs for schools in their localities across the state.
Governor Obaseki has been papering the walls of governance by painting old structures built by the previous administration like the State Secretariat building after engaging selected social media urchins who have been singing his praises, constituting nuisance, desecrating our political space.
Here was Obaseki who came to power through godfatherism as Oshiomhole’s poster political child in his first time in office. In his second in office he shouted “no more godfatherism”. Now, Obaseki is the new godfather in town, backing his co-destroyer, Mr Asue Ighodalo who allegedly used Sterling Bank to loot Edo State unto the bargain since Obaseki because Governor.
With all the monies Mr Asue Ighodalo made from Edo State Government through inflated contracts and those that were never executed, pupils in his village in Ewohinmi primary and Secondary Schools in Edo Central are still writing exams on bare floors under leaking roofs in their class rooms.
All these are the reasons why I’m in race to correct ruination of our dear state. Anyone who’s in the race on the basis of ethnicity without addressing state craft and solutions to our problems should be rejected by Edo people, pure and simple
