Honourable Osita Igbe, Director of media, Abia PDP campaign 2015, is a journalist’s delight any day. Well-read and experienced, interviewing him was like a marathon lecture where he spoke glibly like a rap artist. Within seventy minutes at the poolside of Damgrete Hotel, No. 4 Factory Road, January, 25th 2015, it was a frantic effort to catch all that he said to the eager team of media consultants .
Q. Tell us about yourself Sir?
I had my primary school in three places and like the son of a civil servant, I moved when the family moved from Uwani Primary School, Enugu, Anambra State, at the creation of Imo State to Uturu and Amakohia in Owerri. My Secondary school was at Ihube High School Okigwe from 1978 to1983.
I gained admission to Alvan Ikoku College of Education on a combination of Religion and Social Studies with feisty Father Obinna,as head of Department in religious studies. Ifurthered my education to read Guidance and Counseling in a B.ED course under the affiliation of AICE to the University of Nigeria Nsukka. The NYSC took me to Kastina State where I taught at the Federal Government College. I was involved in the last Census Exercise as an enumerator after which I settled for teaching in Maris Secondary School in Uturu from where I registered for my Masters in ABSU. In the same1996 as I concluded the Masters programme,with little or no preparation, but with intense persuasion from friends and mates, I contested for Isiukwuato State Constituency under UNCP. This was truncated by Abacha’s death and I registered and won the same position at the emergence of PDP.
The experience in the Abia State House of Assembly was exciting and grueling. I was the House Committee Chairman on Education and fondly remember my colleagues- Ochieze, Dr. B.O. Orji, Donatus Nwankpa, Ndukwe Adindu, Sampson Orji, Dan Egbogu, Eric Acho Nwakanma, Chris Enweremadu and Blessing Azuru as the only female member.
I came ready to serve, restless and full of verve and our problem started with the Governor then who was restive with our vibrancy and laid an accusation on us for an impeachment threat against him.
Cuts in. Why the impeachment of Nkem Ike?
Well certain things were not going well. Enweremadu came aboard and Governor Kalu felt very uncomfortable and planted seeds of discord. One of our problems was asking for the implementation of the self-accounting law. As the law posits, the assembly is supposed to have its appropriation made and dispensed by the leadership of the house without direction from anybody. Our monthly overhead was one million Naira which the governor paid at his own whims.
Question: What other exciting issues can you remember?
The bond bill. Kalu wanted to raise a bond of 25billion from the capital market. By then, I was the majority leader as Honourable Tony Okoro Kalu was removed in one of those shakeups. Under normal circumstance, such a bill should be introduced by the majority leader but the speaker Rt. Hon. Ohajuruka claimed to have passed the bill without due process,with only 7 members accenting.
We protested, rendering the bill to be ineffectual. Kalu didn’t forgive the act as we frustrated this ungodly bond. It wasn’t as if we were against development. I personally gave him a chance to convince me that it will be judiciously used. I even went further to include an erosion project in my community if he was sure the bond will go into projects but our findings were negative.My return bid at the end of 2003 was upset.
Q. How do you feel now?
I did not regret my predicament as I succeeded in stopping the financial enslavement of Abia people. This bond if allowed would have taken 25years to redeem. Imagine this happening with the present day paucity of funds.
Q: What else engaged you after the House?
I got involved with Mississippi Consortium for International Development MCID, for five years from 2005-2010. This is an American NGO. This involved legislative training and mentorship. From then I became a coordinator for LSPN. This program involved the 3 K states, Kaduna, Kano and Kastina. This involved civil society groups, decision making in synergy with the legislative arm especially the State Assemblies.
Q:You have been running the media campaign of Okezie Ikpeazu, what makes you so sure that he will win?And how do you rate other aspirants and parties?
Nothing is certain, though I am very optimistic. I have not seen the candidate who equals Ikpeazu- with his verve and passion. Look at the opponents,Otti, Udensi,Nyerere. Otti was afraid of competition.Because of such mentality, he was the first to decamp. This as you can see is a serious character flaw. The issue of swapping nativity is another flaw that touches on tradition. Why would any deny his home place? This is Nso Ala in Igbo Land. Anybody always ready to foul his origin deserves to be investigated. Do you think his Aro people would forgive him? Don’t you know what the people call themselves? Aro Okigbo! a proud name and one calls himself a son of such land and overnight changes. All of them are not men enough to stand the heat in the kitchen.
Udensi is not running to win. He only needs the appellation of an attempted governor. Just an ego trip. Nothing else.
Look at Nyerere Anyim!Where has he campaigned?No speech, no policy statement. Abia State is PDP and these aspirants are renegades. What dues has Otti paid? And Udensi who has been globe-trotting.
Otti bestrode the Diamond Bank for many years. His Corporate Social responsibility was in Lagos where he did a road and many other things, but non for Abia even in his Aro or Isiala Ngwa, his so called adopted home. He was even approached for projects in Umuahia and Aba, he refused and called Aba a dead-end.
There is conflicting news about PVCs, do you think Abia is ready?
Yes! We will further sensitize our people and deliver to people’s houses and communities with the help of INEC, traditional rulers and the civil society if it needs that. We will work against hijacking of INEC instruments by working with INEC and other security agencies, especially where we suspect plotting to subvert the laid down principles.
Many aspirants who lost in the primaries are bitter, what has the party done to assuage them?
As human beings, they have right to be bitter. In truth, you can always win but my advice is that they can manage their losses. It is not the reaction of the winner that is important, but the action of the loser that is essential. Courage of the loser is deeper than the courage of a winner.
A true self-assessment solves the problem. Not what your supporters tell you.I lost to a more credible candidate. That should be the consolation.
The PDP primary election that rendered Ikpeazu is credible and transparent. It was done in the full glare of all and spectacularly done in one ballot box. It was a test of popularity. They should come back to the party. Let me use the analogy of the palm tree. There is nothing lost yet. Outside the palm Kernel and palm oil, the stem gives out much. Think about the palm wine, basket, broom and stakes. No point to be aggrieved forever.
Q: There is the usual complaint of use and dump after elections. As the spokesperson who will likely be more available and accessible than the principal, how will you handle such situations after the election?
Expectation of our people in governance is always high and outrageously misplaced. I see it as inherent selfishness! Match your expectations with availability of office space.We can’t all be commissioners at once.
Okezie will do well no doubt. The party would come in too. Everybody shouldn’t be officeholder. If we get it right, your children will attend good schools. The man in charge of works will give good network of roads. If you use roads in your towns and communities, need you bother about personal issues? If the benefits are in quality services in all areas and all sectors, nobody will complain.