Why I’m contesting for Anambra guber race, by Ufodike

Akolisa Ufodike, a governorship aspirant on the platform of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the August 26 primary, speaks to OWEDE AGBAJILEKE on why he is the best candidate for the job.

Who is Akolisa Ufodike?

Well, I’m a finance professional with over 25 years of industry experience. I started my career in Onitsha with Intercontinental Merchant Bank. I spent a few years in the industry before I moved to Canada where I went back to school, attended Laurentian University, did my MBA at Cornell University, which is the largest of the Ivy League schools. I spent the next 18 years in the industry, rising through the ranks. My last role was as Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer for one of the two largest wireless internet service providers in Canada. I am from Nnewi, which is in Anambra South Senatorial District, in Nnewi North Local Government Area of Anambra State.

What was the issue surrounding your initial disqualification by the Screening Committee?

I have been cleared by the Appeals Committee. I was cleared last Wednesday. The reason for the disqualification was dual citizenship under Section 182 of the Nigerian Constitution. I believe people err and make mistakes. But apparently the Screening Committee was reading that Section without subjecting it to the provisions of Section 28. So, the Appeals Committee made the right decision. It shows that internal democracy at PDP works. Overturning the Screening Committee’s decision acknowledges that they erred and sometimes it takes the bigger person to acknowledge an error and set it straight. Absolutely no misgivings in terms of what happened. We are just looking forward to the next week and try to get back in the race. And still show a very competitive outing.

Are you implying that one can be a dual citizen and still contest for governorship election?

I’m not implying. I’m stating it factually. I want to let every dual citizen know that they shouldn’t feel that there are two classes of Nigerian citizens. We are all born in this country. I hope I’m the last one across all party lines that has to deal with this sort of brouhaha. But if anyone else is not pleased, just refer them to PDP versus Ajimobi 2011. The case has been litigated to death and there’s the precedence that it’s a non-issue. The last thing I will add on that subject is that the same provisions that refer to citizenship of governors and presidents, is also the same provisions for members of the Houses of Assembly, National Assembly. It was just a misinterpretation of that clause. If the clause was suggesting that dual citizens could not be governors, it would also mean that dual citizens could not hold any elected office.

What informed your decision to contest the race?

Quite simple. This generation, we blame the older generation for not giving us an opportunity to participate in the electoral process. But the other half of that equation is the fact that for the most part, we chose not to participate. And that’s one of my primary motivations for running. We can sit on the sidelines and be spectators in a game where our destiny is being determined on the field. Or we can insist and choose to participate. I’ve been in talks with my constituents at the grassroots over the last two years. So, this wasn’t something that evolved overnight. But it essentially came down to the fact that they wanted to see a new face, different perspective. We are tired of seeing everyone who is running being a former this. It’s time for a future that. And that’s the premise on which my candidacy was based. There is an alternative to the traditional candidates we have seen in the past. I’m sure am not the only one that could have done this. Hopefully, this candidacy motivates someone in Cross River, Akwa Ibom, Imo, Zamfara States and so on.

You are being viewed as a political neophyte, compared to other aspirants. Why do you think you have an edge over them?

When people refer to youth, I think if it’s used in a way that sort of looks forward to the future, I think that’s a great thing. But I also find out that quite often, it’s used as a connotation of derision of youth being inexperienced.

As I alluded to earlier on, I come to this gubernatorial race with 25 years of experience, which includes 18 years of solid international work experience as Chief Financial Officer for a large company. I’ve sat on the Board of two public companies. I chaired the Audit Committee of one of those. I was the Chairman for Scouts Canada – Chinook Council; I sat on the Board of Canadian-Nigerian Chamber of Trade. I bring a wealth of experience. It’s not really about age in numerical number but age in terms of experience. I believe there’s a perspective that I can bring to the game that others cannot bring. It’s our first venture out politically here but we do come to the table nonetheless as a seasoned candidate who has established themselves as being one of repute and one with a degree of work ethics in the industry. And we are just trying to bring that same scale set to the public sector to be of service to the people of Anambra State.

Being youthful doesn’t necessarily mean you are inexperienced. And a couple of things I will just throw out there are that we all know at what age Gowon became Head of State. General Obasanjo, I believe, retired the first time at the age of 42. Never mind parallels I can draw with the Prime Minister of Canada, who is two years older than I am. Or the President of France who is five years younger than I am. If we are not too young to lead in the private sector, certainly we are not too young to run for office.

What’s your reaction to the call by IPOB, asking people not to participate in the governorship election?

There’s a lot of dissatisfaction in the South East as a whole. So, it’s not without reason that people feel the way that they do. At the same time, I feel that sometimes there’s also a lack of leadership that makes that foster more deeply. One of the charges I would lay at the feet of Governor Obiano is that there’s not enough that has been done in terms of security in the state. And as long as security is taken for granted everything else suffers: commerce, industry, business. If people don’t feel safe, they don’t go out, they don’t spend. And that has cascading effect as well.  You’ve got unemployed youths;  you’ve got people who believe that they don’t have the infrastructure that is required to make life livable in that part of the country. A lot of these agitations can be addressed by good governance. But more importantly, by also acknowledging the fact that the agitations are not without foundation.

In reality, I don’t think we have truly tested the federal option in this country. And so, we do have to give it a chance to succeed.

At the same time, elected officials need to be held accountable so that people who are very far from the centre can see the effect of government in their lives daily. That’s the most effective way to curtail those agitations. On the elections going forward, I’m calling for calmed nerves. I’m confident the elections will hold come November 18. And ultimately we have to be at the table. I’m hoping that I can be that candidate that the grassroots has the confidence in and make the effects of good governance reflect in their daily lives and reduce some of the tensions that currently exist.

How do you intend to handle the security situation in the state, following the recent church attacks at Ozubulu and another church in Anambra State?

One of the things I did not add is that I graduated from the Nigerian Military School and I went on to the Nigerian Defence Academy as a member of Course 39. My classmates are Brigadiers-General in the Army today. There’s a reason why military administrators, when they were in power, started their day with daily security briefings.

We need to continue to be aware of what’s happening around the state because the governor is the chief security of the state. We do acknowledge that a lot of the security apparatuses available in this country are controlled at the federal level. But that’s where collaboration comes into play between security agencies at the federal level and at the municipality level. If you have been to those parts of the South East, vigilantes are a very common thing. And that’s frankly at the local government level. It’s that level of collaboration amongst all three tiers of government and a chief security officer who considers security to be one of his top priorities. So, we will be bringing a different perspective to what security means and to enforce that within the state.

Will you accept the idea of consensus candidate?

Absolutely. It’s time for revival of the PDP. You saw the outpouring at the Non-Elective Convention. It was probably more upbeat and boisterous than even when the PDP was in power. At the same time, that means nothing if we start to get divisive, especially any candidate who aren’t successful.

I have never had party affiliations with any other party. I certainly do not intend to. Whoever the successful candidate is and I hope that’s me, hopefully has the support of all the candidates. And ensure that that individual is successful at the governorship election come November. Anambra is Ground Zero right now; this is crucial because if we are successful, we intend to ride that wave into 2019, to bring back a lot of hope that’s been lost by Nigerians over the last two years.