2023: I’m Certain INEC Will Execute Credible Elections – Prof Umeadi 

 Prof Peter Umeadi, presidential candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), in this interview with JOY ANIGBOGU converses about the national spread of the party, and why presidential candidates should carry out issue-based campaigns, among other issues. Excerpts: 

 Can you speak about your flag-off considering your position as the face of APGA nationwide? 

The flag-off was massive and it attracted so many party members to Ekwueme Square in Awka, and that event was a symbolic flag-off because the campaign for the election for APGA started as soon as the ban on the campaign was lifted on the 28th of September 2022. I am the face of APGA nationwide and I am linked to all the other over 200 candidates who are contesting under APGA it was successful, showing the strength of APGA with attendance recorded from the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). 

In your speech you said that you would implement true federalism if elected as President of Nigeria, can you elaborate on that? 

In my speech I talked about 11 issues contained in my manifesto, which an APGA presidency would pursue if voted into power. The first on our list is true federalism, and the strategies that we have for that item would be, to decentralize security, to have state police and of course there would be fundamental reforms using the triple banner of rule of law, separation of powers and due process, especially entrenching the aspect of separation of powers so as to achieve maximum checks and balances among the arms of government. The energy and policy issues would also be decentralized. The critical issue of revenue allocation, these are the areas that we would look into in bringing about true federalism where components of the country would have a measure of space to deal with issues that are closer to them than having to leave everything to the federal government which is distant to the people. 

We saw a mammoth crowd at the flag-off your campaign but people believe that APGA is a regional party; do you think that you can win the forthcoming election on the platform of your party considering that kind of mindset about your party? 

The truth is that politics is local and every party has its strength somewhere this issue of the regional aspect of APGA is being over-flogged and it has continued to say something which has been overtaken as in the case of APGA. At the flag-off, there was a symbolic effect of the spread of APGA. When I was called up to the podium everyone would see that there were 37 flags bearing the portrait of the presidential candidate, the vice presidential candidate and names of the 36 states across the country and the FCT. Those 37 flags were borne by chairmen of APGA in those states, and they were physically there. It also talks about the structure of APGA and we shouldn’t shy away from that, so it tells you that APGA has a presence in all parts of Nigeria. It also tells you the strength of APGA which trickles down to the polling units and this is our strength. We are hoping the message has been passed on at the flag-off. All of them went home with their flags which will be in their secretariat. The feeling of having come to Awka to flag off followed them and the work for APGA to win votes in the February election would gain momentum. APGA is a national party which started here with Chief Emeka Odumegwu Ojukwu in 2003 when he ran for president and in 2007 when he ran for president and of course, he ran for the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. APGA is positioned to benefit from the widespread support that it has all over the country and that will bring about a good showing in the election in February. APGA is not a regional party; it has the national spread to win the 2023 presidential election. 

What are your thoughts about the fear expressed by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) that elections may be stalled if the rising insecurity is not checked? 

The truth is that when there is news people go to the sensational part of it. I read that report, yes there are fears that there is insecurity around the country which might affect the election, but in that same report it was said that the security apparatus has assured that elections would hold and INEC has also assured that elections would hold. It is just people taking the ones that they think would make headlines, and then people buy the newspapers and begin to rely on what the headlines say but that is not the content of that story. They are saying those things that we already know are not as stable as they should be security wise but we had worse situations in 2015 when elections were held in the North-East in the height of Boko Haram insurgency. So, that report is not correct, INEC has made it clear that elections would be held in February and March this year, and I think it is the one that I want to go with. 

Are you satisfied with the preparations of INEC so far towards the elections, in spite of the challenges that people talked about in collecting their Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs)? 

I have always said that INEC has shown commitment to hold a free and fair election in 2023. INEC has also published periodically what it has done and how it affects the logistics, the numbers and how the voting is going to be affected by its work and that is commendable. INEC also has sensitized the people to ensure that they get their PVCs, where to go and get them. The fact that many PVCs have not been collected is not the problem of INEC. To show the confidence that we have in INEC, it has at today taken custody of very important Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machines and from what we understand they have started distributing them to the point where they are to be used. Apart from the BVAs they have worked on other incidents that would go with it to bring about a transparent election. There is no doubt that the 2023 election is going to be high in integrity and is going to deliver the desired result, which is why this issue of labeling parties is futile because in the end the votes are going to count and we should wait for the votes to be taken so we know who has won and done well and who has not done well and it is then that we would know which is the big party and which is the small party. It is also after that we would know who has a better spread than anyone else. I think that INEC should continue the way it is going and everything should end in satisfaction. 

There is this concern that during campaigns candidates of political parties instead of addressing national issues would be busy maligning other candidates, what are your thoughts? 

I have been a presidential candidate since June 2022 and before that, I joined a political party in March 2019 and from that period till now, 2023, I have continued to mind my business. I have continued to focus on why I am in politics, first of all was to get the ticket to run for the president of Nigeria, and if I emerge president I have listed out what I would do. I emerged the candidate in June, along the line I brought out the Peter Umeadi manifesto. When I had the opportunity to speak at my flag off, I made space to talk about the 11 points in my manifesto, which true federalism is one and the last one is “census in Nigeria”. I have always pursued an issue based campaign. The eminent group of the peace committee, run by the former head of state, General Abdulsalami Abubakar (rtd) and Bishop Matthew Kukah, and all the presidential candidates signed an accord that we would have a rancor free campaign, devoid of name calling. All candidates should abide by that which they have signed and on the 20th of January we are expected to go back to the peace committee to confirm our commitments to a rancor free election, so I will advise all candidates, whether presidential, National Assembly or House of Assembly candidates to shun going after one another’s throat, but rather tell Nigerians what they would do differently and allow Nigerians to make decisions. In this regard I will say that the press hasn’t done well if the press has forgotten about deciding for Nigerians who are number one, number two, number three and number four, and vote everybody as to what he is saying and what he is supposed to do in Nigeria perhaps people would have focused on that. The press woke up and decided who had won the election. Of course those who have won the election have no business telling you anything again. The press in this political dispensation has come short of what they are supposed to do. Other presidential candidates are feeling very sad about the development. What happened at my flag off spoke volumes, and that humongous attendance cannot be wished away. We can replicate what we did in Awka in Lagos, Kano and elsewhere. Politicians should do better than that, I do not subscribe to it and I have followed a better example by focusing on what APGA would do and what I would do as a president if I emerged. It is the reason I have said that I am the most sincere political presidential candidate in Nigeria because when I come out, I speak in simple language, not in calculus.