‘We’re working to ensure APC triumphs in Edo’

Stanley Osifo was a presidential aspirant during the last general elections on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). In this interview with MUSA ODOSHIMOKHE, he speaks on why he dumped the party, the rift in the Edo State All Progressives Congress (APC) and other issues.

You dumped the PDP for the APC prior to the 2019 election. Are you fulfilled in your new party?

I left the PDP, prior to the 2019 election, because I was convinced that the party has no genuine plan for the progress of the country. Those of us who moved from the PDP to the APC have since settled down and are now supporting our new platform. The reasons why we left the PDP are many; one of them is that the PDP does not have what it takes to give Nigerians what they are looking for. In governance, you don’t just say you want to become governor or president, you must be prepared for the job. I and my supporters have decided to support President Muhammadu Buhari to actualise the APC manifesto. The President’s disposition suggests that he is an upright person. Those who have had dealings with him will affirm that Buhari is sincere in transforming the country. He is a man of integrity and honesty. This is what you cannot find within the PDP. A lot of wrong things are going on in the PDP. I had to leave, because what is taking place within the fold is not in tune with my aspiration to serve the country. But, again, I will like to say that, irrespective of whatever promises given, where we are does not tally with what we are. My supporters and I have decided to contribute our quota to the development of the country through APC, because the PDP is not the platform to achieve this. Therefore, the reasons for leaving the PDP have been achieved because all the candidates we supported won. Now that we are in the APC we are impacting in every little way. But, I must say that we did not join the APC because of what we intend to gain. Many see politics as business, but that is not the way I see it. Some join politics because they want to get something from the government. My involvement in politics right from the very beginning is not because of what I want to gain. I want to serve Nigeria because it is a great country with great potentials. We should all come together to build our country. We must work toward harnessing our individual talent and everything that can assist the country to be better. That is the passion that I have, when I ventured into politics and decided I wanted to be the president. My supporters are behind President Buhari because he has all that it takes to move the country forward.People are complaining that the APC has not performed on insecurity… There are physical and factual proofs that the APC has done well in that regard. Let us look back to when the PDP assumed leadership in 1999, if you will remember, there were lots of issues. We have the issues of Boko Haram, armed robbery, banditry, kidnapping and other vices staring the country in the face. Agreed that government is a continuum; we should remember that all the problems bedevilling the country today did not emanate from the present administration. So, looking at insecurity and other vices since 2015, there have been drastic reductions in the challenges. Nigerians will recall that Boko Haram operated in the Northeast as if it was their country; moving in and out of the territory at will. What the President did at his inauguration was to move the military high command from Abuja to the Northeast for effective combat of insurgency. So, if not all the elements, most of the Boko Haram footholds have been decimated. The government is still doing everything possible to ensure that it deals with the problem. The President is not folding his arms. Again, Nigeria is not the worst country, when you take a look on issues of insecurity on the global stage. There are many countries with worse cases. But that is not to say we should condone it.

Why is the attack on Nigerians in South African politicised?

President Buhari met his South African counterpart, President Cyril Ramaphosa, during the recent Japan summit. The main aim of the meeting was because of the xenophobic attacks on Nigerians in particular and other Africans in general. You know Nigeria is seen as the beacon of Africa. Nigeria most often takes the lead on issues that bother on Africa. There were assurances from the South African leader that Nigerians and other Africans would be protected. I will like to say that government has responded promptly. The matter should not be politicised, because it involves the lives of Nigerians. I must say that government handled the issue very promptly.

Are you satisfied with the performance of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the recent general elections?

We must commend INEC for its efforts so far. I was a participant in the last election and a presidential aspirant. Apart from the pocket of disturbances that came up in one or two states, the election was peaceful and fair. In the past, we used to have cases of killings in different parts of the country during elections. But during the 2019 election, we could see that the rate of violence reduced drastically. Again, that notwithstanding INEC should look at the areas where there are shortcoming and improve on them. It should work hard to put a stop to the complaints raised by different stakeholders.

What is your comment on the crisis within the Edo APC?

The National Chairman of the APC, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, has made it clear that there is no rift between him and Governor Godwin Obaseki. He said that the governor was his brother and that they don’t have issues. What people hear or say in the media, are the handiwork of third parties. The governor has also made it clear that everything is okay within the fold, because his relationship with the APC chairman is in order. A meeting has been called and attended by leading party members. At a certain point, whenever I go to at the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, people asked me what was happening in Edo State. My response has always been that the APC in Edo is peaceful. Again, we all have to come together to ensure that we work together for the progress of Edo APC. We are not only working to ensure that the APC wins the coming election but also to win it convincingly. I will tell you that right now that Edo State is a full fledged APC state. The governor is an APC governor; the 24 members of the Edo State House of Assembly member are from the APC. People say there is problem in Edo assembly, but they have forgotten that it is a family affair. We are coming together and we are growing stronger. I will advise that the media should leave the matter as it is.