Obong Bassey Albert who goes by the sobriquet, OBA, is one of the over 30 gubernatorial aspirants in Akwa Ibom State. In this interview, he reviews political developments in the state and his preparations for what he says would be an interesting contest. Excerpts:By Tom Moses-HOW do you assess your chances in the forth-coming governorship election and if you do not make it, will you accept an offer of deputy governor? I Don’t think there is any other aspirant that can win me in this election. I am very confident that I am contesting for the office of governor and nothing else. I am sure you have heard so much that I am very stubborn. They said they told me I should come and take the office of minister I said I don’t want. You’ve heard also that they said I should come and take the office of SSG, and I said I don’t want.Bassey AlbertPower belongs to the people They said he should come and be senator, I said I don’t want and I asked myself, what do the people of Akwa-Ibom State want Bassey Albert to be? They said he should be governor. So, I think power belongs to the people and I am trusting God on the basis of what I have said so far that I enjoy the collective acceptance of the people of Akwa-Ibom State as a governor.My only prayer is that God should give us a governor that will be loyal to the people of Akwa-Ibom State because in 2006/2007, despite the fact that His Excellency Obong Victor Attah purportedly supported his son in-law, people said it must be Godswill and Godswill emerged. I know that the same God is not asleep and as He did it 2007, He will also do it in 2015 because He changeth not.So, I believe that by the special grace of God, I will emerge the governor of Akwa-Ibom State come May 29, 2015. So, you should disregard all those rumours because I have discovered that my name is being used in all kinds of fields. If this person goes there, he uses my name, if that one goes there, he uses my name. I am running for the office of governor. That’s all.What is your response to the purported collapse of your political structures to support the former SSG, Obong Umana Umana in the 2015 governorship race? I have received all sorts of comments and messages on that. Well, for me, I believe that there is no ambition that is bigger than the collective interest of the people. Umana and I are brothers and fortunately or unfortunately, covertly or overtly, we see ourselves in the same wing, contesting the same election. My presence at that event was a pointer to the fact that no matter the arena of politics you find yourself, you must always be your brother’s keeper. Everybody can contest for a position but it is only one person that will emerge as governor.I don’t want to say that I was quoted out of context, no. With understanding of issues and dynamics of politics, the way it is played, I said, yes, I will work with Umana Okon Umana so that the Uyo Senatorial District can produce a governor. At that point, I was referring to the interest of Uyo Senatorial District and if you have Uyo Senatorial District and you have Umana and myself and you ask, who will be a better governor, I will give you the answer.If you say there is zoning just as I believe there is no zoning, I believe very strongly that Uyo alone cannot produce a governor because there is no senatorial district that can survive in isolation. While you must also understand that Umana and I are brothers, and that if I become governor, it will be to his credit and if God says he will be governor, nobody can also stop him. In all, at the end of the day, the people will have the final say on who they want to be their governor.So, I think I was demonstrating friendship and brotherhood despite the fact that we are pursuing the same office; it had nothing to do with the fact that I was going to collapse my structures, no. Not so. He runs his governorship race based on his conviction that he is going to be governor and I am running based on my conviction that I will be governor and like I always say, anybody who wants to be the governor of Akwa-Ibom State, must be the governor of all and you cannot be a governor to all when you are not acceptable to all.What are your programmes for the people of Akwa-Ibom State when you become governor? When you ask of the programmes of my administration, it is very simple. Infrastructure is good but my main focus will be on human capital development and creating an Akwa-Ibom State where everybody will have equal opportunity.How is your relationship with the party officers? I think the party should remain neutral until a candidate emerges as a candidate of the party. I think what we are praying for all the aspirants to have a level playing field. Let me commend the National Chairman of the party who has insisted that there must be a level playing field for every single aspirant to express himself.When you become governor, will your family interest not prevail over the interest of the generality of the people of the state and will you not bully out all those who struggled to install you in preference for your brothers? I was here in 2006 and I have been in Akwa-Ibom since 2002. I was close to the administration of Obong Victor Attah. I am one person who believes that I must not waste my time on issues of the past and that I should be moving on looking at the future.I think Governor Godswill Akpabio will have a place in history. I also commend the efforts of Obong Victor Attah because everybody that worked with him including Governor Akpabio stayed in office and campaigned and expressed themselves till the last day. But I lost my job because of my interest in the governorship of Akwa-Ibom State whereas two others still in the cabinet are using government apparatus to carry out their campaigns without being booted out of office simply because the governor is sympathetic to their own ambitions.But I believe that when a man lifts your hand up, there is a certain height you can reach but when God lifts your hand, nobody knows the height you can reach. I want God to lift my hand and I want the people of Akwa-Ibom State to accept me as their own governor.
Source: Vanguard
No comments:
Post a Comment