Chief Perry Opara, is the national director in charge of contact and mobilization at the Goodluck Support Group (GSG) and member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), bares his mind to CHRISTIAN OKEKE on the politics of Imo State, the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the 2015 presidency. Excerpts:
You are from Imo. Can we get to know the feelings of the people regarding the government?
I think the people want a change; they have lost a lot. What you saw the day the president came was that they passed a vote of confidence on Mr. President and a vote of no confidence on the governor: a governor that has torched the fabrics of Imo people which is their traditional institution. The fourth tier of government is alien to our constitution and to the people of Imo. We now see youngsters parade themselves as presidents general of communities and it is not the way it should be. Our kingships have been touched. They carry our kings and traditional rulers in buses and assemble them for endless meetings without a clear-cut agenda. These are some of the things we are fighting against. But the PDP family has resolved to take over Imo. That is why virtually all the heavyweights in partisan politics in Imo have converged on the PDP
in Imo. This convergence will lead to the victory of the party’s governorship candidate in 2015.
Are your views not informed by speculations that you want to be governor?
I have not told any Nigerian, living or dead, that I want to run for the post of Imo governor in 2015. I have not attended any meeting of governorship aspirants in Imo. I have never invited people either to my home or hotel that they should work for me to be governor of Imo State. What I have done is to sensitise the people of Imo for my party, the PDP and sensitise them to work for Mr President and I want to assure you that the next governor of Imo, I want to underline it, must be a strong supporter of President Jonathan. That is what we are working on. We don’t want a recalcitrant governor in Imo State. We don’t want the type of thing we see in Rivers State, where the PDP gave somebody its ticket and the man because the leader of the opposition in the Nigeria. That is why we are spending our resources, time and energy to mobilise the people of Imo. For me, whoever emerges as the candidate of the PDP in Imo will get my support but people who are saying I am interested in the governorship, you may not blame them. Some of them have asked me how come in December 2013, about 16 traditional rulers, drawn from various local governments, gave you a chieftaincy title; how come you organised a rally and the crowd that came was unprecedented; how come your birthday party was attended by leaders from the 27 local governments and you had more than 3000 people in attendance? These are what they called body language of a man that wants to be governor. I think I am a mobiliser. I am going to be chief facilitator of the person that is going to be the next governor of Imo but if God says it should be me, who am I to say no? God will select a good leader from the PDP to be our candidate.
What are we expecting from the president from the state in case he declares to seek re-election?
We are expecting that the president declares to seek re-election and he is expecting Imo people to give him support and we are ready. The president also wants a friend in Imo as governor, a supporter; somebody that can assist him to develop Imo. The state has not really gotten what they want from the Federal Government but, the president has shown magnanimity by extending appointments to Imo people. I think the people have more than enough in terms of federal appointments but, what the president expects from Imo are votes for him and a good friendly person to take over the reins of government in Imo so that the state government can cooperate with the national government.
As a stakeholder in the politics of the state, what is your view on the current government in Imo State?
Imo people have witnessed a very bad leadership in the state. A government that came into power, the first assignment it did was to dissolve elected local government chairmen and replaced them with sole administrators appointed by him. That was a biggest mistake. We have also seen a government that forgot that 99 per cent of the Imo people are Christians and the same government made moves and attempts to adopt an abortion law in the state. We have seen a government that builds empty halls and calls them bogus names. We have seen a government that started with a good idea to provide good roads for our people but unfortunately refused to give Imo people quality roads that can stand the test of time the same way late Chief Sam Mbakwe did in the Second Republic.
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