Chief Ighoyota Amori
Chief Ighoyota Amori is a frontline politician and a leader of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, in Delta State. He is currently the Political Adviser to the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and front line aspirant for the 2019 Delta Central Senatorial District seat. Also, he is a multiple Commissioner in Delta State and Political Adviser to two past governors in the State. In this interview with the PRESS in Asaba, he confirmed his intention to contest the Senate seat for Delta Central in the February, 2019 general elections; that with president Buhari seeking another term, the outcome of the 2019 elections leaves much to desire; that if the National Assembly has the constitutional powers to order the sequence of election in the country, the presidency which is the hub of the Executive arm of government should not meddle into the matter; that the Boko Haram group has been declared a terrorist organization and the federal government shouldn’t under any guise go into any negotiation with the group how much more granting its members amnesty; that one finds it difficult to say between Boko Haram and herdsmen which is deadliest, among other sundry issues. Our man, Onakume Obire was there.
EXCERPTS:
You have declared interest to return to Delta Central Senatorial seat in 2019. What is your vision for the Delta Central?
Yes, I have declared my intention to contest for the Delta Central Senatorial District seat in the Senate in 2019 general elections. Presently, I am on consultation visit to key stakeholders in Delta Central and Urhobo nation to formally intimate of my aspiration to reclaim the mandate they gave me in 2015, but was truncated by what many considered as a judicial summersault.
I seek to represent Delta Central in the Senate in order for me to touch the lives of the people. The interest of my people comes first before any other thing as a Senator. Nothing short of giving the Urhobo nation the voice it deserves in the National Assembly for the needed political will that will engendered growth and development. That is why I am offering myself again to contest the Senate seat for Delta Central in the February, 2019 general elections.
My vision for Delta Central, has always been borne out of my unshakable belief in the Urhobo project. I have always wished to put the Urhobo nation on the political map of Nigeria, The Urhobo nation is the 5th largest ethnic group in Nigeria and cannot be pushed aside in the scheme of things at the national level. Apart from providing quality representation that would turn around the fortunes of people of Delta Central, I intend to ensure that the people of Delta Central are given their rightful place on matters affecting the interest of my people at the national level.
Chief Ighoyota Amori
The Urhobo people know me as an Urhobo irredentist who have continued to use all the opportunities I have had in the past since 1999 till date to positively impact on the lives of the people. My antecedent and profile is well known to the people of Delta Central! They know that if I am given a platform, I have the innate capacity to move the world. My short stay at the National Assembly witness a lot of remarkable events, for which the good people of Delta Central still continue to wish that the unpalatable event never happens, not to mention the human and infrastructural development I brought to Delta Central when I held sway in the government of Delta State. Summarily, I will do everything possible to bring development to Delta central, federal government presence would be felt in Senatorial Zone!
How do you see to the State of the nation today?
I will say there is an uneasy calm in the nation Nigeria today. There is a general sense of insecurity, poverty, covert looting of the nation’s treasury, ethnic cleansing and a near collapse of the nation’s institutional framework.
The steady progress recorded by the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, led administration in sixteen years is being eroded in just three years of the administration of the All Progressives Congress, APC. Except urgent steps are taken to salvage the situation the country may drift to irredeemable level. As it stands, the nation Nigeria is sitting on a Keg of gun powder waiting to explode.
Do you foresee free, fair and credible elections come 2019?
From experience and within the Africa political history where enormous powers are concentrated on a Central government, ensuring free, fair and credible elections begin with the willingness of the incumbent President to do so. In other words, the sitting President must be ready to accept defeat.
A typical example was the 2015 general elections which for the first time saw the defeat of a sitting democratically elected President. It took the then President Goodluck Jonathan to accept the outcome of the election results and eventually conceded defeat to the incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari, else as a sitting President he has the State apparatus under his control with which to either annul the outcome of the presidential election or rig it in his favour. So, as it stands, ensuring free, fair and credible elections in 2019 general elections begins with President Muhammadu Buhari, who appoints the chairman and members of the nation’s electoral umpire, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC and hires and fires those manning the apparatus of government that are critical in determining the success of any election.
Just as former President Goodluck Jonathan insisted that, no blood of a Nigerian is worth shedding for his election, thereby causing the outcome of the election results to go the other way round, so should President Buhari toe the same line. But, with the general disenchantment amongst many Nigerians about the present Buhari APC led administration yet the President wants to seek another term, the outcome of the 2019 elections leaves much to desire.
Then, what do you have to say concerning the disagreement between the Presidency and the National Assembly over the recording of election sequence?
For me, the disagreement is uncalled for. If the National Assembly has the constitutional powers to order the sequence of election in the country, the Presidency which is the hub of the Executive arm of government should not meddle into the matter. This brings us again to the issue of ensuring free, fair and credible elections in 2019 general elections. If President Buhari is willing and ready to test his popularity and acceptability amongst Nigerians as well as provide a level playing field in 2019 general election, then the Presidency shouldn’t perturbed about the reordering of the country’s election sequence. Moreover, this is not the first time such a thing is happening. The unwarranted face-off and political intrigues this matter has generated are pointers to the things Nigerians should in the conduct of the 2019 general elections.
Do you support the federal government decision to grant amnesty to repentant members of the Boko Haram terrorist group?
Personally, I totally disagree with the decision of the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari to grant amnesty to repentant members of the Boko Haram terrorist group. It is ill-conceived and should be rejected by the National Assembly. The group has been declared a terrorist organization and the federal government shouldn’t under any guise go into any negotiation with the group how much more granting its members amnesty. Globally, terrorists are treated as criminals whose aim is to kill, inflict pains and sorrow amongst the citizenry. Until the federal government tells Nigerians the just course such internationally labeled terrorist group is fighting for, the decision to grant members of the group amnesty should be jettisoned. There are a lot of unemployed Nigerian youths such money for granting amnesty to members of the group should be channeled to for productive ventures. The amnesty granted to repentant Niger Delta freedom fighters that fought against the government’s neglect of the region cannot be compared or equated with the slaughtering of innocent lives particularly in the North East region of the country for no just course.
Despite its slogan, do you think APC really subscribe to change?
Three years after, no Nigerian needs a soothsayer to tell him or her that the CHANGE slogan by the APC in the electioneering campaign of 2015 was just to woo gullible Nigerians for their votes. The signs of the APC failed promises to Nigerians abound. Book Haram insurgency in the North still persist with the added menace of the Fulani Herdsmen attacks across the country, from economic recession to economic recovery, lost of thousands of jobs, selective harassment and prosecution of perceived political enemies and so on.
Many Nigerians have come to terms that the bad situation the APC government has plunged the country into will get worsen if the administration continues in power beyond 2019, and are earnestly waiting for the next elections to come to vote the party out of power provided the elections are not rigged.
What economic problems Buhari must tackle before 2019?
President Buhari should take urgent steps to revamp the economy. The least is that he should restore the economy the state he met it. Measures to improve the country’s foreign exchange, strengthening the naira to the dollar, pound and euro and creation of jobs should be given top priority by the Buhari administration.
Do you want Buhari to declare the rampaging herdsmen as terrorists?
This is long overdue. One finds it difficult to say between Boko Haram and herdsmen which is deadliest. Most Nigerians feel the Buhari government is treating the menace of the herdsmen with glee gloves and views his inaction as a support to the havoc they are wrecking the country.
Good instance of the complicity of the Buhari government in the heinous crimes committed by the herdsmen was the recent flagrant disobedience of the Inspector General of Police to the order of the President for him to relocate to Benue State over the mass killings perpetrated the herdsmen in the State. President Buhari should immediately declare the herdsmen terrorists and save the lives of innocent and defenseless Nigerians.
Chief Ighoyota Amori
Do you foresee any danger of introducing State Police today?
Nigeria is not ripe for the introduction of State Police judging by the performance of the nation’s Police under the control of the federal government. In the area of funding, the nation’s Police have not fed well under the federal government which has at its disposal the enormous wealth of the country.
If you recall, the ugly scenario that played out in Rivers State few years ago whereby the then Commissioner of Police was getting counter directives from the State governor and the Federal government, you will see reason why State Police is not among the major steps to be taken to reposition the nation Nigeria.
What are those factors that make you confident that the PDP will reclaim power in 2019?
The long and short of the matter is that the failure of the current APC government is the hope of victory for the PDP in the 2019 elections. The country is in a state of quagmire. Under the present administration, Nigerians experienced the worst and longest fuel scarcity, killing of innocent lives is unprecedented and abject poverty pervades the nation. Obviously, this is not the change voted for in 2015 and they should be ready to change the change except the APC government wants to rig the elections. On the other hand, the PDP has branded at the national level. The party overcame the leadership problem which shook its very foundation, successful organised both non-elective and elective national conventions and the national leadership of the party under the steer of Prince Uche Secondus is doing the needful to bring everybody on the board the ship to reclaim power from the APC.
How would you end this interview?
Nigerians have seen and experienced the abysmal governance of the country under the APC led administration. The destiny of the nation lies in their hands. Come 2019 general elections, the decision as to whether the country should forward, remain stagnated or continue to drift backward is left for them to choose. This, they can do by voting out the APC from power and vote in PDP back to power for the nation to continue on the path of growth and development.
