Kenneth Agbim is representing Ahiazu Mbaise Constituency in Imo State House of Assembly. He is one of the three People’s Democratic Party (PDP) members in the House; he is the minority leader in the house. In this interview with ZEBULON AGOMUO inside his office at the Assembly Complex, Agbim, among other issues, spoke about his resolve to remain in the PDP; some of the impacts of his representation on his constituency; his re-election ambition; the determination of his party to take over governance in the state from the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the negative impact of the alleged crisis in the APC in the state on governance. Excerpts:
May we know if you have any political ambition in 2019?
My aspiration is to return back to the Imo State House of Assembly for the second time. I am already talking to my constituents about that and of course, it is a gradual process and demands some level of consultations. I have done a lot of consultations and I am also doing consultations. I am yet to formally declare, but I have plans to run for second term.
On what platform?
I am a member of the People’s Democratic Party and still remain a member of People’s Democratic Party. I intend to still run on that platform.
Do you think you can still muster a winning vote seeing that APC is gaining more ground in the state and APGA is also powering very strongly? What have you seen that convinces you that you will still make it?
I decided to stick to my party because PDP still remains as one of the biggest parties in the country despite the fact that in the last three years I have been in the opposition. I believe that PDP is the biggest party in Nigeria, if not in Africa. I can still speak authoritatively on that. PDP remains the most organised political party in the country; the most democratic and also has an ideology that can actually say what a party is all about. I still do not see APC as a political party; I see it as a gathering of strange bed fellows that want to take power. Of course, every Nigerian has seen that APC was not prepared for power. They took power with a lot of promises and Nigerians thought they were going to bring a real change; but today, without sounding political, we can see very clearly that things have gone worse than when PDP was in power.PDP made some mistakes which it has come to realise and has also apologised for such mistakes. I believe PDP will do better now. Of course, when PDP realised that it appeared Nigerians were getting tired of them, they willingly and easily relinquished power; and decided to go back to the drawing board.
After three years, PDP has learnt their lesson, and are willing to make corrections. I also believe that PDP showed more signs of leadership even in the fight against corruption and provided protection for Nigerians in terms of economic protection; social security and security in the real sense of it in the form of security of lives and property. Yes, there was also some form of corruption; but corruption is not just something that is necessarily PDP, it is in every facet of the Nigerian life – civil serve; etc. PDP just took the heat as a ruling party then. Today, we have seen that corruption is not a PDP thing; APC seems to be even more corrupt according to Transparency International (TI). So, it will be a suicide mission leaving PDP to go to APC, knowing fully well that Nigerians are going to reject APC in the next election. I am not campaigning, but just stating the obvious. If you compare when PDP was in power, and now in relation to the basic things of life like rice, sugar, salt, kerosene, petrol prices (those things are today times two what they were then; for instance, the pump price of petrol from N87 to N145, sometimes N200. For a very long time in Imo State we are buying petrol N175, N185. So, the comparison is very clear that things are worse now than they were under PDP. I believe that PDP still has a chance to come back and give Nigerians what they expect. I tell you if things are done properly; if the elections are free and fair, PDP is going to win a chunk of the states in the country, even the presidency; if PDP presents a very good candidate which I am sure they will, we are going to achieve victory all round.
How prepared is PDP to take over Imo State?
My party is very, very prepared I must tell you because we are taking note of all the things that are happening in the state that we think are not right and our party had its own crisis sometimes ago, two years back or three years back or there about; but right now, the party is united together and organised. The party is going to the grassroots talking to the people about the need to see governance as something that all of us are part of and not just for a few elite who are in power that governance should involve everybody; and everybody should make contributions. When PDP was in power, we used to have local governments, and local government is what gives people opportunity to access governance quickly.
It is easier to get to your councillor; local government chairman and lay your complaints if there is any crisis such as erosion challenge; you can quickly go to your councillor who resides in the same community with you; you can quickly go to your local government with your bike or motorcycle but before you can go to Owerri to lodge such complaint it will take you more time. PDP is a party that provided opportunity for such and made local government relevant, and where power devolved to the people. Under APC, we never had local governments in existence, what we have been having is transition chairmen whose activities are based on whims and caprices of the governor and whatever they do is what the governor wants; they don’t have independence. So, PDP is a party that organises local government elections and you have democracy to the grassroots of course. In terms of preparation, I think our party is more than prepared. We can’t wait to take over governance from the APC government. We have taken note of our past mistakes; of course, we are not saints, we have learnt our lessons and we want to make things right. Talking about APGA, yes APGA is getting stronger; but I can tell you that those going to APGA are those who feel that there is no space in PDP and that they are not going to be able to compete in PDP; so, they are looking for other platforms.The way I see them; it is not necessarily that APGA is strong; no; what you see there is a gathering of strange bed fellows. Once their primaries are over and they are sure they are not going to get the ticket; I am sure they will come back to the PDP and work. You know that PDP is so big and can accommodate everybody. Once you come in, you are accommodated. So, we are not scared of APGA. We also know that APC is campaigning for us by their activities.
To what extent has the crisis in the APC in Imo affected governance in the state?
Of course, without being told, it has affected governance in so many ways; the governor is spending much of his time trying to wrest the party structure from other party members that seem to have taken the structure from him. In doing that, of course, he will be shuttling between Owerri and Abuja and also to meet other stakeholders he will be trying to lobby to get their support; so, in doing that the state will suffer; governance will suffer. The meetings he should be holding with other executives of his government to move things in the state; he has so many projects going on in the state but running around trying to capture the party back from those who seem to have taken it away from him, he will definitely abandon his work and at the peril of the state and the people. So, seriously, in the last few months since this thing started the state has been standstill. It is also more worrisome when the deputy governor is part of the people he is struggling power with.
So, when he is not around, his deputy is not also there as he also is shuttling between the state and Abuja working with the other group; it becomes almost like there’s a vacuum; even the Chief of Staff who, based on the governor’s plan, is supposed to be the party’s candidate is also involved in the struggle; and is also shuttling, and in doing that most things that should happen for the good of the state will not happen because they are not there.
So, what is the role of the State House of Assembly in all of this?
The majority part of the House of Assembly is also part of the struggle. Majority of them are working with the governor, and of course, they go to Abuja with him and for other party meetings, and all that we are supposed to be doing in the House of Assembly now (Wednesday, June 13, 2018), you can see that there’s no activity going on; we are supposed to have sitting today but we are not sure yet. Because if the speaker is not there; the deputy is not there, the House cannot sit; and of course, the majority leader also. In the House, we are 27; it is only three of us from the minority and of course, we cannot sit; so, you find out that the House is also affected in the midst of all these crises.
You hope to return to the House to represent your people once again; what are you going to offer differently from what you have done in the last three years plus?
The only thing I am going to promise them is more experience. My people have sent me here in the last three years; I think they sent me to a school to learn and I want to tell you that I have learnt a lot in terms of how to balance power and how to have a good relationship, especially when you are in the opposition. I want to believe that my coming back will offer my people in Ahiazu more effective representation and also a bigger opportunity for me to play a bigger role there; coming back as a ranking member of the House. In parliaments, seniority is important in terms of the kind of committee you chair, in terms of your voice in the executive session and in the plenary; even in the state generally. An experienced legislator, you cannot compare me with those who are coming newly because I can tell you that the next governor that is going to come will have to rely on people like us to be able to do certain things. We also have to perform oversight function which must tell you in this dispensation is not really what it should be, because the party in power which is the governor’s party is in control and the opposition doesn’t have the number to actually offer effective opposition because you have three out of 27. But of course, I am coming back to the House believing that we are going to be in the majority by the grace of God; you will now be able to effectively assist the governor. You know when you have absolute power as a governor you tend to make mistakes because you think you can do whatever you like; you can make mistakes that could be embarrassing when nobody can call you to order and say; you can’t do this; because absolute power corrupts and may not even know when you are making mistakes and even when people around you try to correct you; you tend not to listen to them; believing you are right. But when you have a situation where the legislature has experienced people and the balance, then the House can actually offer help to the governor.
Good thing; recently we have been offered financial autonomy which was the biggest challenge the House of Assembly was facing. When a governor has to pay your salary, even if you want to cut the grass in your environment, you have to wait for the governor to approve. Now the next Assembly (the 9th) will be more effective; just like the National Assembly; irrespective of the fact that majority of them are of the ruling party and from same party with the president, but they were able to tell the President you can’t do this. And they demand for certain rights.Sometimes, blanket support for the governor because he is of your party does not augur well for governance. So, I believe that coming back as an experienced legislator will be for the interest of my people because they will now have more mature mind, more vast person in the house; have some more of influence to get the governor to do certain things for the people; because despite all the autonomy; the executive also has a major role to play in terms of things that happen in the rural areas.
In the last three years in the house; have you at any time felt alienated by virtue of your belonging to the opposition?
Of course yes. What I will say is that in terms of my salaries and allowances, I get what belongs to me. But of course, most meetings we are not invited because we are in the opposition; and those meetings are where decisions are taken; decisions about things that happen to my people. So you find out that the most senior political aide of the governor from my constituency is the person who attends those meetings and wields the kind of influences I am supposed to wield. The leverages I am supposed to have; I don’t have them because I am not in the same party with the governor. You find out those things affect your performance as a legislator. If the governor wants to do certain things in your local government, and you are not the one supervising it, it takes away the shine off you.
What is your advice to potential voters in terms of their conduct during the polls and even before the election on the issue of collecting of PVCs and other related matters that affect voting?
I believe that Nigerians now know better the power of PVC and the need for them to vote; that it is not just complaint and saying things are not going well. It is very important for them to be part of the process that brings the change that we are talking about. So my advice for them is that they should go and get their PVCs; those who have moved from one point to the other since the last election should go and regularise their data with the INEC and make sure they are part of the system; so that they can vote. I also want to encourage the INEC to give Nigerians free and fair election; not to be partisan. I think also that some people who are working with the INEC are Nigerians and they are feeling the pains other Nigerians are feeling.
Sometimes, I hear some people say that the ruling government would use the security operatives to rig the elections, but I am wondering; are the security people not Nigerians? Do they like what is going on in Nigeria? Are they happy with the killings? Are they happy with the way things are going in the country? Nigeria is more divided now than when PDP was in power. There are now more agitations for one thing or the other.
They were thesre before, but not as pronounced as they are now; look at the APC government where all the security chiefs are from the North; that is not democracy; that is not federation. You have a security meeting and you speak only one language because the other people are not involved. That is not right. No matter how you want to look at it; it is not fair. You must encourage and allow other federating units to have representation; so that they can have their own input. This is just one example that we have a leadership that does not listen to people and does not care. You see a situation where 40, 45 people are being killed and government pretends as if nothing has happened. I was listening to the news the other day somebody was saying that the same day it was being reported that 45 people were killed by herdsmen; the vice president was busy talking about list of corrupt people. Look we are not sober; something has died in us. Look at America; wherever an American dies in such attack the president most times visits the scene and makes a broadcast to show that America is not happy.
That is respect for sanctity of life. But there is nothing like that here in Nigeria under the government. It has become the usual thing – herdsmen kill 12; herdsmen kill this and nobody is bothered about it. I mean how did we get to this point? This is just an indication that this present government is not what Nigerians are looking for. We need to go back to the PDP that has the plan. The only major issue Nigerians had about PDP was corruption; but at a point Nigerians began to cry out, give us back our corruption; because if you said we are corrupt but people can eat; fuel their vehicles; pay their bills and do other things; then what are you talking about? I know that corruption is wrong; but which country would you not see some elements of corruption even in the United Kingdom and United States; but a system is put in place that can check all these things. That is what is lacking here.
