2023: Peter Obi can’t deputise for Kwankwaso, Nigerians craving for him, says Umeh

Candidate of the Labour Party (LP) for Anambra Central Senatorial District in the 2023 election, Senator Victor Umeh, speaks on the reasons why he dumped the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), which he once chaired, his renewed relationship with Peter Obi, the LP presidential candidate, among other political issues, in this interview with CAJETAN MMUTA

A lot of Nigerians have expressed surprise that you left the APGA, a party you helped over the years, for the Labour Party. What happened?

Since 2002 to date, at least, that’s 20 years and I have been very deeply involved in the politics of Anambra state, in all that has happened in this state in the past twenty years and you can attest to the contributions I have made towards the good of Anambra state. Firstly, is that I brought the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) to Anambra State because I joined the movement to get APGA registered in 2001 when it was still an association and it was in that year that Mr Peter Obi came to see me in Enugu and requested me to support him that he would like to be the governor of Anambra. That was in 2001, there was no APGA. And we started his journey, that was in 2001; in 2002 we got APGA registered as a political party and he declared to run for the post of governor in October 2002. From then, we traversed every length and breadth of this state, two of us with all the other people that joined that movement then. It was a very herculean task at that time and because PDP was ubiquitous in Anambra but from that difficult beginning I put my weight behind that new movement and after the struggles that lasted nearly four or five years, starting from the election in 2003, going through the courts and getting Peter Obi eventually declared as the winner of the election by the Court of Appeal in 2003. Peter Obi became governor through APGA. At that time most of you were here and we were in the trenches together. After the tedious and tortuous journey through the courts, APGA was able to arrive here. I played a very significant and pivotal role in ensuring that APGA reclaims the mandate given to Peter Obi and the party in the 2003 gubernatorial election. So many things happened in between and you were aware because you have been covering all the beats but the final good story was that the Court of Appeal on 15th of March 2006 I found the judgement of the tribunal delivered in August 2005 that APGA won the election and Peter Obi was the winner. In that process, I was the PW1 in that election petition and you people were covering the proceedings at the tribunal of Justice Garuba Nabaruman five man panel. I was in that witness box for one month (September 1-September 29, 2003), opening the case and tendering all the result sheets, I was cross-examined by six Senior Advocates for the PDP, INEC, and some for Dr Chris Ngige. We went through these battles and it was not easy. It was in the process of getting that mandate retrieved that we had a problem in our party and I had to step out and take the challenge of keeping that matter out of the tribunal steadily and successfully prosecuted. That was how I became the acting national chairman because our former chairman did something that didn’t go down well, and that was how he was pushed aside I became the acting national chairman to ensure that that matter was prosecuted following the wishes of the electorate and the party members. In 2006, Peter Obi was sworn in on the 17th of March, 2006 as the governor of Anambra state. So, these things were in the public domain and you covered that and from then we led so many struggles here, things nobody imagined could happen. Peter was impeached we went back to the courts to get him reinstated and when they lost at the Court of Appeal, in a fast move between me and Dim Chukwuemeka Ojukwu, we came to Awka and got him reinstated before the House of Assembly could put an appeal against that judgment. That was on the 9th of February 2007. So, these are important dates in the calendar and with Peter in you are aware that another election was conducted, and somebody was declared the winner despite the controversial nature of that election. We went to the court to seek a firmer interpretation for Mr. Peter Obi and with a historic judgment on the 14th of June, 2007, Peter Obi was brought back to the office after somebody had been there for 17 days. So, this struggle was led by me frontally, and eventually, Peter settled down to be governor of Anambra state. So, the revolution that took place in the state; turned Anambra from the doldrums back into a progressive state, the foundation was laid by myself and Peter Obi me in the state. We did it; we brought the state out from the bad side of history to the good side of history. We went through several challenges and it was a very difficult task to hear but because of our tenacity of purpose and resilience, we were able to prevail over those who were holding Anambra state down. In the end, we got him a second term in office, a very difficult election again in 2010. So, there was nothing we have not gone through together. But like you will always notice, in politics, people who never wished us well, people who believed that things like these could be done became jealous of what we have done together and they sowed the seed of discord between me and Peter Obi, to divide us. That’s how it started and we got separated not because we were fighting over the resources of the state but because I insisted that there was going to be a local government election which my brother was not prepared to do at that time. And from there they told him that I have taken too much and I should be brushed aside. So, those people who were not part of the struggle to get to where we got to found a way to come in and planted a seed of discord between us, and in 2012 we had disagreed to a point that we couldn’t work together again. And through the court processes that we went through I was able to get back the hold on the party. Then, we reconciled, went into the election, and brought Willie Obiano here who was in office for eight years.

You were in the Eight Senate, why do you want to back?

I was at the Eighth Senate and knew how the struggle lasted before I got to the Senate when it was almost 17 months left for me. I was there with full consciousness of the things our people have been passing through in Nigeria, all the things we have been denied, every aspect of our exclusion in Nigeria I put them forward before the Senate, I caused uproar so many times during plenary in the Senate. We are here to engage in a very fair campaign that will be based on issues, all our candidates in this forthcoming election will have one thing or the other to do. I ask everybody to give us time to try because for me, going to the senate is not an ambition; my name now is Senator Victor Umeh, so going back will not make me Senator-senator Victor Umeh. I am already a senator but I decided to take this opportunity one more time to see if I can get votes and get elected. My mission is at the centre and next year will be very difficult for our people and we need strong people in the senate. You can imagine my misfortune; I was the one that convinced Enyinnaya Abaribe to come into APGA and contest for the senate. He called me and said he wanted to contest for governor in Abia state. I told him not to run for governor because he is from the same local government as the current governor and our people may not support that, no matter how good you are. We argued it and he said he has been in the senate for 16 years and I told him that somebody can be in the Senate for 30 years in America, so, why not run for the senate, if I succeed from Anambra state, two of us will combine the way we combined in the 8th senate to fight for our people. He later called me after two days and agreed. He went and took a form from APGA, I was happy that I helped to broker it. When my own came they said I didn’t win. I lost by eleven votes. The man got stranded. He said can this thing be possible? I said it had happened. So, when I got into Labour Party and the people heard am running, everybody is praying to let him win through Labour Party and go back there. Wherever anybody comes from, let us meet at the National Assembly. So, I need your support, my mission is selfless. It’s for me to be in a position to seek you.

What should Nigerians do now that Peter Obi has emerged as the LP presidential candidate for the 2023 polls?

I want you all to open your hearts and embrace this movement. Peter Obi’s movement is a revolution going on in Nigeria. All the meeting I have attended in Abuja in the past week is all about Peter Obi. So, let’s take it seriously and put out faith in what God wants to use him to do. His supporters will be his people but this time around people who are supporting him are from all over Nigeria. So, what we need to do is to add our quota and believe in it. Don’t listen to what people say that he doesn’t have structure. You saw what one pastor said, he called on Nigerians not to vote for anybody who has a structure that they are going to vote for that party that has no structure. So, when you see these things you will know it’s the handwork of God. So, anything is turning positive on its way, I am involved now and I can tell that there is a massive influx of people into Labour Party across Nigeria. By the time we finish with substitution when the windows open, you will be surprised by the calibre of people you see from the Southeast contesting elections under the Labour Party. So, we are working and I believe God who brought us together at this point has a purpose for that for our people. So, pledge my full commitment to that movement and I call upon you to be part of it.

What’s your stand on IPOB?

There is nothing I have not done for the sake of our people. In 2016, I was arrested because of IPOB. It didn’t deter me from maintaining my views on that. I want accommodation, I want things to be handled in a manner that we can build unity of purpose, we can be one nation; we cannot be one nation with 30 nations in it. Let’s treat A the way we treat B and C and things will be okay.

Talking about going back to the Senate, would you pursue a referendum for your people, Ndigbo, to get their own country or would you think Nigeria has another way of living in peace?

My passion for having a President from the South-East is because I have always fought for equity, fairness, and inclusion, I was convinced that in 2023 it will be for the Southeast to produce a President for Nigeria. I became the vice-chairman of the Greater Nigeria Conference chaired by his Excellency, former governor of Enugu state Chief Okwesirieze Nwodo, we organised ourselves through Nzuko Umunna to make a case for this opportunity for the Southeast; we took it everywhere and we had a conference on the 26th of April at the International Conference Centre in Abuja. We brought who is who in Nigeria there, all the elder statesmen, Chief Edwin Clark, Pa Ayo Adebanjo, Dr Boutros from the Middle Belt. They all came there and supported that it was the turn of the South East. So, by the rotation arrangement we had, we have said it clearly that Obasanjo from the South West had done eight years went it was the turn of the South in 1999, then Yar’Adua did and he died, South-South completed the tenure and did four years through Dr Goodluck Jonathan. It, now, went back to the north through Buhari. After eight years of Buhari, it will come to the South that is our argument. And if comes to the south, the only zone that is in position to take it is the Southeast because South West had had Obasanjo for eight years, South-South six years through Jonathan and the Southeast has not had it. And now the South West has the Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, serving out for eight years. Will it be proper if it returns to the South that South West takes it first the way Tinubu has taken it? That’s injustice and we fought for it when they didn’t listen to the two big parties, the PDP and APC, Peter left the PDP and I commended him on National television for leaving PDP. You cannot be there to be the Vice President when it’s the turn of your people to be President. So, it’s on that principle of Peter that his people should be allowed to produce the President that I clapped for him. And when Labour Party nominated him where will I work? That’s the place I will work so that justice will be served to our people. And not by rotation, Peter is the best candidate in Nigeria and that’s why I decided to put myself to see the work I can do to help make that happen and it will help to heal my psyche as a person coming from this part of Nigeria because he is going to be the best person in providing a solution to the problems of Nigeria.

Some Nigerians are not comfortable with your arrangement for a running mate at the presidential level and they are afraid. Tell us exactly what is the situation like?

We have two rounds to go. One is the first round, submit their names, and another round for substitution of candidates. You know that when somebody withdraws you replace the person. It’s in the Electoral Act and also in the INEC guidelines. These people writing that Peter can no longer substitute his VP; in fact, I was in the meeting when we were not yet ready for a running mate for Peter; a lot of things are being considered to get that. Are you going to go with old career politicians or do you go through the new momentum, get somebody who has something to offer Nigeria, and pair him with Peter? These discussions are on. I was on the Committee that discussed with the Kwankwaso group. Peter nominated me and we were three. We went there and argued and argued; they said they would produce the presidential candidate and Peter would be running mate we said no way. Based on rotation, that’s wrong. It’s not the turn of the North to produce the next President. If Peter can leave PDP because of that, how can he come now and become a running mate to somebody? Another one is that in Nigeria today who do Nigerians want? I told them Nigerians want Peter Obi. So, because of the ongoing discussions, the DG of his campaign organisation, Doyin Okupe, who is from Ogun state, was used to block it. We have time for substitution and we have to put somebody who will withdraw if they want him to withdraw. If you put somebody who will not withdraw are you not finished? So, that was the wisdom in using the DG of his campaign organisation to stay on so we can meet the deadline and submit his name. Everybody knows that two Southerners can’t be President and Vice President and by law, we are all in line. So, when the substitution window opens Doyin Okupe will write INEC because INEC now said that the person will put it in writing that he is withdrawing and will go to court to swear an affidavit that he is withdrawing before they can allow a replacement. The law did not say that INEC cannot accept a replacement but the person has to withdraw in writing and swear an affidavit in court saying that he is withdrawing before it is submitted to substitute the person. Doyin Okupe is working hard with all of us to help us get a vice-presidential candidate that will support Peter’s vision and mission in Nigeria. As soon as that is done within the substitution window, the vice-presidential candidate must come from the north; and all considerations will be made and that substitution window will be made at the right time. There will be no problem with that one.