A member of the House of Representatives, Mr Patrick Aisowieren, speaks on the forthcoming national convention of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the prospect of his party in Edo State, among other sundry issues in this interview with Ben Ogbemudia

Ahead of the APC national convention, do you think your party, APC, will get it right?

We have successfully done the world congress, the local congress, the state party congress and all of them were successful, remaining the national convention where the national executives will be put in place. So, I don’t see anything wrong with it what they have done so far and I don’t know what is wrong with what they are getting so far. The party is preparing well for 2023, but my concern is for a southern president.

The North has done their eight years and my real concern is competence, whether South West, South-South, or South East, it should not go to the North for now. What the party needs is time and they need time to plan and they are planning. You cannot jump into a convention when you have not planned. So, I don’t envisage any problem.

Where they were having issues before, they have set up a committee to look into the matter and the committee is doing well. They have set up some committees and when they envisage problems they bring such issues to the party. The congress committee set up is to address issues in every state congresses in all the 36 states.

Do you subscribe to political zoning?
Yes, in politics, there must be zoning. It is like the PDP, they also did their zoning. APC has been doing zoning from time to time. So, without zoning, it will lead to a constitution breach, so, you must zone offices to various zone so that people can contest for positions in their zones.

Will you support the southern president in 2023, especially the South East?
I believe in somebody qualified to be the president, no matter the tribe. I am not a tribalistic person, anybody can be president, but not from the North, they have done their own eight years, so, I believe the president should be zoned to the south. Even if it is South East, South West, or South-South.

You were very vocal during the Edo State governorship election in 2020, what has happened after the election?

After the election in Edo, you know what happened in that election, how they manipulated the process and we lost the election and after then I think the APC have been up and doing. We are doing very well. The people have suddenly realised who they voted for. As I speak to you now, they are decamping every day even many will still decamp into APC. Not only in my Orhionmwon federal constituency but everywhere in Edo State. I am sure that the next election in the state will be victorious for APC.

Why do people call you stomach Infrastructure?

That is my nickname, I like generosity and that is what I do. Apart from the physical project that I’m doing, I like to empower people, this year alone, I have built more than eight schools in Orhionmwon, and I have a lot of structural material across the school in my federal constituency, worth millions of naira. I have also empowered a lot of people, I have trained a lot of people to be self-sufficient and have that sustainability that you can be somebody great tomorrow.

The last empowerment I did, I distributed empowerment materials to the people of Orhionmwon, generators, motorcycles, and other vehicles, even the training I did. And a lot of people are also in need, financial support. I normally do it from time to time in my federal constituency and that is why they call me Stomach Infrastructure. I don’t just build and put structure everywhere, I also do follow up, and I also helped those who cannot meet up in the community.

A lot of people gave me the right even as the councillor I have people I pay salary to date. Nobody deviated, nobody has left me to another political party because they believe in me and they believe in my stomach infrastructure agenda, so they believe in me and so that name is there, is not because I am a politician, it runs in the blood, you know the family I come from, you know my father is another generous man, so I think I took that from my dad. The same blood in my father flows in me.

Although you are a member of the opposition party in Edo State, how would you assess the PDP-led government in the state?

I am not a member of the PDP and I am not working for the governor. I do not know what they are doing right now and but there must be a reason why a lot of people are decamping. For me, the reason I feel they are decamping to APC is that they have seen the work I am doing and they saw what I have done before and they believe in me- that is why they are coming to APC so that they can benefit from the kind gesture and also whatever I’m providing for the federal constituency.

What I believe is that because of what I am doing, because of the physical projects, stomach infrastructure agenda, the empowerment, and also the training that is what is making all of them come back to APC. However, the PDP-led government, they have their government and I have my government presence in Edo State. Depending on how they look at it like I said I don’t work for the governor, I can’t feel their pulse, they are the one who knows whether they are benefiting or not. I don’t want to castigate any government, in the last four years I was with the same government but I felt many things are not right.

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So, I have to remain in APC and you know I didn’t follow them to PDP because I know APC is the party that is delivering the dividend of democracy to the country. So, I believe in APC, that is why I remained. As for people who left for the PDP, anytime you see them, you can interview them and ask if they are happy or not. It is not for me to attest to if they are happy or not. I can’t feel their pulse for them or tell them what is in their mind.

The Benin-Abraka road has been in the news for negative reasons because of its bad state, what is the problem?

The problem with the road is that in the last four years of Governor Godwin Obaseki-led government, they promised in March 2019 that they should give him 24 months he was going to complete the road, but I’m still surprised that the road is still there and the operation happening to go on at the road is making things difficult for people living in that route. Most times, they (the state government) will put one or two caterpillars on the ground, just to deceive people.

If you want to do that road, just give it to a stable company or contractor like SETRACO who can do the road very well. Our people suffer every day on that road and they call me. The state government said they will do the road and it is not what I can put in my budget because I don’t have that kind of money as it is because I am not in the executive arm of government.

The money they gave in my constituency budget is limited and I have my jurisdiction. I know what I can do and what I cannot do. So, it’s a pitiable situation, if that is what I can do, I would have put it in the budget. So, we will still appeal to the state government to have a rethink.

You and the governor were very close at what point did you decide to part way with him?

In the last four years, I have been a leader of APC at the local government level where I am at the forefront. When he (Governor Obaseki) was leaving the APC for the PDP, I didn’t follow him because what he promised to do in Orhionmwon didn’t do it. He promised that he would do the road in 24 months and if he didn’t do it, he would resign but the road is still there and it is still bad.

The College of Education he promised to do in Abudu, he didn’t do it. If APC had won that election, I know by now, Orhionmwon would have had a higher institution, like a College of Education or even a university but none of them is in Orhionmwon. When former governor, Adams Oshiomhole was there, we saw what he did in my local government.

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He built the longest road project at that time -that was when we felt the presence of the government in Orhionmwon. Otherwise, nothing to show for this present government, and this is part of the palliatives I am doing for the people.