We’ll push for female vice-presidential candidate in 2023 – Osifo-Marshall
A former two-time Commissioner in Edo State, Omorede Osifo-Marshall, speaks on why the women in All Progressives Congress (APC) will push for a woman as a presidential running mate in 2023, among other issues in this interview with Ben Ogbemudia
Are you still in politics?
Of course, I’m in politics. I have been in politics for so long, one of the women and the oldest politician in Edo State. Have been in politics for 21years now, it is not something I am going to give up because of last year’s election. I am still there in my party, All Progressives Congress (APC).
Are you contesting for any national position in APC?
When the local congress came, we played the leaders’ role in Oredo local government area. We have been pushing for more women to come out, and I’m happy that we were able to get a lot of women out of my local government to hold party positions at the ward level. Also at the local government level, we succeeded in getting women too to be part of the super delegates.
So, I was the woman that was picked from my local government as a national delegate. Haven secured that position, which means I’m going to be at the National Convention and anything happening in Abuja, we are the ones coming to determine what will happen there. Having done that will be going forward. Yes, I’m long overdue for a national appointment.
I was one of those at the forefront of President Buhari to be elected as president for the first tenure of 2015. When he came out the first time, we were at the forefront, and now again in the second term, we were everywhere campaigning. I was one of the members of the Presidential Campaign Council. I was a member of 4 + 4 for Buhari, Osinbajo.
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A lot of people think by now, somebody like me should have a federal appointment, but so far, nothing has happened. We are keeping our fingers crossed. We are also waiting to see what is micro-zoned to the South-South, and my state, Edo, in the national. If any position comes out, I think I will fit in as well. But they have not said anything about which is going to the South-South. I don’t know which is coming to Edo State. I don’t want to jump and say I’m going for that.
We know that the posts of treasurer, woman leader, welfare, organising secretary, and even the secretary were for the South. There are so many of them, so we don’t know what is going to be micro-zoned. When that is done in the next couple of weeks, I will like to run for office at the national level.
With current happenings in Nigeria today, do you think APC will have an edge in 2023?
Some of these things are not caused by the APC. Many of the problems we have were already down there before the APC came into power. For example, look at NEPA or PHCN; they were sold out by the previous governments. The electricity problem is telling us today, with billions of dollars put into it, that government is not doing anything. They are over-billing.
You cannot refer to that APC’s fault. We came and met the problems on the ground. Insecurity has been in Nigeria for time. Boko Haram, kidnapping banditry, everything; we came and met all these things. These things were already there.
All those that have been coming to attack were empowered by previous governments. So, the APC is trying to solve all these problems that are on the ground, and you know how it is in government and politics. You know our people, once you are in government, everybody wants to blame you, and even if they know you didn’t cause it. It is not your fault.
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I believe that President Buhari has tried; he has been working a lot, based on what he saw on the ground. He came trying to change a lot of things.
As a former commissioner in Edo State, what is your take on Governor Godwin Obaseki’s government?
We are very concerned about what is happening in our state. We warned the PDP about Obaseki, who to me, is a liability. But the PDP was adamant to take over power in Edo State. They took over somebody they know is not deserving to be governor again for the second tenure.
Now, they are all regretting what they have done. How can the governor rule for so long without any cabinet? Even what he did the other time with all this our honourable members whom he has refused to swear in and start their jobs? That is enough to show the kind of person he is. Somebody who loves democracy, who loves the way, they were voted by their people to go and represent them, and you are stopping them, denying their people all those local government they are representing.
You are denying them of having a representative, and that is the end. Of course, he came in again. Somebody that can do that without thinking about it comes in again and refused to name commissioners until recently. I have heard that there was too much pressure on him. I have been hearing too many stories, I don’t how official they are. I am sure they did that just to make people keep quiet. How can I man want to rule a whole state without having a commissioner, special advisers?
Now, look at the local council, for example, he has even said no elections into councils. Even the councils, he is running it. He is running the local government councils, running the state as commissioner, special adviser, as SSA. All the SSA he took because of the election to be doing social media for him are all crying now. As soon as he won, they were all sent home, now they are not there.
