The candidate of the United Democratic Party (UDP), Mallam Abdulrazaq Emeje, in the November 16 governorship poll in Kogi State, in this interview, speaks on his ambition and the election. YEKINI JIMOH brings the excerpts.
WHAT informed your decision to contest the Kogi State governorship election?
My decision to run for the office of the governor in the forthcoming governorship elections on November 16 is anchored on some parameters. First, I have always had a burning innate passion to impact lives positively, no matter how little I can. This, I have done virtually all my adult life within the confine of my personal ability and resources. You will agree that for such individual yearnings, getting into the position of governance exponentially increases your ability and resources at your disposal to touch lives positively in every possible way.
More so, we all agree that quality, purposeful and people-oriented governance as well as leadership has always eluded us generally as Nigerians and Kogi State, in particular, is not left out. So much more could be done to alleviate its depleted fortunes, both human and material wise. Therefore, in my capacity as a candidate for the election on the platform of the UDP, we have a clear understanding of the needs of the state and the aspirations to set things right and change the narrative for the people of Kogi.
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What level of consultation and acceptance across stakeholders and various interest groups have you achieved?
When it comes to the politically-savvy elite and youths of Kogi State who are very much in the loop of goings on in the state and penetration, it has been very successful. Team Abe ’19 has, no doubt, already won the hearts of the people with the lofty visions and mission overview presented thus far. This is clearly evident from the aggressive followership
growth we are witnessing now. Definitely, we also have the larger body of the youth demography which we have known from the onset will be a hard nut to crack as it surely requires more concerted effort to make them understand clearly the depth of the prevailing catastrophic situation on ground in the state and also to make them see the best way to jointly turn things around for the mutual benefit of us all as a state. That is why we are emphatically drumming it into their ears that the state is actually in their hands to make or mar, depending on how they expend their voting rights.
Quality votes beget quality leadership and vice versa and if they sell their votes, they are selling their future and right to
meaningful existence and sustenance. Things are clearly so bad that they are beginning to read between the lines for the first time and concur.
How much of the state, its people and politics will you say you know?
Prior to and after the emergence of our then nascent democracy, I had, in the course of time, built a reputation of reckoning, both in the business and social cycles of the state as well as the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), where I have resided for over 27 years. In the process creating a highly appreciated and sellable brand, concurrently, I proficiently delivered several worthwhile key projects statewide, arming me with a lucid acquaintance of the nooks and crannies therein.
With my wealth of experience, derived from long engagement in successfully exploring and harnessing business opportunities relative to our state’s enormous endowment, both human and natural resources, I am definitely equipped to deliver good and efficient governance to the great people of Kogi State.
Will you say the youths in governance in Kogi State have done well?
Much more could have been achieved as it stands today. We are not into the politics of criticism for the mere essence of it; there is so much we want to correct in that light. Therefore, ours is and will remain decent and constructive criticism, if need be, in the course of our journey to the Lugard House to right the obvious wrongs in the best interest of our state and its citizenry. It is pertinent though to reiterate that so far, the incumbent apparently has not scored a pass mark and that is the general perception showing from the overall performance rating thus far.
How will you rate the incumbent governor and do you think you can defeat him at the poll?
No government has ever been termed perfect. There are always areas where successive governments do outstandingly well, perform averagely or even fail woefully, relative to its policies as well as other underlying factors, be they based on either interests or uncontrollable instances. Therefore, in rating any government we should always critically look at the global picture of its performance rather than fixating on just some of the indices involved.
Be that as it may, I have already stated our take as well as the general perception of the incumbent’s performance rating so far. He has performed poorly. It is also worthy of note to emphasise here that in governance, though the buck stops with the head, every member of government has a share of either applause or responsibility for the eventual overall performance of that government.
With regards to how we intend to actualise our worthwhile sojourn to the Lugard House, our strategy is kept close to our chest, but we can assure that you will see them clearly as they are reeled out in the course of time. Yes, we do have our manifesto, vision and mission statements; it is out there already.