Interview

PDP government willbandits terrorists —Omosede Igbinedion

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2 years ago

Omosede Igbinedion, daughter of the Esama of Benin kingdom, Chief Gabriel Osawaru Iginedion, was a member of the House of Representatives between 2015 and 2019. Igbinedion, who is seeking a return to the lower legislative chamber under the umbrella of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), spoke with newsmen in Benin. ‘SUYI AYODELE, who was there, brings excerpts from the interaction.

What is the motivating factor for this renewed ambition to contest for the House of Representatives?

The driving force for me is definitely the people. The people are very important. When I look at the people of Ovia Federal Constituency, I see their yearnings, I see their desire, I see the needs that they want to be met and the needs that have not been met. I see their plight. It is on that basis, as well as being somebody that believes in nation building and wants to be part of the nation building, that I decided to contest once more to represent the good people of Ovia Federal Constituency which to me is one of the most underdeveloped federal constituencies and we are still an urban and rural constituency. We have a lot of catching up to do in the area and basically what I intend to do is to bridge that gap between them and the Federal Government and attract more development to the constituency.

What are your chances, given the fact that you are contesting against an incumbent?

My chances are very bright, I believe that I defeated him in the past election for whatever it was that took place. I also believe in the will of God. However, this time around, I know that we are clinching this. The people voted and I know they voted massively for me and I believe I won it like I said and this election definitely we are going to win. Besides, remember that I am the only female candidate going for this position in Edo State. Edo people are very gender-sensitive, and they know what women can bring to the table. We always blaze the trail.

What is your position on the recent Supreme Court ruling on your candidacy and the division in the PDP in Edo State?

Well, I was very happy with the decision of the Supreme Court. It gave me confidence in the Nigerian judicial system, that in actual fact, it can work, and I know that the other side, the Legacy Group, were very hopeful too but for me, I like us to be referred to as PDP united. We have emerged as one big family under the umbrella. At this point in time, we have to set aside any selfish ambition and selfish individual interest and work for the interest of the nation at large. We have a duty; there is a clarion call from Nigerians, they are looking up to the PDP, a party that has been exemplary all ways and has set the motion in place on how to rescue Nigeria. We all can see the dire state the country is presently in and to me it goes further. I was in my constituency yesterday where petrol was selling for N1,500 per litre and to me that is just not the way to go, and it is on that note that the people have come out to say look we need the PDP to take over once more. So, it is important we move ahead as one party and with one goal which is to deliver the dividends of democracy to Nigerians and rescue this country from the current state it is in.

What influence is the name Igbinedion bringing to bear on your ambition and campaigns?

The Igbinedion name is well known. I believe that my father, the Esama of Benin, Sir, Chief Dr. Osawaru Igbinedion, has contributed greatly to Nigeria’s democracy. He is one of the greatest philanthropists that I know, he has contributed to the development of the state as well as contributing immensely to the growth and development of Ovia Federal Constituency. We have light today as a product of his singular efforts. He brought electricity there all the way from Benin many years ago, over 40 years ago, so, it is on that note that I also set out one of my key roles which is electricity like lighting communities that have no light because electricity is a basic necessity and that is why I have embarked on several electrification projects already even before getting to the House of Representatives in the two local government areas that make up my constituency.

Apart from electricity, which other areas are you looking at?

I believe that there are several areas that I will have to look at to draw development to my constituency; from roads, to water, electricity these are key areas. Like I said, the constituency is both rural and urban. |So, it is interesting that a lot of people undermine and don’t understand why one, as a federal legislator, will want to go and put up a borehole when they have the advantage of pipe borne water flowing into their homes and then you see lawmakers commissioning boreholes and solar powered lights like I did when I was there. Some people frown at it, but they don’t understand how much that means to the common man. So, in my constituency, when I go round and campaigning, I listen to what they need as opposed to what I want to give them. Some of the key things that they need are boreholes, solar lights and so on. When I was in the House, I gave a lot of solar lights and boreholes to riverine communities and several others, that was very important to them because a lot of these riverine communities had no access to electricity. Using South Africa as a case study, I discovered that they use a lot of solar power to provide amenities to them. If you go to many of the rural areas there, you will see that they use a lot of solar powers to power their houses, which saves them a lot of electricity bills. So, I want to look at how such can help my constituency and that is talking of alternative sources of energy to make sure that these people have a higher standard of living which should be the average. I have already set contacts with some solar companies to see how we can assist our people with solar electricity. We are also looking at roads, general empowerment and we have a lot of farmers so we encourage them.

One issue there is the security challenges that the people are facing, where the people are not able to go to their farms any longer because of the incessant killings and hardships. But I know the governor is doing everything to tackle these. We still have to intensify efforts and I believe that much more still needs to be done at the federal level to put an end to this menace and I believe that having the right party and the right president in place will go a great way in ensuring that this is a matter of the past. We need to call these people what they are, we do not need to put an ethnicity or religion tribe to whatever they are doing. We should label them what they are, which is terrorists, they are terrorizing our people and they are a great threat to our country, democracy and food security. So, I want to make sure my people in Ovia will be assured that they will go to their farms and feel secure, and I would like to support those farmers. In my first term within my first 21 days, I gave support to 100 female farmers because a lot of women go to farms and they need to be supported.

What are your chances and that of your party in the coming election?

My chances are very high. For our party, I think that PDP has it; has always done what will put Nigerians in focus as opposed to their internal issues. We will put the interest of Nigerians before our internal issues and make sure that we deliver, and Nigerians will be guaranteed of a better secured brighter future.

How will you assess the turnout in the PVC collection that just ended?

In terms of the people who registered and those that collected their PVCs, I will say it is average, it could have been better. But there are so many things involved and one of them is dissemination of information. A lot of people are not aware, and a lot of people have also lost interest that is why you see on election day when you compare the number of PVCs out there and are you may not see the same voter turnout. But however I think the turnout will be high in this coming election because I believe that Nigerians are going to the polls in a protest mood.

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