PDP is party to beat in Edo —Aziegbemi

Clement Odegua Azuegbemi, an Edo State House of Assembly hopeful in the 2023 general election, in this interview with ‘SUYI AYODELE, x-rays the chances of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 general election in the state vis-à-vis the crisis of leadership in the party and other issues.

What is the motivation for the decision to contest for the House of Assembly seat?

My motivation in wanting to serve my people at the state House of Assembly by representing my constituency, the Esan South-East state constituency, is borne out of my desire to serve my people. My desire to be the voice to my people, the voice to the voiceless. Democracy is defined generally and literally as the government of the people by the people and for the people. I am vying for this position because I want to represent my people. I want to serve my people. I want to be the voice of my people. I want to agitate for people when the need arises. I want to be the face of my people in the state House of Assembly as every one of us cannot be there. These are my reasons.

What are the things you feel you would do differently from the man representing your constituency now in the House at the moment?

The things I think I would do differently is what I would call my own passionate desire to see that I bring about robust engagement. Legislature is that arm of government in democracy that represents the people. So I would be representing my people in a most educating, enlightened, prosperous, hardworking, and dedicated manner that will involve me having to come back to my own people, who will be giving me their mandate to represent them come 2023. We would be doing a town hall meeting, on quarterly basis, to x-ray the priority projects our people need. I would be engaging my constituency in town hall meetings where we all would sit down like in we do in our local parlance ogbonughe where we would be in our local domain to engage in every ward to find out what our people need per time. We would be working on the basis of what our people need. I would be doing a lot differently from what my predecessor did, I am going to be learning from his successes; from his mistakes. I am not going to come here to say my predecessor hasn’t done anything. Rather, I would be building on his legacies to make sure I do it better than where he left it. It is the prayer of our parents that their children would do better than them.

The prayers of my constituents is that I would be doing better than where my predecessor would be leaving behind. I know by the grace of God I am going to come out victorious and God will give me victory in the general elections.

There has been a clamour for Edo Central to produce governor in 2024. How feasible is that?

Yes, there has been a clamour for Edo Central to produce the next governor of the state come 2024. That clamour is legitimate, it is genuine, and it’s realistic it is just for equity. Edo Central as you know has been the home base of PDP, we have stood for the party and been there for the party since inception. We have been that block that holds PDP strong in Edo State. And I think after over twenty years of democracy’s return to our state, we have had just one year and eight months when we had Professor Osunbor Oserheimen. We have had the Edo North governor for eight years, coming back after Lucky Igbinedion and now we have Obaseki. It is just our right for an equitable society that we be fair to all. If not, you see anarchy. Anarchy is not only when people carry guns and arms. It is when justice is far from the people. So we need to be fair and just to ourselves that is the essence of humanity that is the essence of brotherhoods. If Edo Central, which has been there for PDP as a party, even the APC, the opposition party, when they were the ruling party, if after Edo South has had their second time after eight years of Lucky Igbinedion and now the eight years of Obaseki and Edo North has done it, it is only brotherhood and love amongst ourselves that we allow Edo Central. We are not saying any of these out of disrespect to the other two senatorial districts. We are saying these with all sense of humanity and all sense of love and brotherliness that it is our turn to contribute to the quota of development of our dear state. It may interest you that we are like the Igbo in Edo State. There is no where you will not find an Esan man living and doing business in any of the two senatorial districts. It is only the Esan man who goes to another man’s land like the Igbo man and will not build shanties there, but rather build a home that the children see as their home. If you go to Benin you will see that most prosperous businesses are owned by the Esan. Why do we do that? Because we believe in the people where we live and contribute to their development also. So I think the leaders of the two senatorial districts would be doing a great job to bind us together. The Edo are naturally people that hate that oppression and intimidation. So I know our leaders in Edo South and Edo North will join hands together to produce a credible candidate from our very many politicians with track records to vie in for the position of governor come 2024. We would be offering Edo people the best amongst them in the calibre of Ambrose Alli and Samuel Ogbemudia. Let the Edo people support us. It is our legitimate right. We must learn to do things in fairness and equitable pursuit that will promote unity and peace for our people.

Edo PDP is fragmented at the moment. How do you people intend to resolve the crisis so that the party can go into the general election in unity?

No, there are no fragments in Edo PDP; neither are there any camps in Edo PDP. PDP is one and will always remain one. In the family where we all belong, there might be some persons with discordant voices and others who agree. That does not mean that the family has issues. In Benin there are no issues in PDP. We are indivisible one family and waxing stronger on a monthly and yearly basis. We are ready to win the forthcoming election in the eighteen local governments of the state and go again to deliver the three senatorial districts of the state and go again to clinch all the nine house seats in the House of Representatives of the state. This is PDP whatever you think you know there is a way you guys in the media think, there is a way you glorify things. I can tell you the chairman still remains the chairman of the party.

I can tell you our governor still remains the leader of the party and we have leaders of the party. PDP is a leadership party; it is a constitutionalist party. So when you say we have issues, you are saying that we have neglected our constitution. So if we have not neglected it, we would have had issues with some people who just want things to be done in their own way. And we are saying come back to the constitution which is our guiding principle; it is our bible, our direction and it is our mirror. And some of them might be finding it difficult to understand that but I can tell you they will get used to it over time. What the cultures of the PDP are is to respect the constitution, abide by the constitution. And then follow the leadership ranking of the party to make and take decisions. That is what is happening. We have notable leaders that are very prepared, who have gone through this school of politicking to know how to settle whatever the fragments that you are thinking. But I can tell there are no issues. We are OK, we are fine; we are getting ready, preparing ourselves for the forthcoming election by the grace Of God. You can’t compare us with a political party I can’t mention. But there does not exist any political party other than PDP in Edo State. You can compare us to people who do not have a constitution that guides them. You can imagine the amount they put in their forms and this is the same party who signed Not Too Young to Rule Bill into law. You can see the hypocrisy. So we are a party that is in tune with the people and the people are in tune with us. We don’t have any issues come 2023 general elections. PDP won by landslide even when we were in opposition. You know we used to win two senatorial seats; out of the nine federal constituencies, we used to win five or four like that. Apart from the 2019 general election that the APC won the Edo Central House of Assembly, it has never happened before and that was due to some misgivings that was not taken into very serious concern. There is nowhere you will go today in Edo State that you won’t see a formidable leader of PDP from the three senatorial districts, from the LGA’s and from the wards. PDP is a rooted party. We know our people. If elections are conducted free and fair, if you take a count in every ward and unit where the elections will be taking place, we have our people who are members and not persons who will come to cajole the people to support or vote for them. We have people with PDP in their DNA.  They would do that and win the election without taking a Kobo from anybody. We don’t have a problem, we are strong and solid like the Zuma Rock if I could use that.

The current state chairman of PDP, Dr Tony Aziegbemi, is your cousin. Won’t your aspiration disrupt the zoning arrangement in your constituency?

Yes, it is true the state chairman is my cousin, who was elected at the state congress of the party. First is to say he wasn›t elected by Esan South-East which I seek to represent alone. He was elected at the congress of the party by the whole state members of PDP. So, his position as the state chairman would and should not have anything against my aspiration to be the flag bearer of the party come the 7th of May primaries of the House of Assembly. I say this with all sense of humility, I am coming as an aspirant to represent the Esan South-East not to represent where the chairman comes from. The chairman was voted for by the congress, congress is different from party or individual representation of our constituency. Am an adult who is a politician and who has an ambition to serve the people. So the position of my cousin shouldn›t be a hindrance to my pursuit to serve my people. Like I mentioned, he was elected by the congress of the eighteen local governments by all the delegates of the party in Benin City not in Esan South-East where I seek to represent. Yes by sheer providence, we share the same lineage, but that shouldn›t stop my aspiration to want to serve my people. So I think it has nothing to do. Rather, if my competency is to be judged, my capacity should be what should be used to judge me, and not that my first cousin, Honourable Dr Tony Aziegbemi is the state chairman should not be a curse to me but rather a blessing that I should enjoy. I am running like every other person is running. I am visiting delegates, I have done my official decelerations. I am visiting leaders of the party, opinion moulders of the party in my constituency. I am not taking for granted their positions and power to decide who flies the flag of the patty in the forthcoming primaries. I am not taking that for granted. Am doing what every aspirant is doing as reaching out to the delegates, reaching out to the leaders of the party at my local government, at my ward and other wards inclusive. These are what we should look at. Judge me by my own merit and strength rather than want to drag my cousin in who is the state chairman, who has an enormous job to do to ensure that the party comes out victorious. I am a politician, a former banker, an entrepreneur, a real estate developer and a leader in my own right.  I have been into politics from the days I know I have been a man because life itself is politics. I have been involved in family politics and general politics. I come from a home of politicians. My grandfather the Aziegbemi himself was a councillor to the colonial masters in his days. So I come from a lineage where we play politics, because politics is about service, service to humanity, service to mankind. So, that›s what I represent. And that is what I do. So by extension you can call me someone born into politics and someone raised into politics and leadership roles.