Why I moved to APGA –Ekwunife

member representing Anaocha/Njikoka/Dunukofia federal constituency in the House of Representatives, Mrs. Uche Ekwunife(Iyom), has said that she lost the February 6, 2010 Anambra State governorship election because of her gender.

Ekwunife who had been re-elected on the platform of the All Progressives Grand Alliance(APGA) also said that President Goodluck Jonathan is God’s anointed. She spoke to Daily Sun on several political issues including APGA, her achievements and APGA’s adoption of President Jonathan. Excerpts:

Dumping PDP for APGA
I have to be in a party where my people are. They say democracy starts with people, and it cannot be in a party where your people are not. My people are solely in APGA. So, I needed to switch over to my people.
The last election
Democracy is simply about having the opportunity to serve the people. The mandate for anyone to go and serve in any capacity lies solely on the electorate. That’s the people that will decide. Gone are days when people were rigged into the offices. It’s a people that will decide. Gone are days when people were rigged into the offices. It’s a different ballgame now.

Challenges
I’m not afraid of challenges. I face challenges as they come. I am not the type that will sit down; something will come to me free of charge. No, I will work hard for anything that I get and each time you see challenges facing you. I went through hell in 2007. There is nothing you ask for or you go for without having the ups and downs. So, I’m used to it.
Anambra governorship race of February 6, 2010
In the governorship race, I wasn’t prepared. To some extent, it was an emergency race; there were challenges, serious challenges in the sense that gender played a major role. Major stakeholders then never accepted a woman being there, and the party too. I ran in an unknown party in the state. Party that was docile in the state and it was like many people were hearing of the party for the first time. So many things played against me in that governorship election but importantly, the major issue then was funding. I was not funded for the election. So, this time around, it was not the same. My constituency is the largest constituency in Nigeria, and it’s also a very hot zone.
APGA
Of course, political parties will have their own advantage. In Anambra for instance, APGA has a sitting governor and APGA is seen to be an Igbo party, having Ojukwu as the leader of the party and knowing the belief that the Igbos have in Ojukwu a person, as a personality. It’s difficult to see, especially the old people who will disappoint him. Looking at what the governorhas also done for the people of Anambra State, people are seeing him as having the interest of the people at heart. So, the way they judge him is the way they judge the party and the Igbos also want to have a party of their own. They want a party they can be identified with, to show that all the zones in Nigeria have their own party and this is our own.

So, most times, it’s not just about the candidate but about the party, about the Igbos, about the culture, about our own, having your own, your own party. You can see what the ACN is doing in the South-West. You can see what CPC is doing in the North. That’s what every Igbo man expects of APGA. Every man, woman expects APGA to be like those parties in their own respective zones. I am sure the party will play a major role.

Participation of women

APGA is a gender-friendly party. APGA respects gender.APGA to a large extent like in the last election, women emerged victoriously in their own primaries and the party is supporting them. So, APGA is gender-friendly. In fact, they surpassed 35 per cent. We have women that are very capable.
Moving from PDP to PPA, back to PDP .and now to APGA
I didn’t go back to PDP. Almost all politicians in Nigeria today have moved from one party to the other. People move from PDP to PP A, PP A to APGA, APGA back to PDP. So, people have been moving. There is nothing wrong with that. It’s all about the programmes and missions of political parties, its all about serving your people.

So, if you feel you have a better platform to serve people, you go to the platform you think that will be more convenient for you to serve the people. All you want is that you are going to a destination so whatever vehicle that will take you to that destination is the vehicle that you will enter. So, assuming you are going to Abuja and you get to Lokoja and the way is stuck, won’t you find your way through another road? That’s what parties are.
APGA and adoption of Jonathan
That’s the right thing to do. Jonathan is our own. He’s done well. He’s done well as a president; he’s done well as the number one citizen of this great nation, a very humane person, very responsible president. A President that listens, a president that touches the masses, a president that believes in the people that he’s leading, a President that delivers democratic dividends to the people. Believe in him, it’s not about party. So, it’s the right thing to adopt him as our presidential candidate.
Achievements
The major thing is that legislature is all about having the opportunity to air your views on the floor of the House, ensuring that your constituency is properly represented in terms of motions, in terms of bills, in terms of quality representation on the floor of the House and I’ve never been found wanting in any of these responsibilities. It’s also using your influence to attract developmental projects to your constituency. In all the 22 communities that I represent, I’ve attracted one, two or three projects to them.

I’m a pure legislator, I’m not a contractor, I’m not a businesswoman, I’m not anything else than being a housewife and a legislator. There, I have put all my interest, I put all my time, I put all my energy doing the job that my constituency and constituents sent me to do for them. I don’t mix it with any other thing. So, all in all, I’ve represented them so well and on the floor of the House, they know me, in Nigeria, they know me and knowing me means knowing the constituency that I represent.

The legislators are being judged from the number of motions, bills they move on the floor and by the number of motions and bills that they support on the floor and how they take issues seriously when those issues come up on the floor of the House. That is how you judge a legislator but we go outside that, we also attract developmental projects to our people but the major responsibility of a legislator is let my voice be heard on the floor, making inputs when necessary, defending the Nigerian values or issues as they come up. I have done that creditably well.
Therefore, I need to be voted back to fie office to continue the good work I started. My constituency is one of the largest constituencies in Nigeria.

I have quantified it, I have defended it, I have made presentations to ensure that the constituency is divided into three so that we will have Anaocha, we will have Njikoka, we will have Dunukofia as separate federal constituencies and that’s what it should be. We have constituencies in Nigeria that are less than 15 wards but mine is 51 INEC wards. In other states, it’s simply a senatorial zone not a federal constituency. So, I’m working assiduously to ensure that the moment INEC starts delineation, this constituency is going to be divided into three to ensure quality and proper representation.