Hon. Ernest Ogwo, pioneer administrator, Nsukka South Development Centre, former Executive Assistant to a governor of Enugu state, and, Labour Party Chairmanship flag-bearer in Nsukka Local Government in this Saturday, 21st September Local Government Council elections in Enugu state spoke to a select newsmen on the chances of his party winning the council elections.

 Q . How would you rate the acceptance of your candidacy and your party by the people during your campaign tour of the wards in the local government area?

 A . Our acceptance was overwhelming to say the least! In all the wards, people trooped out to receive us. The popular catchphrase in their mouth is “We will vote Labour Party piiiii.”

And the most significant is that the support we received from the people is simply organic. I describe their support as organic because they came out to welcome us, and, expressed their supports, and that they will vote for us on their own. They left all their personal activities  without expecting us to give them any money or anything. Each of them who spoke lamented the betrayal, abandonment and lack of good governance they have suffered under Peoples Democratic Party rule in our local government area since the inception of this current democratic era in 1999. So, they said that they have decided to switch over to our Labour Party because of the quality of the people in the party. They pointed at our national leader, His Excellency, Mr. Peter Obi.

A very important news to us from the campaign tour as members of Labour Party is the confirmation by the people that those elected under our  party platform in the state, and National Assemblies from our area have started changing the sad narratives of abandoning the people who elected them immediately they assumed office as was the case by those that  represented them under PDP since 1999.

For instance, in virtually all the wards, people eulogised particularly the member representing us in the House of Representatives, Hon. Chidi Mark Obetta (Ezinwa). They pointed at bags of rice he distributed to them during last year Christmas; solar-powered street lighting he has been installing in some communities, water boreholes now being drilled in some communities, and, bags of fertiliser being distributed to them. The people were also full of praises of Hon. Malachy Onyechi, member representing Nsukka West constituency in Enugu state House of Assembly under our Labour Party platform. These our legislators went round with us during the campaign tour. Most of the people said that apart from being present with us in the campaign tour that Ezinwa and Malachy have been visiting and coming close to them from time to time within the past one year they were elected. An you, will agree with me, that, we,  Nsukka people, are honest, we don’t pretend about telling you how we feel. So, I can beat my chest, to say that Labour Party will win Nsukka Local Government Council with overwhelming votes.

 Q . What’s is your reaction to the fear being entertained that the Local Government council election results have been written; that the state governor, Dr. Peter Mbah has directed the state Independent Electoral Commission (ENSIEC) to write all the results in every local government in favour of his party, PDP candidates.

 A . I doubt that His Excellency, Dr. Peter Mbah will give such directive. I believe that it is a mere propaganda by the PDP candidates to discourage Labour Party supporters from coming out to vote.

For instance, Nsukka Local Government is known even beyond our state that it  is the headquarters of Labour Party’s popularity in Nigeria. This is a Local Government that all the members representing the area in the state and National Assembly are from Labour Party. I mean the Senator representing Enugu North Senatorial zone, Chief Okey Ezea; the member representing Nsukka/ Igbo-Eze South federal constituency in the House of Representatives, Hon. Chidi Mark Obetta (Ezinwa) are from our party. The members representing the two constituencies of Nsukka local government in the state Assembly, Hon. Malachy Onyechi (Nsukka West) and the one representing Nsukka East were also elected under our party platform even though the other one later defected to the PDP simply because he wants money.

Now, are you saying that His Excellency, Dr. Peter Mbah will tell ENSIEC to write the results of Nsukka Local Government council elections to say that PDP won?

I doubt that he will do that. Remember that His Excellency also guards his integrity jealously;  he knows that his business associates and other friends who are not from Enugu and from other parts of our country and outside this country are watching whatever he is doing as Governor.  I am sure that he would avoid unnecessary actions that would tarnish his reputation in the eyes of such people knowing that as a young man, and renowned businessman after being Governor he will still meet those his associates. And they will  judge his reputation to some extent from the precincts of some actions he took when he was Governor. And such judgement will, to some extent influence their relationship with him.

Again, you know in politics when you have an opponent who knows that he or she is unpopular, the person employs propaganda to see if he can deceive the people to have his way. I believe that is what my opponent in the PDP is doing.

I hear that he is going round telling people that Governor has directed ENSIEC to write the results of Nsukka Local Government in his favour. He is doing that because he knows that people will not vote for him. So, he and the people campaigning for him simply want to discourage teeming Labour Party supporters  from coming out to vote believing that it is true that Governor has decided to rig the election. And say there is no need for them to waste their time going out to vote.

 But, I have made inquiries and someone very close to His Excellency assured me that Governor Peter Mbah has not given ENSIEC any directive to write Nsukka Local Government council results in favour of the PDP candidates. The person told me that it is the same propaganda the PDP people used when they told people that His Excellency was coming for their campaign rally at Nsukka Government Stadium. And at the end the day, did Governor go there?

We have told our teeming supporters to disregard the PDP propaganda and come out en mass and vote for us. We have assured them that we will protect any single vote they cast for us. We assured them that we are ready to lay our lives to make sure that any single vote they cast for us is protected, counted, and, the results declared accordingly.

We told everyone to remain in their polling boots after casting vote and make sure that votes were counted, entered in the appropriate result-sheets, and, the results declared publicly before they leave. And a lot of our supporters have also said that they are ready to die instead of allowing anyone rig the election. So, I believe that His Excellency will not encourage any rigging of the election in Nsukka Local Government. Again, I am sure that the Governor will like the person the people want to win. After all, he is not the one contesting to be Chairman of Nsukka Local Government or councillor. After all, all of us contesting in Nsukka are all from Nsukka Local Government.None of us is his blood brother or sister. What should be uppermost in his mind is someone who will help develop Nsukka local government area under his regime.

 Q . We understand that your party is criticising the demolition of Ogige Nsukka Market, payment of taxes and levies in the state. Does it mean that your party is against urban renewal programme and that your administration will implement a tax-free policy regime if elected?

 A . This is a very important question you have just asked.

Let me state this clearly: My party, Labour Party, and I, are not against urban renewal policy and taxation.

In fact, anyone who tells you that he or she is against taxation by any government is being deceitful, a Judas; such person is not an honest person. We support  urban and rural renewals. In fact, my campaign slogan is “Nsukka Transformation 2024”. Transformation is the same thing as renewal. Isn’t it?

Now, let me explain to you. What LP and I are against is taxation policy that is squeezing the people to death. We are also against urban, and, or rural programmes that displace the populace from their major source of livelihood such as what the demolition of Ogige Nsukka Market has done to our people.

What we in Labour Party are saying is that the Government should have provided adequate alternative market at affordable rates;  made sure that the traders in Ogige Market relocated to such new market before transforming Ogige into a more viable venture.

During our campaign tour, we heard that as at last Friday, 17 people among those who lost their shops in Ogige Nsukka Market have died as a result of frustration.

People complained to us that right now,  before you can get a shop in the Aku Road Market, you have to pay as much as One Million Naira.  Thereafter you will pay N120, 000 as annual levey. Imagine subjecting the traders to such exorbitant levies in this our already harsh economic condition in our country.

Now let me give you some details that will shock you concerning the taxation policies introduced by the current PDP government in our state. Tenement tax for bungalows in cities increased from N30,000 per annum to N150,000; high-rise building in high density areas jacked up from N50,000 to N300,000; in low density areas increased from N80,000 to N400,000, and, land instrument/ registration increased from N70,000 to N300,000. Private school tax was raised from N30,000 to N200,000.

Now all shop owners are paying annual levy of N21,000 no matter wherever you are in any part of the state. Daily levy for commercial bus drivers increased from N200 to N2,000; that of Keke riders increased from N100 to N450. Tax for small business premises increased to N25,000; medium business premises N56,000, and, malls pay N200,000.

We in Labour Party know that taxation and levy collection is one of the major sources of funds any government uses in providing infrastructure like construction roads, providing electricity, building hospitals and improving people’s welfare through empowerment programme. But what we are saying is that such tax and levies should not be an amount people will not be able to pay, and, as such frustrate them out of their businesses.

 Q . Tell us what your administration will do for the people of Nsukka local government area if elected into office.

 A . In a nutshell, I promise that I will reverse the sad narratives of absence of Infrastructure like tarred roads, electricity, dilapidated primary schools building, markets, health centres; water boreholes , abandonment of our people’s welfare and general lack of government presence our people have suffered since 1999.

I will make sure that every one Kobo that accrued to our local government coffers is spent for the benefit of our people.

I will re-establish the Works Department, purchase graders to go and provide inter and intra-community roads across the local government to create easy movement from one community to the other, and, within communities.

Security will be top on the agenda of my administration. My administration will partner conventional security agencies like police, Department of state Security (DSS), Nigeria Security Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) to ensure that issue of Fulani herdsmen invasion, kidnapping, etc, vanished in our local government. And we shall strengthen Neighbourhood watch to be proactive in sourcing and providing credible and timely security intelligence across every part of the local government to make sure that crimes are detected and nipped on the bud.

Also, my administration will introduce welfare programme that will empower our youth and women to be self dependent throughout training them to acquire skills that will make the productive.

I will run a transparent, accountable administration; I will introduce a policy that will involve our people running the local government administration because we are going to consult and carry along critical stakeholders and opinion leaders in all communities in the programme of my administration. There is virtually no community in Nsukka Local Government I don’t know, and, where I don’t have trusted friends. So, my administration is going to be Nsukka Local Government council administration by Nsukka people for Nsukka people.

 Q . What makes you feel that you are more qualified than your other opponents?

 A . One, I, Hon. Ernest Ogwo is not a new comer in the politics of Nsukka Local Government area.  I was the pioneer administrator of the defunct Nsukka South Development Centre; former Executive Assistant to a former Governor of this state. I have held various political party positions at the wards level. I have been in the PDP since 1999. And people know that I am very passionate about the development of Nsukka local government area.

And that was why I left PDP as soon as Labour Party emerged in the political scene. And apart from the party’s driving force which is championing the cause for creating a New Nigeria, the calibre of people the party parades both nationally, like the person of our nation leader, His Excellency Mr. Peter Obi; renowned economist Professor Pat Utomi; Governor of Abia state, His Excellency Alex Otti; governorship candidate of party in our state in 2023 general election, Hon. Chijioke Edeoga; our senator, Chief Okey Ezea, our reps member, Hon. Chidi Mark Obetta, Malachy Onyechi, etc. These are people with impeccable integrity and who are very passionate about the welfare of the ordinary person. Our adage says that if you tell me the company you keep, I will be able to tell you the kind of person you are. So, there is no wonder that those of us in Labour Party from the PDP are people of like-minds. The cord holding us together is seeking a New Nigeria. And in our immediate case here a New Nsukka Local Government Area.

This is why wherever we went to during the campaign tour starting from the day went flagged off our campaigns commencing with a road show in the major areas with Nsukka Main town to Nru where we addressed a rally to formerly flag off the campaign, later campaign tours at Obimo, Edem, Alor-Uno, Okpuje, Ibagwani, Ehalumona, Opi, Lejja, etc, people trooped out to support us, pledging their vote for us.