Former Minister of Interior, Captain Emmanuel Iheanacho, speaks with Joe Nwachukwu on the political permutations in Imo State ahead of 2015, his political ambition and sundry issues. Excerpts:IT is being remoured within Imo State and beyond that you may likely run for the Imo State governorship from the Owerri zone in 2015, under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).I don't think the people can be faulted for reaching those conclusions because I am old enough, I am qualified and I belong to a political party. And I will really like to be of service to our people. But in saying that, I really like to say that if I really confirm it, people shouldn't be surprised at all.I am qualified and I really have a lot to offer in terms of experience, I have a lot to offer in terms of the programmes that I might implement. I really don't believe in sterile politics where people come in because there is an opportunity for them to get a job. Politics is about being able to influence policies that bring the greatest good to the people. And I have really been around for long time.I have been to a lot of places and I seen how people live, and I see how we could live if we had a good leadership. And I would like to use that opportunity to bring all the experience to bear on how resources are used to the benefit of Imo people.I can't start campaigning four years ahead of time. But I really will just let you know that there is a lot that I can bring to bear that will make a difference.Certainly, it wouldn't be one of those sterile attempts where people just get in there and then they make a lot of noise. When you look at the actual impact of their policies, you see nothing. We have a large population of people, we have arable lands, we have educated people; all we need is proper managerial guidance, so that all of these potentials can become something of substance. With the work being done by the incumbent governor, Chief Rochas Okorocha, right now in the state, do you think anybody in your party can challenge him if comes back to run in 2015' How can people not do better' If somebody can do well, then somebody else can do better. You cannot have somebody who has done absolutely so well that someone cannot better it. Everything is relatively speaking because, now, we are looking at him and judging what we are seeing relative to those who were before him. We see there is a willingness for him absolutely to tackle some of the long-standing issues and we welcome it. But when the time comes, what we are going to do is to judge ourselves relative to what he has achieved. It will be a challenge then to define a programme of action to convince the people that you will do better. So there is no absolute way of saying that you cannot better his performance; no.If a man does well, you give it to him that he has done well. But if you want to do better than him, you have to absolutely convince the people that this man has done well but I have come to do even better. And I rather suspect that if I have the opportunity, people will be screaming because I have got to do better.Do you think that the Okigwe zone can vote for any gubernatorial candidate from the PDP or any other party, having helped to vote their son, Ikedi Ohakim, out office, in the 2011 general election'It is not going to be a bottleneck at all because if anybody subscribes to this misconception, and that's what it is, we have to see that Owerri people did not deny Okigwe people the opportunity of going forward. It is really a question of how someone performed. It is nothing like a conspiracy that one zone is saying that this other zone must not go; no. If an Okigwe man goes there and he does not perform, what are you going to do' And the other thing I will like you to bear in mind is that the last contest that we witnessed, it showcased an Okigwe man contesting against an Okigwe man. And he would not have done so if he felt that the Okigwe man was doing well.So, if an Okigwe man stood up against this man and part of the things he would say in his quest to become a governor is that 'this Okigwe man is not doing well,' and I dare say that he did say so. So why would you turn round now to say an Owerri man stopped an Okigwe man from being governor'Owerri people never had a meeting where they decided that they were not going to support an Okigwe man. Owerri people have been very quiet , waiting for the whole matter to resolve itself; waiting for 2015 to happen. Owerri people had the opportunity actually to jump into the fray this 2011, but they didn't do so. And then, of course, you see that an Orlu man jumped the gun and took it. And so Owerri people say, ' Alright, you have jumped the gun and taken it. In 2015, please don't create difficulties. Let us really abide by the gentleman's agreement that is on ground and allow an Owerri man to go forward.' But, of course, chances are that in 2015, Orlu people are going to contest, Okigwe people are going to contest, Owerri people are going to contest.We learnt that the governor, Okorocha, is making a move to join your party, the PDP, before 2015. What does that portend for your party and your ambition'Rochas hasn't told me so. I must say that the governor himself has not told me so. You can't work on the basis of rumours. What we know is that the governor said very clearly that he wasn't going to contest in 2015. He said it very clearly and I have no reasons to think that he is going to deviate from what he has said. I consider him to be an honourable man. And it will simplify issues if he didn't put himself forward. But if he decides to go, people will still go forward and contest on the basis of how they can do better and that is really the challenge for anybody who wants to go forward.It isn't business as usual. If, three months to the time, you bring out a bag of money, you start sharing it, the electorate are very clever. They know what happened in 2011.They know that the ace is in their hands. So if you want to become governor in 2015, draw up a programme, show that it isn't about you getting a job, show that it is about you giving leadership, show that it is about you making the necessary sacrifices and that is what it is all about. Sacrifices. It is not about getting a job as a governor, it's about making sacrifices, it is about being able to serve your people, because that's what service is all about.I would rather just leave that issue for the time being and say if we do have any difficulties, they are just local and it will be resolved in due course. But everything is being kept in shape at all times.
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