The Edo State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate, Maj.-Gen. Charles Airhaivbere (rtd) believes that despite the anger that has trailed his emergence as the party's candidate, the aggrieved members will close ranks and push the party to victory. Only unity can assure our victory, he said at an interactive session with journalists in Lagos. JOE ADIORHO was there. Excerpts:DON'T you feel out of sorts venturing into elective politics after a rather illustrious military career'I voluntarily retired from the Nigeria Army. I left on July 11, and I joined the PDP on July 20, 2010. I joined PDP after an assessment of the party and Edo. I discovered that Edo was backward virtually in everything - education, health, sports and even the night life the state is known for was gone because of crime. I discovered the gap between the leadership and the people.I joined the PDP to grab the opportunity to cue into President Goodluck Jonathan's reform agenda. I know a state in opposition will not have full potentials of the programmes and I decided to go through the party at the centre. So I decided that to actualise my ambition of turning the state around I would join the PDP.So what efforts are you making to put the party back on course after you joined'I put in place three strategies - consultations, reconciliation and what I call the real action. I met with the political bigwigs, senators, past and present, businessmen etc. I met Gen. Ogbemudia, Chief Oyegun, Chief Lucky Igbinedion and Professor Osunbor. I met a host of retired and serving career officers. I discovered that they were all dissatisfied with the present administration. After more analyses, I discovered that there was need for reconciliation in the PDP.After the April election, the PDP in Edo was torn. There were factions. I brought these aggrieved members together and we had a congress that members were proud of. We conducted a congress, which conducted a primary from where I was picked as the gubernatorial candidate on July 14. The success of the congress assisted in the conduct of the primary.The strategy I put in place was based on the fact that I was new. In achieving my goals, different measures were put in place, which included visiting the leaders across the three senatorial districts. Hitherto, I spearheaded in collaboration with my friends a non-governmental organisation, the Community Assistance Cooperative Outreach, (CACO), aimed at reaching women, students and people at all levels. The outreach, which later metamorphosed into Charles Osareme Campaign Organisation gave me an opportunity to know the goings on in the state.My second visit was to reach the 18 councils. After the visits, the party had a rally during which over 1,000 people decamped to PDP. Some retired military officers who had remained in the background decamped to PDP. On November 12, 2011, I offered myself for service.After saying that you saw areas of rot in Edo, how do you plan to develop the state'At my declaration I came up with a six-point agenda. When I am sworn in on November 12, 2012, I told the people that security, health, education, agriculture, industrialisation public private partnership are top on my priority. I will declare a state of emergency in education, security and health. It is time for a turn around. It was a public declaration, where the battle line between myself, the PDP, the incumbent governor,and the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) drew the battle line.Where you not worried by the factions in the PDP and the toga of a party that lacked internal democracy'PDP is a party of leadership. When the party decided that all aspirants must go with the chairman of the party and working committee through 192 wards, I made myself available, submitted myself to the authority. I had the opportunity to put my face on display. I visited every ward with the chairman. I had the opportunity of meeting every three delegates that came from those wards. It was expensive, stressful but I went there. I scored 92 per cent. I didn't visit 15 of the 192 wards. The people of the state are seeing me as somebody to be trusted. Many of them don't believe that I wore the rank of Major General; I was promoted to that on February 11, 2008.What motivates you to seek the opportunity to want to serve the people'One reason I decided to join the race is because I was worried for Edo. We all witnessed what happened in Egypt. When I visited Cairo, Egypt in 2007 as a head of delegation, I observed that it is a highly policed state. There is oppression, and immediately you can see that there is a problem. It was a place waiting to explode. So, what happened later did not come as a surprise. It could happen here, especially in Edo, where people are traumatised and the leaders steal from them.What are the other programmes you have for the people of Edo'My visit to over 95 per cent of the wards in the state called for a question, a focus and it afforded me the opportunity to know what the people are passing through. In Edo, we don't celebrate our own. When Malam Sanusi Lamido was appointed Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, I was one of those who escorted him to Kano, where his people honoured him. Edo has produced the chairman of the electoral commission, Head of Service of the federation, AIG and other top posts but I can't remember these people being honoured by the people. How do you expect the youth to have hope'I intend to provide safe and free delivery for women. Women should have their children free of charge. We are going to monitor the child through the vaccination against polio and other killer diseases. Five years after, they will be able to go to school free. We will have the record of the children you are going to produce in another 11 years. When parents are empowered, earn their salary as at when due and get their pension, why will home not be settled. We will give scholarship and assist with bursary those doing well in the higher institutions.It is certain you intend to draw on your military experience to govern Edo'Certainly. I started with the Nigeria Military School, Zaria, went to Auchi Polytechnic and later the Nigeria Defence Academy for short service. In the short service, I came first overall. I studied Master in Business Administration specialising in Accounting and Finance, in the University of Ibadan before I went to the NIPSS. I am a soldier accountantHow do you intend to surpass the acclaimed feat of the ACN government in the state'There is a proverb that says that a village where the people have not seen a horse, they will take the ram as the fastest animal.
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