Don Ohakwe is a businessman and former Imo State House of Assembly Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) aspirant. In this interview with AYO ESAN, he speaks on the forthcoming presidential election, saying despite being a PDP member, he is working for the Labour Party Presidential Candidate, Mr. Peter Obi. He also commended President Muhammadu Buhari for signing the 2022 Electoral Act among other issues of national importance. Excerpts.
What is your take on the current state of Nigeria as a country?
The whole system in the country is shut down. We need to move forward, we need to try and see how we will better the country. We need to put the right people in places of authority. If we allow bad people to take over our affairs, the decisions they will take will have an effect on all of us. So, we need to sit down and put the right people in place of authority.
The presidential election will come up on February 25 this year. We have 18 presidential candidates. Who is your preferred candidate and why?
You cannot see daylight and follow darkness. Everybody knows that it is the time for the South East to take the mantle of leadership. Peter Obi has stood out among other candidates. We have watched the antecedents of these other candidates. I have taken my time to monitor the three leading candidates, Atiku, Tinubu and Obi. Obi is the only governor in the history of Nigeria that has kept money after eight years in office. That is a record breaker. Obi kept money in three different banks. And you know why I like him, he will tell you to go and verify. There are several reasons we should vote for Peter Obi. One, he is young. Two, he has a good track record. Three, anything he tells you, he wants you to go and verify. The other two candidates, Atiku and Tinubu are old. To me Tinubu is old and he should give room to younger people. He is also on a Muslim-Muslim ticket, which cannot work in Nigeria. Atiku, if you remember in 2013-2014, he was the one who went out of the PDP Convention to form a newPDP with others and insisted that power must return to the north. He took out Kwankwaso, Tambuwal and others, saying power must return to the north. He should realise that after eight years of the north, power must shift to the south.
So, I have 100 per cent support for Peter Obi. In essence, me and my household are backing Obi because we know he meant well for the country and the people of Nigeria. With Obi, a good government is coming.
Despite all you have said, some people still believe that Obi lacks the structure to win the presidential election. What is your take on this?
You know in this life, you must count one before you count two. And the reason I like that young man is that he said and I listened , he said when he won the governorship election in Anambra State, All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) had no ward, not even local government , APGA didn’t have a Ward in Anambra State. He said immediately he moved in there, many people started moving in.
So, the issue of structure is no excuse because what we are looking for is a leader. Once the leader leads well, others will follow. When he doesn’t steal and he doesn’t pad anything , who are you to pad.
What is your advice to the electorate as we set up for the election in a few weeks’ time?
I have been motivating the youths, spending my own money to tell them to obtain their PVCs and move out and vote on election day. I have been telling them to vote and monitor their votes to the point of transmission. The introduction of BVAS is the only thing I like about President Muhammadu Buhari’s government. His signing of the Electoral Act is also a fantastic one . So, the era of rigging may be over.
Are you worried that all the governors and some leaders in the South East are not backing Obi?
I am not worried, before February, you will see changes. I am not bothered. I believe most of them that are not in support of Obi now are doing so because of what they think they will get. They are fighting for their stomach. They are trying to protect what they have been promised. Let us forget them, at the right time, they would align. I am a PDP man but in this election, I will vote for Obi because he has credibility.
About the Author
AYO ESAN, has been actively reporting and analyzing political events for different newspapers for over 18 years. He has also successfully covered national and state elections in Nigeria since the inception of this democracy in 1999.
