Senator Mohammed Ohiare {APC, Kogi Central} has denied his alleged betrayal of the collective interest of his kinsmen, the Ebira speaking people of Kogi State during the just concluded governorship primaries of the All Progressives Congress, APC.
While speaking with DAILY POST’s National Assembly correspondent, Atek’ojo Samson Usman, Ohiare denied that he surreptitiously worked in favour of Prince Abubakar Audu, a two time governor of Kogi State, who won the primaries.
In this interview, he was emphatic that his political traducers might have made up their minds to discredit him despite his relentless effort for Ebira land to produce the next governor on the platform of the All Progressives Congress, while also noting that he actually originated what is now known as the Ebira agenda. Excerpts:
There are allegations that you indirectly worked for the emergence of Prince Abubakar Audu as the candidate of the APC in last governorship primaries against the wish of your people; what transpired?
It is very unfortunate that in politics, the greatest weapon to use against your opponent is blackmail. Today, I occupy the highest political office from Kogi Central Senatorial district as a member of the highest lawmaking body in the National Assembly and I will forever be grateful to my people for making that happen.
Everybody in Ebira land knows that I have built my life, have suffered and I have sacrificed my all for the interest of my people to the extent that I denied myself of shelter. In Abuja here, I had properties and other things that I disposed of in order to support the Ebira agenda. On this very gubernatorial bid, I had an intention to contest, but after thinking deeply and considering the present situation of things, I withdrew and decided to midwife the agenda to make sure that my people produces the next governor on the platform of the All Progressives Congress, APC or at worst, from Okun land in Kogi West senatorial district and God knows that was exactly what I worked for.
If there is anyone thinking otherwise, God will judge us; whoever is out to blackmail me on this issue, God will judge me and them.
Looking at the way things played out at the primaries, what role did you play to ensure that an Ebira man emerge as the APC flag bearer?
Very good! I told you that I opted out of the race to be able to midwife the emergence of an Ebira person as the candidate of the party and I immediately set up machinery to make sure that those already in the race could step down for each other. While doing this, I started liaising with National leaders of the party to ensure they take side with me at making this particular governorship to come to Ebira land.
And because of previous experiences we have had, I wanted them to use their influence to ensure that the candidate emerges from Kogi Central or Kogi West. All the people I met actually reasoned with me and they were ready to cooperate, though I will not mention their names.
Back home, our aspirants were adamant and refused to step down for each other, but on our own part, the party organ in Kogi Central decided that if they did not step down for each other, we will bring the matter to the leadership. I have been at loggerheads with Senator Ohize for political reasons and I decided to bury the hatchet and I invited him to come into the project so that we can jointly choose a common candidate and of course, when we analyzed all the characters that were contesting, we centred our interest on Alhaji Sanusi Abubakar.
This man comes from a political family that we have known for a long time. His father was a well-known political heavyweight in Ebira land and our people know his antecedents quite well. He was a philanthropist, who built hotels and hospitals in the zone. He has a lot of investments in our area, including petrol stations and so on.
Sanusi has been offering free medical services to those that have eye and ear problems and so on. Religiously, he has been sending alms to communities for poor people and the needy in trailers and that has been his lifestyle. These he has been doing consistently. This is aside supporting our political agenda in Ebira land.
When late A. T. Ahmed was alive, I knew how he participated, financially and morally. After the demise of A.T. Ahmed, he was with us. When we went for governorship in 2007, he was a strong pillar in that project. I know the role he played before I was able to secure the ticket.
I have no ground to doubt his integrity, his doggedness for the progress and advancement of our people and that was the reason we, myself and Senator Ohize and other stakeholders put our heads together and said it must be him. We went ahead to sell his candidature to party delegates and he was accepted.
On this note, how can I be isolated for crucifixion? I believe whoever is behind this blackmail and saying I had another agenda must be the one that has contrary agenda and I say God will judge me and them. If what they are saying is a fact, they will succeed, but if not, they will not succeed.
I assure you that those who are involved in this scandalous rumour, “wallahi ta lahi, sebi lilahi”, their own part of the race will never see the good aspect of their lives; they, their children and their great grand-children. I have to curse them because I know the kind of sacrifice I have paid for this agenda to materialise. Then I will curse myself that if I did anything to frustrate my people from getting the best, may my life be ruined. Those people, certainly, their lives will be ruined because they are bunch of liars.
In 2007, when I contested for governorship, they blackmailed me saying I have brought guns and were killing people and that never happened. Today, I am a Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria from the same people. God has judged me and them; God will continue to judge me and them.
What else again? I did not stop at that; I encouraged my brothers from the western senatorial district and I said, let us work together an promote the agenda of Central and Western Senatorial district and eventually they were able to resolve and came up with one candidate in the person of Babatude Irukera.
This Babatunde was prevailed upon by powers that be and he stepped down in obedience and loyalty to the party. He is a colleague and a friend. A man I respect so much and because of his interest for this project, when he was asked to step down, he did step down. That made a good number of delegates from western senatorial district to accept that we in Kogi Central should produce the next governor.
Getting to my people, I told them of the development and that they should step down for themselves. They should step down for our own anointed candidate but they all refused. Yahaya Bello (Fairplus) refused, Senator Nurudeen Abatemi-Usman, Adabara and all of them refused.
They all refused despite telling them of the dangers of not stepping down. I even appealed to their supporters to prevail on them to step down to no avail. What should I have done?
When our western brothers saw that my people refused to step down for each other, they made it free for all and quite alright, they voted for my people, but in discreet units. The total number of delegates’ votes that came in for Kogi central was 1,400. The total number of votes from central was 600 and when you take that out of 1,400, you will have 800 and this is from other senatorial districts, not Kogi central. That was how we lost our chance and they are now pointing accusing fingers at me saying I am their problem. If I am their problem, God will judge us.
I have sacrificed all I have and the only thing that has not been taken away from me is my life. This is exactly what they were doing to late Ahmed and the man fought doggedly to the point of making it, then he died. But me, I will not die; I will live to see my children and to see that all my enemies are conquered.
What was your level of commitment to the coalition between Kogi West and Central for this project?
That is what I have just told you. It was my intervention that made Babatunde Irukera and other aspirants from Kogi West to step down and that was what enriched the number of delegates for central that were toyed with. We had a bright chance but our aspirants refused to manage it. If I point at somebody and tell him to step down, is he not expected to have the discipline to do that? Even in the face of threat and intimidation, they refused to step down.
I earned this position because of the respect for my people. What else could I have done? They did not have respect for party hierarchy, as prominent people from Ebira land made efforts earlier on to make them step down but it did not work.
And talking about the Ebira agenda, from whose table did that agenda originate? Was I not the one that started what they now run around calling the Ebira agenda? Is it not from Ohiare’s table? Can any of them going about blackmailing me now ever appear on the corridor of power to say that there must be power shift in Kogi State?
Now that Prince Abubakar Audu has emerged as the APC gubernatorial flag bearer, what would you say to the people of Kogi Central and West senatorial districts?
We are still consulting and studying the situation. At the appropriate time, we shall make pronouncements.
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