Prince Paul Ikonne, is a chieftain of the governing All Progressives Congress (APC), South-east chapter. In this interview with BODE OLAGOKE, he speaks against the criticism of marginalisation of Igbos by President Muhammadu Buhari’s government, the need for patience and listed reasons why Senator Ike Ekweremadu should step down from the office of the Deputy Senate President.
You are from the South-east and your region has nor gotten anything so far as appointment in President Buhari’s government, does that in correlation that with the assumption that he might persecute the region because of the way your people voted?
For us in APC South-east there is nothing to worry about. It is too early for anybody to begin to make such assumption considering the fact that some of the appointment so far some of them are purely professional and fighting Boko Haram is not something you do by sentiment and also more appointments are still there, sensitive ones for that matter, so anybody thinking that the president will persecute or persecuting the South-east, that person is just playing politics, and that is not the position of the Igbos.
So that does not show a man who doesn’t have a regard for the South-east and that doesn’t show a man who doesn’t believe that South-east is part of Nigeria, that doesn’t show a man who has anything negative.
If he believed that South-east should be persecuted, if he believed South-east is not party of Nigeria project he would not have visited that zone not less than eight times campaigning and visited every state in the South-east showing how important South-east is to him, so I don’t believe that the president is going to persecute the South-east.
Persecute the South-east for what? There is no reason for that.People don’t seem to understand that the president today loves the South-east more than any other person you can think of, if you remember in 2003, his running-mate was an Igbo man, in 2007 his running mate was an Igbo man. So, that doesn’t show a man that do not believe in the zone which mean he does not have anything against the zone, but the people should be patient, the people should wait. And I believe and convinced that the oppositions are just trying to cause dissatisfaction and crying wolf but there is no need for that.
The APC position is that the president knows what he is doing, the president has the South-east in mind and the South-east will be party of President Buhari’scab in and government. This South-east is part of Mr. President agenda in terms of infrastructural development and also making lives much better for the people.
Is it also the position of the APC South-east that the Deputy Senate President, Senator Ekweremadu should step down his position as reported?
I am of the same view because that is the APC position and that is the leadership direction and where the party stands.
Let me say this, Senator Ike Ekweremadu has served in the Senate and also serve in the position and the honourable thing to do at this time is for him to step down, that will also be my advice for him. Sen. Ekweremadu should step down because he doesn’t fit in. The call from the APC South-east is a genuine call. He is an honourable man, he has contributed his own qoata and I think he should step down so that the National Assembly will move forward, the South-east will move forward and Nigeria will move forward.
…Even when Senators voted for him at the floor?
Well, I don’t want to into what transpired at the National Assembly but the party is supreme, the stand of the President is the stand of the South-east in that situation.
You remember the same ordeal played out in 2011,
how come the APC suddenly realised that the party is now supreme?
The APC constitution shows that the party is supreme. As of 2011, the PDP constitution showed that the party supremacy is only limited to only their party Secretariat and then so be it but for APC as of today the party believe in discipline and the party also is supreme. So, the stand of the president as regard the National Assembly issue is the stand of the Igbos in general. Let me quickly say this, what has played out is pure politics just to destabilize the government of President MuhammaduBuhari but I can assure that the APC will do everything to protect and to see that the premises made to Nigerians during the campaign will be fulfilled because what Nigerians are expecting today is good governance and to see those promises being fulfill. So, no amount of distractions coming from the opposition parties will distract the APC led government from keeping to those promises made to Nigerians.
It seems APC South-east is afraid of Senator Ekweremadu, thinking that his position might rob the region of some juicy appointments, why?
The APC in the South-east is not afraid of Ekweremadu but my simple answer is take an old cloth and join with the new one, then you will know the answer. Definitely it will start tearing from the old angle and we would not want that in this government of President MuhammaduBuhari. Not that we are afraid of him, for what? The right thing for him to do as an honourable man is just to see that yes, I don’t fit in in this circle and he just step aside and allow Nigeria to move forward, not that anybody is antagonising him as a person but we are saying that the right thing should be done.
Not that anybody is afraid of him as a person, no, the APC is not afraid of him. The appointments that are meant for the South-east, the President is a President of the whole Nigeria and he has his plans because he knows the right people to work with because of what he want to achieve.
So, if people think he is wasting time or is so slow, those are the people that don’t understand the level of rot, so I believe that the President will fish out the right set of people from the South-east and from all the zones in Nigeria. So, Ekweremadu or no Ekweremadu the President will carry the Igbos along as people he knows that supported him, as people he knows that campaigned with him, as people he knows that believes in him, but the right thing to do for Senator Ekweremadu is to just step down.
But some people also believed that APC is showing too early some signs of implosion we swat in PDP and they are saying we might not hear of APC again come 2019?
Those people are just dreaming. They are just day dreamers, we have heard so many fail predictions that APC will not meagre, APC will not be able to produce a presidential candidate but you are here in Nigeria and saw that all those things came to pass and APC is still the united and one formidable house.
Don’t forget the symbol of the party, it shows unity and that unity is still there, there is no family that doesn’t have squabbles but how you resolve it matters and that is where you see the supremacy of the party, and that is where you see the maturity. Don’t forget that the leader of the party in APC are focused people and principle people and these are people that have been tested over the period of time. So, whatever you think might tear the party apart you will be surprise that that will fortify the party.
South-east is yet to produce a president in a Democratic setting in Nigeria, how do you think it can be realised in near future?
What is utmost concern of every Igbo man for now is to see that President MuhammaduBuhari succeed under this platform, that is what at the back of our minds now and every Igbo man must join hand to see that this government succeed. Igbo Presidency is not on the table right now, what is on the table is to see that Nigeria is back on the track with what the president is doing and that is what we believe from the South-east.
If you see the lot of rots in the system you will agree with me that a lot of work need to be done, when we get to the bridge as having Igbo Presidency we will see how it will unfold but the igbo need to come together under one umbrella, the Igbo need to key in and have a leader, if you see what is happening in South-west because they have a leader and a rally point. So, for the Igbos, we have a responsibility of coming together under one leadership, a credible leader, a honest leader, who will champion the cause of Igbo people and work closely to see that this present administration works then we can now start talking about the Igbo presidency, because if you are not part of ensuring that the president fulfil his electoral promises and the Igbos go the other way with opposition we can’t think of Igbo presidency. So the best way to go is to work with the president which I know the Igbos are ready to do that and then at the end of the day we can begin to talk of Igbo presidency, by the special grace of God we will also taste it.
But majority of Igbos are still in opposition?
By the grace of God we will show more strength to support the president that have shown us kindness and attention.
So, would you say the Igbos have learnt lessons from what happened at the last general elections because it like over times they have been putting their heads in one basket unlike what happens in other regions?
Yes definitely, some of our leaders lost is the kind of quality that you can see in Dr. OgbonnayaOnu. He is a consistence man, and he has been there.
So, if we had some other Igbo elites that saw ahead of time and that play a politics of decencyand not politics of what I can not describe, but as of today you will agree with me that Igbos have realised that the mistake they made in throwing their heads in one basket is a very deadly and costly experience, at least we sound people, we are discipline people. If an Igbo man throw is support behind you he shows that he can not hide his feelings but now the same strength, the same support is what we are going to see translating into APC led government, because this time around is going to be all inclusive and every Igbo man will identify with today’s government which is going to be the best government.
