A two-term Executive Chairman of Oguta LGA and the Apex Leader, Dr. (Bishop) Gideon Nwaeze, have described politics and religion as two institutions that deal directly with humanity. Nwaeze made this disclosure while fielding questions from Inside Agwa News when they visited him at his Owerri residence recently, pointing out that his political policies are quite different from others because his work as a politician is mixed with religion but does not allow each to interfere with others.
Speaking on the upcoming local government elections, Nwaeze applauded Governor Hope Uzodimma for fighting hard to bring democracy back to Imo by making sure that on September 21st this year, he will organize local government elections.
“The Governor has fixed a date, and activities are in progress to produce local government chairmen for the 27 LGAS and 305 ward councilors in the state,” N Nwaeze said.
In Oguta Local Government today, we have 12 aspirants for the position of Chairman. We are expecting that before the primary elections, some of them may drop, but assuming none drop, all of them will go for the primary, and whoever wins will be the candidate of the party that will stand in for the main elections with other parties come 21st September this year.
For instance, the five Local Government Chairmanship Aspirants from Agwa are here this evening. We are discussing as a family to see if there is any widow that some of them might consider dropping out of the race in the interest of the clan, which is my creation, but from what I am observing, I am not certain if such an opportunity would come because they have all paid for the party’s expression of interest and nomination forms, which were sold at a non-refundable sum of three million Naira and have gone far in their campaigns, so they have spent quite a lot of money. This is why stepping down at this moment is looking unreal.
Again, another subject we discussed is the issue of a peaceful electoral outing.
“We are talking to ourselves to embrace politics without hate. Elections and politics go with calculated maneuvering and propaganda, but we advise strongly against campaigns of hate and calumny against brothers. Let everyone conduct his campaign without killing or running each other down because even if there are 100 aspirants, the party will produce just one candidate in the local government for the elections. This message will go across Oguta North. The need for peaceful elections is greater than winning the position because no one is permitted to take life because of election or whatsoever ambition.” Nwaeze said.
In Agwa, I discussed with the councillorship aspirants when they had not purchased forms and told them the need for unity and the need to support one candidate to avoid human-induced problems during the casting of ballots. Fortunately, in my ward, those who were interested were so magnanimous, so special, and loyal to listen to my counsels that at the end of the conversation, they all agreed to step down for one person. So, in my Ward Obudi/Aro, we settled the case of everybody clamoring for the same position, and in the end, we had a team working for one person to go and purchase the forms, and he did.
That is how religion is mixed with politics because both deal with human relationships directly. While religion addresses spiritual issues and personal relationships with God, politics deals with taking over power to form a government that, in turn, formulates human-friendly policies to govern the people.
As the Apex Leader of APC Oguta, my reign has led to a collective understanding of each other’s opinions. This is one of the reasons for the peace and unity we are enjoying today as a party, which, inter alia, is my major focus. I do not think there is any other LGA in Imo State that is as peaceful and well-coordinated as Oguta LGA APC, irrespective of the insecurity we suffered, which devastated the people of Oguta, yet they are all united in one front.
“We must credit the culture of leaders doing what they should to their subjects and subjects reciprocating accordingly to the iconic political heavyweight, the late Chief Senator Francis Arthur Nzeribe. During his lifetime and as an apex leader, he created an ambiance of transitional leadership where nobody jostles for the position but distributes the same equally according to one’s strengths and contributions.
Nzeribe will call the people of Oguta for harmonization talks. He brings divided groups to eat in one plat, and they will speak in one voice. That is what is happening now in Oguta LGA.” Said Nwaeze.
Speaking on the return of local government autonomy, Nwaeze said, “I am convinced that the insecurity we have in Nigeria today is one of the things that caused it: a lack of local government administration at the grassroots. Now that the Supreme Court of Nigeria has ruled in favor of democratically elected local government officials to be elected by the people devoid of external interference in the federation, I think it is a good step towards curbing insecurity and bringing development to the grassroots. With funds and other resources available to them, there will be a marked difference in meeting the needs of the people—road, education, health, maintenance of peace and order, etc. Do not forget that Nigeria has for long neglected the local government administration, but by electing the LGA bosses, ward councilors, and other officers at the LGA who are very close to the boys that are perpetuating these levels of evil, they also know their parents and relatives. So they stand in a better position to engage the actors positively for a peaceful outcome. Furthermore, every local authority knows the operational function to which it is established. A local government chairman is expected to provide for those needs and obligations to which it is being established. Take, for instance, the insecurity in Nigeria. These council administrators and representatives are, frankly, the closest people to bring about development in the grassroots with funds and resources available to them. Every bad boy or bad element came from a family, kindred, village, and autonomous community. The delineation of the LGA component units, these officers elected to represent the people, be it the Chairman, Ward Councillor, or Supervisory Councillor, know these boys down to their womb. Then, if the will is there, insecurity will be properly addressed and development will come. No community development without peace. So, it is the absence of local government administration that skyrocketed the insecurity we are facing in Nigeria; however, it is more important to elect the right people into these offices to bring the needed development.
This is August, and the election is fast approaching, hopefully in September as announced. Let those who want to win prepare very well. Develop a program for development and also reach out to the people for support. Tell Oguta voters that they should vote for you. Sometimes, politics is like a marketing company. You design a product knowing the existence of other products of the same functions. The company’s marketers must convince buyers or consumers to change their choice of brand. I want all the aspirants that would emerge to advertise themselves as good products to the people without hitting the polity so that the people will buy you; then at the end of the elections, you will go back to work and do what you promised to the people. Remember, any aspirant who overworked himself financially for an election, especially those who borrowed money heavily to execute their campaign, would always recoup his investment if the person emerged before carrying out any projects, but if we have a culture of voting in people based on their manifestos and ability to deliver without demanding money from them when they win, they will be elated to respond effectively to the yearnings of the people.
So, let us ensure that we do the right thing and vote the right people into their various canvassed offices and wait for the dividends of democracy.
