*denied ever going to any shrine to swear to fetish oath
*gives reasons Buhari remains unpopular in South East
From Chuks Moses, Awka
“Yes, every human being; everyone of us here at one point or time have one form of godfather or mentor”.
That was how Mr Oseloka Henry Obaze, the standard bearer of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) responded to a question put to him at the Anambra State governorship candidates’ debate organized by the Anambra State Association Worldwide(ASA-World) in Awka at the weekend.
When taken on the stories making the rounds within political circle that ex-governor Peter Obi is his political godfather, Mr Obaze acknowledged that Obi is and remains his friend.
That at the take off of his political journey, he didn’t go to Obi first, instead that he first went to see and consult with the former Vice President, Dr Alex Ekwueme whom I have always known “since I was seven”.
Admitting that everyone has a mentor or guide, he described Obi as his. He however declined fighting Obi’s ‘wars’, describing him as being capable of defending himself any day.
That Obi entered the popular Christ the Kings College(CKC) Onitsha the day he was leaving the school. That he know the incumbent Gov Willie Obiano who also attended CKC but incidentally he was senior to both Obi and Obiano.
Obaze noted that governance is not ivory tower where one sits within the glass building only. He pointed out that serving the people who gave you their mandate diligently by providing them the basic needs to make life more meaningful does not need rocket science. He saw same as a choice , whether you want to do it or not, at the state or federal level.
On his views about the nationwide clamour for restructuring, the PDP candidate noted that all restructuring in the country so far had been by the military -from regions to states and more states, inequitably among the original structured regions.
He said that the closest the civilians had come to restructuring was the very popular six geopolitical zonal arrangement postulated and initiated by Dr Ekwueme. But emphasized that restructuring was in no way about secession, instead it is about equity, fairness and justice to all.
Obaze was confident that “once there is parity among the zones in the number of states, all the agitations will die down and disappear.” He therefore advised the nation to consider copying the Swiss Cantonment system where the presidency of the nation rotates every six months.
He denounced hate speech, such that, “… am against hate speech and dissemination of false news. I have a code of conduct for all those who work for me.
“When you write any such false report or hate, I will fire you.
“Because I am a victim of such malicious falsehood of how I was said to have gone to a shrine to swear. That was unimaginable…”, Obaze stressed.
Incidentally the false report which was so perfected and lavishly being circulated especially within the political circles in the state sounded so convincing when names of certain popular traditional ruler and priests of the alleged shrine was associated to the report.
Obaze’s public outcry has however laid to rest the veracity of the evil allegation, as a perfect case of forgery and image tarnishing wickedness.
In response to another question on the reason why President Muhammadu Buhari remain unpopular within the South East geopolitical zone, polling more in Sokoto state than the entire five states in the zone put together, the PDP governorship candidate said the people cast a protest vote against the president for his 1983 coup which truncated the chances of Dr Ekwueme succeeding President Shehu Shagari as president.