Those Who Delay State Police Are Mischievous – Enugu LP Government Candidate

Mr. Chijioke Edeoga is the Labor Party's gubernatorial candidate in Enugu State. In this interview with RAPHAEL EDE, he talks about national issues on the border of insecurity, state policing, governance, and other hot topics

Your entry into Enugu State politics has changed the dynamic. What really changed?

What has really changed is that the people of Enugu State and Nigeria are responding positively, hopefully and energetically to the changes that the current electoral law has brought campaign process and the results announcement process so that the results were substantially in line with the wishes of the people.

People have long been distressed, worried, or refused to participate because they said or knew the results generally did not match their expressed preferences; you vote one thing and the difference will be announced. It's been done so brazenly over the years. Thus, there has been substantial alienation, indifference, withdrawal or disregard for the electoral process, but thanks to the current dispensation at the national level with respect to electoral law, which has been operationalized in Anambra States , Ekiti and Osun, people have awakened to the reality of the situation or the fact that a change has occurred.

Secondly, the people have had it up to their necks, and everyone can now see that tribalism won't do it for you; faith won't do it for you; and if you continue to withdraw from the process, you continue to elect people who will govern you willy-nilly, whether you like it or not. Thus, the convergence of bad leadership that we have witnessed, particularly over the past seven years at the federal level under retired General Muhammadu Buhari, and in the various states of the country, has awakened citizens to the fact that they should be efficient.

Thirdly, what has changed in Enugu State is that a combination of these things have conspired with fate to bring a candidate like me, Chijioke Edeoga, whom God has obviously prepared for a time like this, which destiny obviously prepared for a time like this, and which enjoys popular acceptance in regards to general knowledge that it is believable, that it has the related experience, that he is cultivated and that he has offered himself to become the torchbearer of the concerns of the person concerned.

People's wishes to democratically decide their fate have been suppressed, suppressed and downright marginalized in Enugu State. So the opportunity presented by this new electoral law is the obvious need for change as the PDP is no longer an option and the APC is clearly worse off. One is sniper and the other is corrosive acid, corrosive acid is more dangerous than sniper. It is a confluence of several different factors from different directions, all coming together at a time when things must happen or we perish. Change must happen or we are doomed. You can see the Naira is plummeting now; you see that the shops are closing, unemployment is high and there are countless unemployed or unemployable people. Markets are closing, desperation and gloom are at their highest. We have therefore become the torchbearers of change. That's what changed people: the kind of people they want came at a time when they were politically or electorally empowered to decide their fate.

You ran for PDP governor earlier and lost before joining Labour. People say you are so desperate to be governor because you violated the pact you signed with other aspirants, to support the one the governor has anointed as the gubernatorial candidate of the PDP. Can you tell Nigerian and Enugu voters what really happened?

I did not sign any pact with the Governor of Enugu State. I have not entered into any agreement with anyone to waive or waive my democratic rights to do anything legal or democratic. I have not signed any pact and I do not despair of anything. My candidacy is a response to Enugu State's aspirations for change – a change from the old order, which has clearly failed. So the fact that we were in PDP does not prevent you from having your thoughts because Jesus Christ told us to be in the world but not of the world. So we were in the PDP, but we weren't touched by the many obvious sins of the PDP.

Your group has suffered severe attacks in Enugu State. This seems like a calculated attempt to stifle your party and frustrate your support base. Are you worried about this happening?

Yes, we are concerned; whatever happens to one actually happens to all. We are concerned about the increase in violence in Enugu State, especially kidnappings. Many personalities have been kidnapped...