The lawmaker representing Nsukka/Igbo Eze South in the House of Representatives, Hon. Patrick Oziokoja Asadu, speaks with Humphrey Onyima, the Publisher of Leadership SCORECARD about the challenges he faced during his bid for a another stint in the chamber and the things he would get a better handle on, having earned another chance.
When you declared to run for a fourth term, what were some of the challenges you encountered?
First off, let me thank LEADERSHIP Scorecard for finding me worthy of a distinguishing award, inspite of all the attacks directed at me before the elections. My wife, who is more attuned to the social media read a social media chat and turned to me to ask: “Is there no one who is a witness of truth? Even me, who is not from around here, I see the works you do.” I told her that it was not everyone, just a few who thought social media was the best way to air their grievance.
But that is for them.
For me, running for a fourth term has three dimensions. One; what is better for the Nsukka man and the people I represent; would a turn-by-turn political arrangement be better or would the people be better off with a rookie? The National Assembly is such a complex and delicate institution, such that you’d have to ask yourself if you want someone who is more interested in spreading national wealth to narrow ethnic considerations or someone who understands what is going on.
As I was here, I was getting news about those who were winning and losing across the 36 states and the FCT, because it is my business to know and yours to keep me in the loop. This is because, whatever we will do in the ninth Assembly, we need to, first, have an institution that will act as a counter-balance to an Executive (whether it is APC or PDP) and its excesses. So, the question was; “Will we vote an experienced person who knows the nuances or give in to a novice who would cave in to the negativity?” I was still thinking about these things during a football tournament which I host yearly when I got the news about the attacks on me via Social Media. I was wondering; “I am qualified to stand for office, whether by academic qualification, origin, age, nationality or anything else. Why the attack on my person?” It was my right to represent the people and it was, also, the right of those I represent to say: “you’ve had enough, return”.
The burden in Enugu is much and the area where I come from is the poverty capital of the state. So, are we going to duck and leave the burden for the governor alone to carry?
If you look at the budget releases of 2018, you will why some of us are vehement that there should be a change. When you have a law that selects where ‘this and that’ are implemented and you ignore the rest, you need people who can say “no, you can’t do that”. Yes, I did have some opposition, but the people who had benefitted from my representation, over 10,000 of them, came up and said: “we are beneficiaries of this man’s free, sponsored medical treatment.” Most of the contributions I got from the academia and business people are still unused and, even after the elections, donations are still coming in.
I understand that, as a parliamentarian, after you have won, people want you to construct bridges, buildings and do all sorts of things, but you need a budget to do that. Many do not understand the working of the parliament. Nsukka zone needs a very strong voice to add to that of the governor. For me, the election is over, but it has just started for me. When the results were announced and it was confirmed that I had emerged winner, I felt that was justification for all the bashing I got in the media.
What strategy did you adopt to scale over the primary election?
For me, it cannot be more than God. Also, if we all had voted in one way, it would not have shown thinking and it would not have been the true representation of the republican nature of the Igbo man. In 2015, the tide was strong, but I emerged. The one of 2019 threatened, but I have waded through it. But it gave me the opportunity to mix with the people in ways I never did before now. This helped me hold on to my base, the vulnerable group. There is no village in Nsukka whose structure I do not know. I spoke to the people and got to know and argue with them. It is not all about running for office; but more of getting to know your people and what they want.
What we have achieved in the National Assembly is that we are not party freaks – even though it does look as if everything revolves around the APC and PDP. We are in a system that does not recognise parliament at all, so we either bond together to make the institutions better or we remain decimated.
Having said all these, what worried me more than anything else was the drive by a few to divide Nsukka into bits and pieces. Having emerged, one of the things I will do is to unite the zone. Whatever we do, irrespective of what part of the zone we come from, we are Nsukka people and the best we can do is come together for the good of our zone.
If you look at Nsukka, our pride is our young, highly educated generation but, where are the opportunities? We are not in the economic or political discussion, yet we have had the university with us for some time. The governor is overwhelmed, the infrastructure is not there. All we have got is the university. We must come together and bid for something bigger, better.
What should people expect from you this time?
God be my guide; my fourth term will be more productive than the other two terms. If we can bring the Open University here and execute projects which we have here, then we will surely do better in 2019 and beyond.
Going forward, I will unite my people and strive for most of the young people who canvassed for votes from house to house to get better things from henceforth. Their ideas and innovativeness contributed a huge quota to my re-election and this cannot be overstated. They deserve better.
As for the people of Nsukka, their votes have given me some boldness which I appreciate. Their belief has never been more fully expressed.
You are the recipient of massive voting by your zone. Would you predict same for Ugwuanyi come March 9, 2019?
In Enugu State, there will be three main contestants for the seat of the governor; Barr George Ogara, Sen Ayogu Eze and the incumbent Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi. Ogara is not a negative-minded politician and will not resort to negative means to get to power. He is from my locality and I consider him to be a younger one. Also, I am sure that, even though Ayogu Eze my friend is not a dirty politician, both are aiming to get declared as the right candidate of the APC for the guber. That said, Governor Ugwuanyi has brought peace to the state; this is no secret. Even outside the state, it is something that is attested to.
As for massive votes, the people of Nsukka/Igbo Eze South are standing strong for Ugwuanyi’s re-election. The governor has done well and, though it would be great to have votes on both sides to express our republican nature, but we all know the man who has got the people on his side will emerge on the day to lead Enugu to greater height.
