Chief Charles Idahosa, aka Akakasiaka, is one of the heavy weights in the politics of Edo State. He was the Special Adviser on Political Matters to the immediate past Governor Adams Oshiomhole for eight years. In this interview, Idahosa speaks on what he expects from Governor Godwin Obaseki in the new year, saying that APC leaders in the state will provide a conducive environment for him to fulfil his campaign promises to the people.

Your party, the APC, is thriving despite the economic recession. It won the Edo and Ondo state governorship elections. What is the secret behind this success?

We thank God that we won these states, but one thing I must say is that for a political party that is in-charge of a government to be winning elections in a recession goes a great length to show the understanding and the sophistication of the Nigerian voter.
What the results from Edo and Ondo show is that the people are very much aware and enlightened about the issues, that the problem we are having today was created by the PDP. Chief Charles Idahosa Though the PDP tried to paint the APC Federal Government in bad light as if the whole problem started in our time, what the results of the two states have shown is a vote of confidence on the APC – led Federal Government.
The people are aware that what they need is patience and time to allow the APC government consolidate and take us out of the woods. Nigeria would have collapsed if PDP had won the 2015 presidential election from what we have seen today. So we are grateful to the electorate in Ondo and Edo states for their belief despite all the PDP blackmail.
And APC is still going to win more states because Nigerians are aware that the APC will get us out of the recession soonest.

Anenih’s resignation from politics

Chief Tony Anenih is a very good politician. I worked with him in the PDP, though most of us thought the retirement would have come earlier than now but it is okay. He has done his best in politics, he has done very well for his people in politics.
Because of Anenih Edo can boast of one Vice President and persons as former Ministers and other top government functionaries.
He has been part of the political struggles of this country.
People love him, people hate him and that is politics for you. When you read the hand-writing on the wall you have to leave quietly because we all know that Chief cannot operate in the current Federal Government. He gave his support to the PDP in the last election, though they did not win but he has made his mark in politics and I wish him all the best.

The political class particularly in the APC are very apprehensive about how Obaseki is going to run the state as regards empowering politicians like former Governor Oshiomhole did. What is you view?

I have absolute confidence in Obaseki. He has started well, he is not the everyday politician people know, he is a technocrat who knows what he want to achieve. If you watch him closely, everything he said in his campaign is what he is implementing.
He said he was going to create 200,000 jobs and he has started implementing it. Oshiomhole did very well and APC could not have won if not for the achievements made by him. Before the coming of Oshiomhole, nothing was on ground here.
The previous regime of the PDP was a waste. So Obaseki will do better than Oshiomhole because he was part and parcel of the Oshiomhole administration and I am very sure he will improve on the legacies of the Oshiomhole administration.
His style of governance is quite different from that of Oshiomhole, Oshiomhole was a masses politician but he is different but they share the same vision which is development of the state.
I think we are very lucky to have an Obaseki succeeding Oshiomhole. He will do very well.

Unity in Edo APC

APC is very united and I must congratulate Oshiomhole on the way he reconciled the aspirants after the primary election, notably the deputy governor, Dr Pius Odubu, who worked doggedly for the party and others. When you look at the way we reconciled and faced the election and won and look at the three people who stood in the PDP primary, today they are all scattered.

But the APC remains united and went for the election. The APC was never divided. But some elements after the primary, even when the real aspirants who took part in the shadow election had said it was all over, some of their followers, due to their own personal ambition did not stop. Some of these people sabotaged the party but thank God they were in the minority.
We are only waiting for Oshiomhole to settle down and call for a leadership meeting so, that we can put things in shape because, as things are now, he is the leader of the party in the state. When he was governor he was playing the double role because we did not have an APC former governor.
Now that he is a former governor and Obaseki, the governor, we have a former APC governor who should be the leader of the party. Naturally he becomes the leader of the party and while Obaseki will concentrate on governance Oshiomhole will run the affairs of the party. We the leaders from respective areas will assist him in moving the party forward.
We don’t want anything that will distract the governor from doing his work.

Rumour of mega party

Like Harold Wilson said, a week is a long time in politics, 2019 is still very far away. The economy may bounce back in 2017, so what happens to those forming mega party? I don’t think there is any fear of the APC is not winning the presidency in 2019 because, before then, many things will happen.
We will win again in 2019 because Edo in recession we won, Ondo in recession we won, so I don’t think the recession is going to last long. And let me tell you, there is no way you will not notice bickering in a large party like the APC.
There must be disagreement but it will be settled. Recently we saw the National Chairman of APC Oyegun meeting with the leadership of the National Assembly and that is a good beginning. Somebody like Tinubu who is a pioneer leader of this party, there is no way anybody can push him aside, he played a major role in making Buhari president and I don’t think he will want to destroy all he has built.
I know he may not be too happy with some of the decisions but I believe common-sense will prevail at the end of the day. I don’t believe that any mega party can push APC out of government because they cannot gather that momentum.
We saw some of the names they mentioned but Edo is not among and Edo cannot leave Buhari for any other party. But I believe that APC leaders including Tinubu will not be part of that mega party because we must get used to the style of Buhari. Nigerians voted for him and it means he is popular.
Look at all the states Buhari went to campaign during governorship elections, we won those states.

Vanguardngr