A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, APC, and former member of the House of Representatives for Egor/Ikpoba-Okha Federal Constituency of Edo State, Ehiozuwa Johnson Agbonayinma, has said the hardship in the country would not affect the chances of his party in next Saturday’s governorship election in the state.
Agbonayinma also alleged that cabal under President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration stole billions of dollars.
Speaking exclusively to Vanguard, Agbonayinma, popularly known as EJ, said President Bola Tinubu was not the cause of the hardship many Nigerians were facing, alleging that many people that found themselves in the corridors of power for some time had eaten the country’s future.
On the insinuations in some quarters that the current economic hardship in the country could affect the chances of the APC in the September 21 governorship elections in Edo State, Agbonayinma said: “I can tell you that President Ahmed Bola Tinubu is not the cause of our predicament.
‘’We are our own problems. Why? Corruption has eaten Nigeria deeply. When we fight corruption, corruption fights back.
“Before Tinubu came into office, the country was messed up by some cabal, before President (Muhammadu) Buhari came into office, the country was messed up by some cabal, when President Olusegun Obasanjo was President, the country was also bastardized.
“Corruption is the major problem facing our dear nation. Are we ready to fight corruption? Or is it just talking about it and not dealing with the root cause? For me, preventive measure is always the best option.
“To curtail and to combat the menace of corruption, it requires the collective effort of every patriotic Nigerians. There’s corruption all over the world, but that of Nigeria is something else.
“When someone is caught in America or any other part of the world, he is prosecuted, but when anyone is caught in Nigeria, he is celebrated, if the money that is meant to construct road, to build infrastructure was stolen yesterday, what can you do tomorrow?
“So the problem when you say APC, I could remember when Nigerians were crying that PDP had ruined the country. As at today, even the fact that things are hard, look at what Mr. President is doing in terms of building infrastructure.
“ Look at Abuja today. Look at the face of Abuja, it has been changed totally. Look at Abuja-Benin road being awarded. Look at the Nigerian railway being revamped just about one year that President Tinubu came on board. When Buhari was President of this country, the cabal stole so much, billions of dollars, not just naira.”
On how prepared APC was for the September 21 election, the former federal lawmaker said: “Well, APC is more than prepared than I’ve ever thought.
‘’The people of Edo having seen bad leadership over the years, how Edo state has been bastardized in the area of infrastructure, healthcare, education, and road infrastructure.
“When it rains in Edo, just five minutes of rain, it becomes river Obaseki and river Asue together. GRA that used to be celebrated as one of the best areas in Nigeria, Benin City, that used to be adored is now being taken over by flood and erosion, everywhere stands still because we have a governor that refused to do the right thing.
“The people are capitalizing on that, they have a governor that has failed them, and for him to now decide to bring somebody else, they decided that they will work against anyone that Godwin Obaseki endorses.
“He has endorsed Asue Ighodalo and Ogie. Asue is a man that was chairman of Sterling Bank, he was Chairman of the Nigerian Breweries. Go to his own village, Obhohinwi in Esan Central, nothing to show for that, you can see that he was not able to impart on the lives of the people of Obhohinwi and Edo Central. He has never been in touch with his people all these years.”
