…Says spirit of APGA now in UPP
Dr. Sylvester Chukwueloka Igwilo is the Chairman, United Progressive Party (UPP) in Anambra state. He is the Medical Director, Evans Specialist Hospital. In this interview with RAPHAEL EDE, in Ozubulu, Chukwueloka says his party is set to takeover governorship position in Anambra from the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA). Excerpts:
How ready is your party, UPP for contest the this year’s governorship election in Anambra state?
We are very much prepared even much more prepared than so called big parties. Our party is leading at astronomical rate. The people have realized the vision, the mission and the mandate of our leader ‘Oje ozi Ndigbo’ Chief Chikwas Okorie in initiating United Progressive Party (UPP) as rallying point for the Igbo race especially of the Anambra state extraction. People are now embracing the party more than ever before. The people are now seeing it as a platform through which they can realize the lost glory of Igbos and political emancipation and also to bring the dividends of democracy to the people. So we are very much ready and we are galvanizing.
As consultant obstetrician and gynecologist running a Specialist Hospital, how do you combine your duty as a medical doctor with the day-to-day activities of your party?
Well the way I combine politics with my job is a way you as a journalist will combine politics with your job, the same way a lawyer will combine politics with his job and so many other professions. Because assume say it is an Assembly election; state or national for instance, the health issue you are not the one to take care of that. The health committee issue is people in medical field like doctors that will take care of that. Moreover, being a medical doctor also being compassionate to the people have to also bring dividend of democracy combining it both the social and medical aspect of live to be married together, because you maybe pursing one section while the other side is lacking. There are some certain amenities people are lacking for example; if I struggled and my party wins, good health of my people will be paramount to me much more than medical practice can afford them.
Your party UPP is relatively new; what are you doing to get the party known and embraced by the electorate?
I said earlier that my party is very much ready for the governorship election coming much later in the state. In all nooks and crannies of the state, the wards, comminutes, local governments, we are ready galvanizing, carrying out grassroots mobilisation. And you should know that APGA won governorship in 2003 and it was registered in 2002, so UPP is much older than APGA was then before it won gubernatorial election. UPP contested election in 2015 gubernatorial election in the state and this is the second time and people have learnt their lessons. This time around is the time for UPP because the APGA which people have used as platform for the Ndigbo have already failed us and the spirit of APGA have been transferred to UPP and APGA is left as carcass of its own and APC has no foothold in Igboland especially in Anambra state. APC and PDP are oligarchy parties and they cannot give us what we want; our people are now embracing UPP both at the grassroots and at the state level as the platform to get what they want.
What is the difference between APGA and UPP your party that will make people believe you that UPP will not go the way of APGA?
One thing I will tell you now is that we are not pursing the same goal; our goals are divergent even though there are areas of similarities; for example, when you look at our manifesto, our manifesto believes in restructuring of Nigeria in general, APGA doesn’t have that in its manifesto. It is a very clear distinction. Moreover, the arrowheads in APGA are not the same in UPP; UPP is a quiet, gentle, loving and peaceful party. Our Moto is ‘Love and Unity’ devoid of any rancor, division, enmity where there is total brotherhood and sisterhood. But in APGA you see the party of cabal, cult system where you see only few elite hijack the party and they have so emasculated it as if other people are outside. They have not giving people leeway to embrace the party so that it can be liberal party for almost everybody can actualise his/her dream. You can see factions in APGA, court cases here-and-there, suspensions, dissentions, enmities and so on. How can a party thrive in such situations? The seed of discord has been sown there and that seed will continue to fragment and fragment it until it completely becomes authorized.
Is your party also fishing for political bigwigs who believe in your party’s ideology?
There is a point you made before, we may not depend on bigwigs to win election; sometimes with bigwigs you can win election and sometimes people can just win election without the bigwigs. Look at US presidential election, how the so called bigwigs were shamed by Donald Trump. What is of more concern to me is what are we doing at the grassroots because the grassroots are so much important to win election. Nevertheless, we are not lacking in personalities which I will not start mentioning their names here and you know Chief Ifeanyichukwu Okonkwo is one and there are so many of them like that. I want to tell you that we are well grounded roots wise and at the grassroots level.
What is your New Year message to Anambra people?
My message to the Anambra people is one, that all hope is not lost, there is still hope and there is going to be light at the end of dark tunnel. If the Anambra people should join hands together with UPP so that they will get what they have been yearning for, they will cry no more. Nigerians who want restructuring of Nigeria should join and register with UPP from your ward. The party will soon start e-registration of members.
What is of more concern to me is what we doing at the grassroots because the grassroots are more important to win election. Nevertheless, we are not lacking in personalities …
