Presidential election result will spring surprises — Okorie

Chief Chekwas Okorie is the presidential candidate of the United Progressive Party (UPP). In this interview with Ezrel Tabiowo, he says that the results that will be announced by INEC will not be the final outcome to determine who becomes Nigeria’s next president. Chekwas is optimistic that UPP will emerge winner of Saturday’s presidential elections. Excerpts:

How prepared are you for Saturday’s election?
We are very much prepared; we have appointed agents as required by INEC (Independent National Electoral Commission), and submitted their names for proper accreditation. The feelers we have been getting across the country is very much encouraging, Nigerians are beginning to show signs that an alternative choice is attractive at this point in time and we present that alternative. But be that as it may, all I can say for now is that, relying on the assurances of INEC, Nigerians are generally very rationale people and they are going to cast their votes in accordance with their consciences and manipulating the election to misrepresent or short-change them is no longer that easy.
So, the results that Nigerians will get this time, will reflect more, the will and opinions of the Nigerian people than what we used to have in the past where people may or may not vote but the results will show practically that everybody voted and in particular direction. So, I expect an interesting, very revealing result after the polls on Saturday, 28th March. I expect that UPP (United Progressive Party) will do very well in spite of our being about the youngest political party in this race. Prior to this time, we have maintained a comfortable third position and chances are that we might improve on that. One other thing that I will like to seize this opportunity to predict is that fortunately, this is one election whose result as announced by INEC may not be the final result. I said this because there are so many litigations against each of the two major frontline political parties if I may put it that way, that is the APC (All Progressives Congress) and the PDP (Peoples Democratic Party and these are criss-crossing and they are all pre-election litigations, some of them are quite potent and the outcome of which cannot be easily predicted depending on how determined the judiciary especially at the level of the Supreme Court will be to uphold the rule of law without fear of favour. So, there will be election, INEC may announce a winner but that will not be the end of the road. So, we are very hopeful that at the end of the day, UPP may come from behind to be invited to be sworn-in because we foresee that the two political parties in front of us for now, the APC and PDP might cancel themselves out on the basis of litigation they have against each other.

What is UPP joker to make it to the presidency?
We have campaigned far more than many Nigerians may think because we are not involved in what I always call political jamborees and cultural fiestas but we have made our canvassing for votes at the grassroots levels very effective and we believe with the last minutes efforts we have put in place which is also giving us tremendous hope, that our chances keep brightening by the day and that the votes when counted, will bring us on top of the table. We are very much hopeful on that. We have also received opinions across the board after the presidential debate. In fact, many have confessed that if that debate is a yardstick for electing the president, if Nigerians have been enlightened enough for majority of them to make objective assessment the debate that took place just yesterday, that we might well be preparing to be sworn-in as the president of Nigeria. But because of the level of illiteracy, because of the sentiments associated with tribe and religion, that may not make maximum benefit from our performance at that debate. But for sure, the enlightened  Nigerians, many have changed their minds, many who were not with us have changed their minds to be with us and it is going to reflect on the results of the elections especially, because one day, this time, there votes will count, I keep relying on that.

Where do you draw your inspiration for this election?
My major inspiration comes from the fact that the people have for a long time, been in a very difficult, very uncomfortable, under the watch of very uncaring leadership and I saw this and I saw that there is the thirst in them, the quest for a leadership that can be trusted, a leadership that has certain  kind of pedigree in the area of human rights, who is concerned about their welfare and I was therefore urged on to step forward.

The motivation I derive from the desire of the people for a new kind of leadership also inspired me a great deal. Of course, I am also coming from an area that has not also tested the presidential seat ever since independence, I mean my Igbo people of Nigeria and their leaders have played major role, key role, foremost role in getting independence for Nigeria and thereafter, they seem to have been sidelined from the commanding height of Nigerian political leadership and so, the quest and desire to brake that jinx has been there, it is there now more than ever before, and so I took it as a challenge to present myself and having presented myself, the level of support among those who have the voting power is unbelievable but for those who actually don’t have the voting power but depend on government largesse, contracts or handouts to continue to show-off their relationship with people in power, I am not getting their support and they are not many because as I said, they don’t have the voting power.

So that is why I said and I want to repeat myself, that there will really be an upset both in terms of the results that will come, that will go contrary to general expectations and in terms of those who will win and lose. Certain perceived Goliaths will fall and some David’s unknown will rise. This is the summary of what Nigerians should expect.

The frontline political parties’ candidates have been receiving endorsements by different groups, any endorsement of any group for UPP candidate?
Well, not long ago, Ohaneze Youth Council endorsed my candidate. But I hardly believe in this endorsement because like I pointed out sometime, it has been commercialized so much with little value attached to it that my Igbo people especially, the Pan-Igbo organization, began to hawk endorsement as if they were hawking pure water sachets’ and of course, no matter what amount of money you pay for such endorsement, the value you get will not be more than the value of pure water sachet, so, that is why you have one faction of Ohaneze endorse Jonathan and another faction endorse Buhari and when you look at this, I find it very difficult to spend my hard earned money or even the money belonging to the party to go and buy endorsement, but it is better to convince those who have the money to vote for me and the party and that is what we have succeeded in doing and these people who made these pronouncements about endorsements will be exposed for who they are when results come out. The question will then be what is the effect of the endorsement? Have they been able to influence the people to vote in the direction of their pronouncement, so the election will be very revealing?