A CHAT WITH JIBRIN ISAH ECHOCHO ON DAILY TRUST NIGERIA

DAILY TRUST WITH ALHAJI JIBRIN ISAH ECHOCHO Although the gubernatorial election did not hold in Kogi State following the one-year extension of the tenure of Governor Ibrahim Idris and four others by the court of appeal, the winner of the gubernatorial primary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) held on January 9, 2011, Alhaji Jibril Isah Echocho, in an interview with newsmen at the weekend, spoke, among other things, on his aspiration to become governor in 2012. Our correspondent was there. Excerpts: After the gubernatorial primary that produced you as the PDP standard bearer in Kogi State, a reconciliation committee was set up by Governor Ibrahim Idris. Some believe that the aggrieved co-aspirants would have frustrated your ambition if there were governorship elections in the state in April. *The PDP is a big family. Before the court judgment that finally shifted the governorship election in Kogi State to 2012, practically 95 percent of all the candidates that contested the primary with me attended all the rallies held for all candidates of our party across the state. For me, Governor Ibrahim Idris, who is the leader of our party in the state, has done well. His wisdom in crisis management is second to none. In politics, there must be winner and loser just like in everything you do. I don’t see myself as winner; our primary election was a contest among brothers. We all believe in taking Kogi State to the next level. What we should be talking about is how to cripple the opposition parties in the state. Our party won the majority seats in the State House of Assembly elections because our governor has done well by delivering dividends of democracy to the people of the state. How do you react to the insinuations that the last gubernatorial primary will no longer stand for the 2012 governorship election in the state? *Whether primary election or no primary election, the same set of people who elected me during the party primary are still ready to vote for me again if at all there will be a fresh primary in Kogi State. I enjoy the support of our party members and the goodwill of the people of Kogi State. When I was going for the primary election on the 9th of January 2011, I was more like a guinea pig and even now, I am still being treated as a guinea pig in Kogi politics. That is why you hear unfounded allegations against me. But I am not used to trading words because I believe power comes from Almighty God. Don’t you see the rumour of your alleged involvement in the Afribank N87bn fraud as a threat to your gubernatorial ambition? * As far as I am concerned, I don’t have any case with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). Since the bank crisis started over a year ago, I have neither been arrested nor arraigned. Truly, a few of my colleagues standing trial before a Federal High Court in Lagos were arraigned by the EFCC. The same anti-graft agency has come out in clear terms to say that it has never arraigned me before now and that it does not contemplate doing so. The EFCC has also said that I am just a principal prosecution witness in the matter. Speculations are rife that you are likely to be appointed minister by President Goodluck Jonathan. If this happens, what happens to your gubernatorial ambition? *Ministerial appointment is a vehicle of service to the country. My first calling is that my people have asked me to come and serve them, and they demonstrated this on January 9, 2011 by nominating me and electing me as candidate of the largest party in Sub-Saharan Africa and by the grace of God, we are waiting patiently for 2012 when our governorship election will come up. All we are after at the moment is to canvass support for the administration of Alhaji Ibrahim Idris so that he could continue to provide dividends of democracy, as he has been doing, for the people of the state. Many wonder why your campaign for the governorship election is no longer ongoing. What does this suggest to your supporters? * I have said it several times that I am not going to close down the windows of my electioneering campaign, and of course, it has not been closed down. I just urge my teeming supporters to remain calm and continue the door-to-door, market-to-market and school-to-school campaigns, and most importantly, I appeal to them to continue to educate the people of the state on why they should vote Alhaji Jibril Isah Echocho as governor of Kogi State come 2012. I would not let them down.
RE-POSTED BY -------HUSSEIN A. ONAJI