Chief Willy Ezugwu is a leader in the Nigerian Civil Society community and the Secretary General of the Conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP). He is also the President/National Coordinator of South East Revival Group (SERG) as well as leadership of other civil society organisations, including the Convener of the National Coalition of Civil Society Organisations (NCSOs). 

In this interview, he spoke on the build up to the 2023 general elections, the ongoing presidential primaries, possibility of the emergence of a President of Nigeria of Igbo extraction in 2023, the PDP governorship primary in Enugu among others.

Nigeria is on the match again towards a general election in 2023. So far, how do you see the build up to the 2023 general elections?  

So far, there is nothing to worry about in terms of preparations yet. We have a new electoral act. The law may not be perfect but it has some fundamental changes that can improve on the outcome of our elections generally. The most fundamental of them are the provisions for the electronic transmission of election results and legal backing for the use of smart card readers and other voter accreditation technologies by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, during the elections. 

It also allows for a longer period for campaigns such that there is about 150 days for candidates and their political parties to campaign for votes. This is very important because it now gives the electorate enough time to understand the manifestoes of the individual candidates and make informed decision during voting. 

It is important to note that so far, INEC has been up and doing in its regulatory powers by sticking to the new provisions of the act. What is needed urgently is voter education to enable the electorate know that it is no more business as usual so that they can have renewed confidence in the electoral process to reduce voter apathy in the country. 

On the part of political parties, they have been complying with the provisions of the new electoral law. Primaries are being concluded and candidates are emerging. But the allegations of bribery of delegates to influence their choice is a bad omen for the electoral process as the highest bidder will be elected as candidates. This is why some of us preferred direct primary to delegate primary elections. Delegates can easily be manipulated and bought by corruption politicians who are always desperate to win and continue to continue their looting of the treasury.    

I was going to ask for your general assessment of the process leading to the emergence of presidential candidates of the political parties?

In most cases, it is flawed as we can see but we can do better. Like I said, the major challenge is the bribing of delegates or what we may call vote buying by aspirants during some of the presidential primaries. Aside that it has been better with less violence since political appointee were not part of the delegates as a result of the contentious section 84(12) of the electoral act which barred appointees from voting or being voted for at congresses or conventions of political parties. There is need to revisit the mandatory direct primaries by political parties to reduce the now alarming allegations of inducement of delegates to the extent that we are reading reports of delegates donating millions of Naira to orphanages. 

Governor Nyesom Ezenwo Wike of Rivers State who was a presidential aspirant on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the just concluded primary election has accused southern leaders of abandoning their resolve to produce a presidential candidate of the PDP from the South. What is your take on that? 

First of all, I want to commend Governor Wike for the courage to dare. He was contesting the presidential primary for the first time and the outing was very impressive, coming second at the end of the PDP presidential primary. Yes, it the southern governors had come up with a mechanism to produce consensus candidates or at least reduce the number of southern candidates, it would have gone a long way to improve on the chances of southern Nigeria to produce the PDP presidential candidate. But party, which before now prided itself as a party that institutionalized zoning for the sake of equity suddenly jettisoned its zoning arrangement when it was clearly the turn of Igbos to produce the next president of Nigeria. 

So, Governor Wike will be naturally pained that the Southern governors failed to act in line with their resolution on producing the next president. From the point of equity, capacity, and ability to deliver democratic dividends to Nigerians, Governor Wike stood out among all the aspirants that participated in the PDP presidential primary. We should be more concerned about the track records of aspirants and candidates, looking at what they have achieved before seeking elective offices. In this regard,

In all these, is producing a president of Nigeria of Igbo extraction still possible? And, what do you make of Peter  Obi’s emergence as Labour Party presidential candidate? 

Of course, political parties are still conducting presidential primary elections and we can see that the former Governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi has emerged the presidential candidate of the Labour Party. APC Presidential primary is ongoing. 

It is left for Ndigbo to build bridges across the Niger and appeal to the conscience of the country to do justice by voting for equity in 2023. Igbo have very competent politicians and the emergence of Peter Obi still places the chances of Igbos producing the next president on the front burner. So, Peter Obi’s emergence as Labour Party presidential candidate is a plus for possibility of Igbos producing the next President of Nigeria, especially if APC fails to produce Igbo presidential candidate.  

In Enugu State, Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi has been under criticisms since the PDP governorship primary that produced oil mogul, Mr. Peter Mbah the governorship candidate. What’s your reaction to the disappointment expressed by some Enugu residents, especially from the Governor’s Nsukka zone? 

Well, politics is about numbers and when the numbers are on your side, you win. Not everyone will be happy with you if you emerge victorious but what matters is how the winner handles the post primary election opposition. Personally, I believe that Governor Ugwuanyi means well for Enugu State. He has exhibited his sincerity in the state in the last seven years and I believe that with time, all of us will understand that the Governor is protecting the interest of the majority of the people. If you recall, when some presidential aspirants of the PDP met him in Enugu, he clearly stated that he stand on the side of justice, equity and fairness. Some times, when that is your focus, some people may not be happy, even from your own side. But it won’t be too long for people to also begin to see such sincerely and fairness. I would urge aggrieved individuals or groups to give Governor Ugwuanyi the benefit of doubts, knowing that he has been on the side of the people since he became the Governor. Some of us have come to trust Governor Ugwuanyi’s judgment and his administration’s commitment to what is best for Enugu State and the people of the state. I believe that Ugwuanyi will not fail the people in the long run.

You have virtually ran for Senate in Enugu North Senatorial District every four years as an opposition candidate but this time you are not in the race. Any reason for that?  

Thank you for that. You see, why I have been running for Senate all the while is because of my desire to bring quality representation to the people of Enugu North Senatorial District, which is commonly called Nsukka zone. We have had the worst of us represent us since 1999. But in the build up to the 2023 general elections, I read from the body language of Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi that he may be going to the senate or running for a higher position. But as time went by and it became obvious that he was going to the Senate, I decided to withdraw. I did not withdraw my ambition for him because I am a member of the PDP, but I am a believer in the kind of representation he will give the people. So, I decided that I will not run against him. He has done well for the people of Enugu State in general and the people of Nsukka zone in particular. He dualised the Nsukka – Opi Road and built the first ever flyover in Enugu State, which rates among the best ten flyover bridges in the country. The flyover bridge project is located at Nike Lake T-Junction, a busy road that connects Nsukka, my constituency. So, it is because the Governor has done well for the state that, for the first time, since I chose to step down for him. And of course, I have been winning the Senatorial District each time I contested but the PDP will simply rewrite the results and when we end up in court, you know how judgment in most political cases end up. Sometimes it lasts till the end of the the tenure you are seeking to validate the mandate. But with the new electoral act, I felt that I should now go all out as election results will be transmitted electronically but I cannot run against Governor Ugwuanyi. He has done well as the Governor and I strongly believe that he will do better well for the Enugu North Senatorial District in 2023. 

What is your advice to INEC ahead of the 2023 general elections in terms of credibility and transparency of the electoral process?

INEC, under its current leadership has been alive to its responsibility as a regulator and electoral umpire. Recall the role played by INEC when it sided with Nigerians on the use of technology for election. That was a boost in the confidence of most Nigerians in the ability of INEC to live up to its responsibilities of ensuring free, fair and credible election. If you watch the political space so far, you will see the nearly no person is criticizing INEC, except for the recent shift in deadline for party primaries, which did not in any way breach the law. So, the only advice to the INEC chairman is for him to stand on his feet and ensure that justice is done to all candidates in the forthcoming elections in Ekiti and Osun states and in the 2023 general elections. INEC must not be seen as a rubber stamp of the ruling party in any state or the country. The only way to deepen democracy is to allow the will of the voters to prevail. INEC must invoke its powers in the new electoral act and give Nigeria a free, fair and credible general elections in 2023. 

To what extent are you convinced that the use of technology will reduce rigging of elections by politicians in Osun and Ekiti states as well as the 2023 general elections? 

To a great extent, if INEC plays its role according to the law, the forthcoming governorship elections in Ekiti and Osun states will be the best they have ever conducted. This is because we saw INEC stand on the side of the people and deployed a test run of electronic transmission of results in Edo and Ondo states and the outcome was hailed by most Nigerians. So, the deployment of technology and real time electronic transmission of election result from all polling units in 2023 will go a long way in ensuring that the eventual results reflect the wishes of the voters in 2023 general elections. Nigeria is desperately in need of good governance in the next four years.