The spokesperson for Dr Kasarachi Michael Enyinna Campaign Organisation, Emperor Ogbonna, has said that competence is the core reason young people in Abia South senatorial district are supporting the candidacy of the capital market expert and investment banker.
Urging the old brigade to drop anchor, he said that with Kasarachi in the saddle, Abia South is assured of a better deal in terms of quality representation.
According to him, Kasarachi Enyinna, who is the senatorial candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) for Abia South, has what it takes to give the district the needed effective representation that could lead to tangible development.
In an interview, Ogbonna spoke on why he is supporting Kasarachi, the need for a change in representation, allegations that Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe is sponsoring the NDC candidate, and what he believes Kasarachi will bring to Abia South.
He said: “For those of us who are young, we align with NDC, and we brought out Dr Kasarachi Enyinna Michael, who is the right candidate for Abia South. Abia South is made up of Aba South, Aba North, Obingwa, Ugwunagbo, Ukwa West and Ukwa East.
“We have looked at the political situation in Abia State. The person who has been there is Enyinnaya Abaribe. He has been there for a very long time. From being deputy governor, he started talking about Otu Onu (one term). Later, he was elected to the Senate on the ground of Otu Onu. And he has been there for 20-something years.
“I am a voter in Abia South. I am a taxpayer too. I pay taxes, and I know that the man has not really been doing so well. That is the truth, as a senator. So, that is why, for those of us who are young, we align with NDC, and we brought out Dr Kasarachi Enyinna Michael, who is the senatorial candidate. For those who don’t know him, he is from Ogwe in Ukwa West.
“Obingwa has been there for many years. So, we feel that there should be a paradigm shift. We are not looking at it from where you come from. We are looking at it from competence. He is a young man who is very competent and very efficient.
“He is actually up to 40 years old, but he is a very young man. If you see him, you will see that he presents himself as very, very young. He is an achiever, and he is a very nice guy. I don’t know how to say it. This is a guy that, if you stay with him, you will feel like staying with him. Very friendly, very, very nice. He is a giver. He is not only a giver; he is somebody who, when he looks at you, knows what your problem is. He is a true democrat. He is not a pompous person. If you see him, you will like him. Everybody likes him.”
Ogbonna, who is a lawyer, explained that though Kasarachi Enyinna is a young man, he is not new in politics.
He described him as a popular politician who contested as the vice-presidential candidate of the YPP in 2023.
Ogbonna further said: “This is an achiever. He is a technocrat. He has a company, Fintech, that operates in Abia State. His family has a house on Azikiwe Road. He grew up on Azikiwe Road, so he knows Aba very well. He is an Aba guy. And he has companies operating here, operating in Abia. So, it is not as if he is a foreigner coming to run elections in Aba. He is somebody who has been consistent in promoting Aba’s welfare. So, that is the thing.
On the rumour that Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe sponsored Dr Kasarachi’s candidacy to reduce the votes of the opposition and improve his chances of winning, he said: “That is a very big rumour. It is a very false rumour. There is no truth in it. Dr Kasarachi is not somebody whom another person can bring out. He is not somebody whom another person can bring out. Nobody brought him out. He came out on his own, and we, the young people, are supporting him. There is no reason why an established man will see an old man who has been there for 20-something years, achieving nothing, and you tell me you want him to continue to stay. We know who won and lost the last time. But the truth is that, this time around, we feel that there should be a paradigm change. Somebody else should be there.”
He said that it is important for Abia South to elect Kasarachi, particularly in the context of the political future of Peter Obi.
“Let me tell you why it is important that we vote for Kasarachi. Now, we all talk about Peter Obi. Everybody is talking about Peter Obi, that Peter Obi is the Ronaldo of Nigerian politics today. In fact, he is the most popular Nigerian today, as you know. Now, if Peter Obi becomes the President and we don’t have senators in the National Assembly or members of the House of Representatives, how will he perform?
“It is a normal thing. Assuming I am the President today and I am bringing reforms that would reduce the cost of governance, reforms that would stop corruption, first of all, I have to call my party men, and I will tell them, please, this is what I want. If NDC does not have a majority in the House and you voted for Peter Obi, you are wasting your time!
“Assuming the APC or other parties have the majority, they will just gang up and impeach him. It happened in Anambra State. They impeached Peter Obi as governor in Anambra State. Later, he went to court and got his mandate back.
“Now, in Nigeria, they may impeach him because his party may not have the majority.
“That is why we are telling Nigerians, be the grassroots. If you want a change, be the change yourself.
“You get what I am saying? We are looking for a way to get the country back, and it is very simple. We need people like Kasarachi, who shall be a senator in the Federal Republic of Nigeria. We also need NDC House of Assembly and House of Representatives members, so that if the President wants to make a reform, there will be people from his party who will help him do it. That is why I advise Abia South: please, let us support Dr Kasarachi Enyinna Michael. He is an achiever, he is a young man, he is down to earth, and we need a paradigm change.”
On the performance of the incumbent senator representing Abia South, he said: “You know the truth; he has not performed. That is the truth. Now, let me tell you, when it comes to constituency projects for a senator, I have not seen much. What I have to be honest with him is that I have seen streetlights. That is what I know. Even from the road to his own house, go there. It is not tarred. I won’t lie to you. Go there. You will see the road to his house. You ask yourself, can a senator do this?
“We have some senators. I don’t want to mention them, but let me just mention Orji Uzor Kalu. He has done some roads. Even the road that passes through my house, Orji Kalu built it. But which road can you confidently mention that Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe has started and completed? I want people to tell me, if possible. So, you see that we are very honest here. He has tried; let us give him that.”
Advising the incumbent senator to retire from the Senate, he said: “Let me tell you, it is better to bow out when the ovation is loudest. You understand what I am saying? Bow out when the ovation is loudest. Don’t allow somebody to humiliate you. If you see a musician or a singer, when they are clapping, he bows out.
“In the past, I voted for Abaribe several times. When he was in APGA, I voted for him. When he was in another party, I voted for him. But today, I feel that, ‘Oga, you have tried. You should retire.’ Let a younger person take over. That is all we are asking for.
“We are not telling him to retire because we don’t like him, but we are saying that it is a normal thing in life.
“The time comes when nature tells you that you have to leave. So, right now, the man there has tried. It is time for him to leave. And even some members of his own party will come to me and tell me, ‘Emperor, we are not going to vote for him in the Labour Party. We are going to vote for Dr Kasarachi.’ I believe Abia South should consider Kasarachi because of his youth, energy and intellectual sagacity. We know that he has everything it takes to redeem Abia South and to make Abia South the pride of Igboland.”
