My aspiration geared towards raising living standard of Edo people – HON. JOSEPH IKPEA
As the Edo state Governorship election continues to gather momentum, a Frontline aspirant on the platform of the All Progressives Congress(APC), one time chairman of Esan South-East local government council, and former Commissioner in the state, Hon. Joseph Ikpea has said that he is coming into the race to raise the standard of living of Edo people.
Hon. Ikpea made the declaration in a chat with Newsmen in Benin city the Edo state Capital newspaper at the APC secretariat on Airport Road, Benin City few days ago during his official declaration and campaign flag off.
Excerpt
QUESTION:
You officially flagged off your campaign today at your Party Secretariat to announce your intention to run for the governorship contest in the Edo 2024 governorship race. What is the factor compelling you to run?
ANSWER:
I have looked around carefully and found out that the word of God which says that when the righteous is on the throne that the people rejoice can not be faulted.
The mammoth crowd you see here today at the secretariat for my official flag off are a very few of the living witness of my antecedents of noble deeds at various times in positions of authority. They are here to support my aspiration because of the people centered leadership I have demonstrated in all my previous engagements in leadership positions and because of that reason, they are all happy, hopeful and prayerful for my possible emergence which would redirect leadership to create better living standards for the people.
QUESTION:
So many other aspirants have also visited the APC secretariat to officially intimate the party leadership of their interest in the state Governorship election. Do you think you are better qualified than the rest of them?
ANSWER:
Yes, but that not withstanding majority of the aspirants for the governorship position on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) are qualified but I can conveniently tell you that I am most qualified not necessarily because I am one of the founding members of the party but mainly because I have stayed and worked and laboured for the party. The God that I serve knows that I have worked for this party more than anyone of the aspirants because when there was nobody to work to build the Party, I was there for the Party. I was the first person that left the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to form ACD, AC, ACN and APC.
Coupled with my commendable effort of staying in the party to build it to the enviable height it has attained today, I have the prerequisite qualifications and the indispensable experiences and pedigree required to reengineer the dwindling and dilapidated socio economic and infrastructural fortunes of the state to an appreciable level where every Edo person and all its resident are assured a better living condition.
I was one time Edo state Library Board chairman under Lucky Igbinedion administration, I was a member of State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) under Comrade Adams Oshiomhole administration, one time Esan South East Local local government council chairman, I was a commissioner under Godwin Obaseki administration, So, you can see from my track record that I am the most qualified, and none of the APC aspirants is as qualified as I am and I believe that my party will not want to make the same mistake they made in the past by supporting Godwin Obaseki who wasn’t a home boy, an individual who never really know the people he was parachuted in to govern. With Obaseki as a technocrat our expectations were high, but today reverse is the case and everybody is disappointed because the party made the mistake on the choice of an individual who never had a relationship with the people, who didn’t know the pains, anguish, sorrow, fear and aspiration of the people so he couldn’t empathize with the people because he really didn’t know them.
Today there is no road anywhere across the state but if I am given the opportunity to serve I will turn things around. I will create jobs for the people and that will reduce the criminality and kidnapping that is currently the order of the day in the state. I have lived all my life as a home boy and community man, lived with the people, I know what there worries are, I know their fears, I know their pains and I know their aspirations and I empathize with them because I live among them. Not one who is only just coming like a job seeker who do not know the people he is hired to come and governed.
QUESTION:
You are aware that the leadership of your party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) has given the go-ahead to Senator Monday Okpebholo aka Akpakomiza to contest in the 2024 Governorship election and It is also rumoured that former Minister of Works Arch Mike Onolenmemen has been tipped to contest the senatorial districts by- election in the event that it becomes vacant with the possible exit of the incumbent Senator. What is your take on this ?
ANSWER:
I see it as a mere rumor because the party can never make such a mistake. Senator Akpakomiza is a brother and a friend, but he is a new comer, and the anticipated political luck does not come everytime. Honestly, I can’t foresee such circumstances playing out because the leadership of our party is a composition of very wise and intelligent people who know the possible consequences of such counter productive decision that would negatively affect the expected electoral victory of our great party. But I Know that our party can not gamble with such idea that could portend varying degrees of negative consequences.
On the Arch.Mike Onolenmemen issue, I see that as a hear say, fabricated lies, which lack merit of moral objectivity. I am not sure anybody will make such mistake because Arch. Onolenmemen just came to join the party though we are very happy to receive him as a former Minister. Like I said before, the leadership of our party will not allow for such mistake that could negatively impact the Party because PDP and Labour Party are strongly contesting for the control of power in Edo State too, and they are watching us to make mistakes and as such I don’t see APC making such pranks that would boomerang
QUESTION:
What do you expect to achieve if given the opportunity to take the ticket?
ANSWER:
My objective of coming into the Edo state 2024 Governorship race is to raise the standard of living of Edo people through people oriented all-inclusive government that will provide infrastructure, provide adequate security for the people, provide quality Education and above all create job opportunities for the people because when you create jobs for the people, you would have succeeded in minimizing if not completely eliminating crime and criminality from the state, because as they say ‘the idle mind is the devil’s workshop’.
I have that capacity to create jobs because I have been in the engineering and constructions industry for 32 years now so I know what it takes to create jobs if given the opportunity considering my vast knowledge and experience in management of human and material resources also as a local government council chairman, then as a commissioner for Mineral’ oil and gas, so that’s multiple experience both at public and private sectors. All these long years of experience and my empathetic dispositions I intend to bring to bear in the development of Edo state which is intended to rapidly raise the standard of living of every Edo people irrespective of tribe religion or political party affiliation.
QUESTION:
The governor of Edo state, Mr Godwin Obaseki is said to be very much interested in who succeeds him and as such is alleged to be sponsoring high caliber individual from your constituency. How do you intend to surmount this challenge and deliver victory to your party?
ANSWER:
You will recall when Oshiomhole came on board in 2007, he came as a brand name and the position APC holds today at the national level is largely dependent on Senator Adams Oshiomhole ‘s pedigree and his brand name because he has a good name, and that is exactly how most Edo people see me because of the brand which the name IKPEA has come to be in Edo state due to the philanthropic gestures IKPEA have and continues to play in the lives of most Edo people and beyond. The scholarship programs, the endless employment opportunities for several Edo people across the country, and the support for the very less privileged people and widows in the society have turned me to a brand name that has touched lives across the state, and with that love ingrained in the heart of Edo people, I will surely defeat any candidate the PDP or labour party will be presenting because people will always prefer to vote for whom they know and trust, and that is me ,and it cuts across all the political parties and across the three senatorial districts of the state.
QUESTION : Finally Sir, there was a social media publication where some aspirants were said to have been selected after the Abuja meeting with the Central Senatorial leadership of the party.What is your take on this?
ANSWER. Hahaha, first and foremost , electing good leadership for good governance is not dependent on riddles and quiz competition but on commendable virtues such as compassion, Godliness and love for humanity as well as track record of past offices held either in the public or private sector. These are some of the most acceptable ways of picking a candidate and not on acting movie where directions are known. Moreover, I was told in that meeting by retired Maj Gen. Cecil Esekhaigbe the leader of Edo Central Senatorial district that the purpose of the meeting was not to screen anybody out of the race but to see our financial readiness and past political record of support to the party, which of course I hold best place among every other candidate, however I pray that Godfatherism and relationships does not destroy the party i laboured so much to build in the state.