– Says UPP cannot recycle political dead woods, liabilities
– Insists Okorocha has done enough mobilization against himself
The Deputy National Chairman of the United Progressive Party (UPP), Chief (Sir) Ejike Uche (Dimkpasaa), has explained why the party leadership slammed it’s doors at and vehemently refused to accept PDP and APC decampees who pleaded and made several efforts to join UPP. He said that the political posturing, alignment and realignment of forces currently going on will not make UPP to accept political liabilities from the PDP and APC.
The former Commissioner for Housing and Urban Development in Imo state, said this in an interview with our reporter recently, while reacting to a question on why some political parties are recycling dead woods, said UPP as model political party that is advocating for real and genuine change, hinged on a unique ideology and manifesto cannot identify with failed and expired politicians, no matter how “heavy” they claim to be. “We in the UPP are so concerned about image, integrity, reputation and overall antecedents. Transparency, credibility and track record are part of our hallmarks that we cannot mortgage on the altar of cheap popularity. The old timers who believe in business as usual have no place in the UPP”.
He said UPP belongs to the harbingers of a new political culture, embedded in the values and tenets of democracy which include transparency in the conduct of government affairs, accountability and respect for rule of law, the rights and opinions of other stakeholders (freedom of expression).
The celebrated political heavy weight opined that the old brigade, most of who have long outlived their political usefulness, and relevance still believe in desperately running around and creating cleavages to hang on to power when it is obvious that they have run out of steam and lost relevance.
“There is no gain saying that the masses have since zeroed down on the enemies who in this case include the sweet talking fraudulent politicians who promise jobs but give none, promise industry and no industry but hunger, talk loudly of the rule of law only to flagrantly disobey and abuse virtually all court judgments. No matter the new tactics and trade-offs, they want to do or have done, they are on their last race in the governance of the state nay the nation”, he declared.
Continuing, Dimkpasaa stated, “one good thing the nonpayment of workers salary and pension has done is to raise the awareness of the people that their future is indeed in their hands. Now they are free to trade-off their lives for a bag of rice or N20,000 motorbike but these are for the period of four years as the case may be. The oppressors may not have known that the nonpayment of salaries and pension affects every family in the state”.
He posited that Rochas Okorocha’s APC government has done enough mobilization against itself through it’s misrule and total lack of accountability in addition to his consistent refusal to obey court judgments saying, “there is always a reference point in history and Okorocha has stockpiled political mines for himself, his proxy and his party APC which is now a pariah of sorts”.
Turning to the new hope for Nigeria which he says has gotten ready the gauntlet and ready to move, Chief Uche likened the UPP to a virgin with a manifesto that has given it acceptability as it is raging in Anambra State presently, having dwarfed the discredited political old brigade.
He also stated that, “UPP stands out as a political solution to the aspirations of the South Eastern states by the introduction of such issues as restructuring, referendum, devolution of powers, resource control, etc. “On the one hand, UPP is a radical party which in essence is a safety valve for unity and progress of the country. Infact a nationalist manifesto which if implemented would guarantee peace and unity among the different ethnic minorities in the country. The leadership of UPP is such that their antecedents are known and with a high degree of respectability and integrity. One of the things going for it is that it is not saddled with political litigation, internal squabbles or factionalization. It is one solid, united and cohesive party under the leadership of Chief (Dr.) Chekwas Okorie (Ojeozi Ndi-Igbo)”, he stated. He argued that what Imolites need now is a digital UPP with a new template that only few of the politicians can operate having been accustomed to their analogue trend over the years.
