Kogi State Commissioner for Information and Communication, Hon. Kingsley Fanwo, has assured new members who recently defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC) from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Mopamuro local government area that everyone’s interest will be well protected.
In an exclusive interview with Kogireports.com in Lokoja on Monday, the media manager spoke on the forthcoming local government election in the state and why APC has become the darling of the electorate.
December 12 local government election is just 20 days away, how prepared is your party, the All Progressives Congress, in Mopamuro?
Mopamuro APC is well prepared for the task ahead. We have no doubt that the poll will be free and fair. We are already meeting with groups and talking to people. We are seriously depopulating the PDP and many of them are crossing to our party already. We won in November and today, we are even stronger than we were in November with the influx of PDP into our party. We are poised to win and win well.
Do you nurse fears that APC will have a tough time winning some Ward considered strongholds of the opposition?
They have two main strongholds in Mopamuro. They used to be a lot more formidable before some of their leaders joined us. His Excellency Hon. Clarence Olafemi is our political compass today. Hon. Eric Fiki, Hon. Folorusho Daniyan and many others have joined us. Ward 6 and Ward 8 used to be their strongholds.
Last Saturday, we announced the obituary of PDP in Ward 8 when their leaders and members defected to the All Progressives Congress. Our Vice Chairmanship candidate is from a politically solid family in Ward 6. So we are expecting a clean sweep. No fears.
How will the recent defection of over 100 leaders and members of PDP affect the fortunes of your party?
We were strong in November 2019. And we are now even stronger . Those who defected are great political foot soldiers. PDP’s loss is our gain and we are very happy to welcome them to the progressive family.
I learnt they said no one defected. That is ridiculous. We have their names and phone numbers. They took pictures with the broom and also spoke the press. PDP needs to accept the new reality in Mopamuro and move on.
What makes APC attractive to the people of Mopamuro?
A party of the youth for the youth and women. APC has given the youth opportunities. Training, empowerment and many other programs. Women have also benefited massively. In our party, women are our Vice Chairmanship candidates and in Mopamuro, we have three women as Councillorship candidates. Women have also be projected by our party to be Council Leaders when they win on December 12. So the women have come to see the APC as the party that has given them opportunities and they will vote massively for the party.
What role did the Governor play in attracting opposition members to APC in Mopamuro?
His Excellency Alh. Yahaya Bello operates an open door policy. He is an exceptional leader whose aura is politically magnetic. You would want to be in the same party with a leader that gives opportunities to people from modest backgrounds. You will be attracted to a gender-sensitive leader. You will be attracted to a leader who is pro-development and a poster of unity. GYB is a political magnet.
We owe him our loyalty and support. He has been very fair to Mopamuro. We will keep supporting his Government. We also want to thank the Governor to putting pressure on the Federal Ministry of Works to resume work on our Federal Road in Yagba. The construction company is now back on site. Hopefully, the job will progress well.
What does the future hold for Mopamuro, APC members and new entrants?
All of us in the party are the same. We lost the Presidential and Senatorial elections in the Local Government and we decided to deal with the issues and reposition ourselves to win. We bounced back by winning the House of Assembly election, Governorship election and the Senatorial re-run. We have won the last three elections in the Local Government. When our party form Government at the grassroots level, we will have more opportunities. There is no new comer. We are the same. And everyone’s interest will be well protected.
Assess PDP in Mopamuro
We have to respect the PDP as the main opposition party. We need the opposition to do well. But unfortunately, the Mopamuro PDP is a weak opposition. Self defeat has been their lot. The centre can no longer hold and they even had to pull out of the House of Assembly election when they discovered they had no chance. Mopamuro is gradually turning into a one-party LGA.
Are we expecting more defections in days to come?
More people have indicated their interest to join us and our contact and Mobilization teams are discussing with them. We want to be sure they conform with the progressive ideology of our party and we need to build the progressive mentality of the All Progressives Congress in them. I thank our elders in the party in Mopamuro for their guidance and direction. They have made us stronger and we listen to them a lot. A child may have new clothes than elders but he can never have more rags than elders. Experience can never be bought. We owe our success to the guidance.
