Former governorship candidate of Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN),
now Chieftain of All Progressives Congress (APC), Prince Paul Ikonne, is
one politician who believes in integrity and lives to practise it.As a young politician, he has occupied different political positions in and outside Abia State at different times in his political sojourn.
But in spite of the juicy tastes of these appointments, Ikonne has refused to lose his head just to remain relevant politically. As a prince, most people wonder why his lifestyle is geared towards fighting battles for the less-privileged ones in the society, leaving the comfort and wealth that adorn the palace of his father, Eze Isaac Ikonne.
He spoke to Expdonaloaded blog recently on a number of issues, concerning the nation, the people, politics, elections, General Muhamadu Buhari and others. Here are the excerpts from the interview.
How do you see Buhari’s victory?
The victory of General Muhammadu Buhari at the polls is an evidence that God answers prayers. This is because Nigerians prayed, both Christians and Moslems, they asked God for a change, that God should give them a leader after his own heart and that God should give them peace and you can agree with me that there is peace, and that the election was peaceful. I want to congratulate all Nigerians for their massive support that brought about the change which Nigeria has been yearning for.post by expdonaloaded.blogspot.com..
Today, we have the General as the President-elect. I want to congratulate our own General Muhammadu Buhari, who is a man of principle and integrity, that after trying for the fourth time, he finally became the president of Nigeria, just to serve his nation and put it on the path to international recognition.
I see him as another Mandela of Africa. I believe sincerely that General Buhari will do very well and I call on all Nigerians, the way they came out and voted him in, to give the General all the needed support and encouragement both in prayer and other wise. I call on all Nigerians to give the General all the needed support. I express joy and happiness on the kind of support he is already getting from the international community, which shows that Nigeria is on the part of new beginning and will indeed take its rightful position in the affairs of the world. We thank God Almighty for visiting Nigeria by sending General Buhari to come and put things right.
General Buhari is a very consistent and dogged person, he never gives up easily. Some politicians join any Government in power without principle, Buhari is a principled man, who believes that what he wants to do, nobody has done it before, that he wants to wait. I advise politicians not to jump from pillar to post, nor be so much interested in what they can get. They should think of how well they will serve their country and what impact they will make.
If you don’t have integrity, anything goes, and for you it doesn’t matter and for those that have integrity, like the General, everything does not go until you get it right before he can associate with you. I encourage politicians to have focus and be men and women of integrity.
I really want to appreciate Professor Jega, his comportment and his ideas, and also the National Assembly in the first place because they were the ones that approved the use of card reader which has become the game changer today. This shows that Nigeria is on the part of democracy where the peoples’ wish will be respected.
Do you feel it was good for INEC to use Card Readers in the 2015 elections?
International Communities now see Nigeria as a country that wants to consolidate on its democracy and based on that, some of them, like American Government, through their Ambassador have said that he will advise his country to adopt the card reader. It may not have worked very well in the whole country, but this is the first time and that does not mean that it will not work. It is not that the machine has problem, but the people who were operating it are the problems. Trained people were not brought in to handle it and this could have caused the deficiency that we noticed in its functions.
I see it as something that will have to strengthen our democracy, something that will help, that the will of the people is something that will make politicians go back to the people. When you are elected into office, you will know that the same people that elected you can as well reject you when you come again, if you don’t do well. What that has done to our democracy is that it has brought service to the people as you very well know that democracy is just government of the people, by the people and for the people.
That is what card reader has done, I think it is a very good idea. I know that it could be improved upon in a situation, where in 2019, we will begin to know it and we shall get to a level where politicians and voting can be concluded within seven hours. I think the INEC, led by professor Jega has done very well.
The card reader has given the electorates confidence that their will prevailed and next time, they will say, I want to be part of those that will produce the next governor or president. If by the virtue of peoples vote, one can emerge victorious, it will be wonderful, because in the past, once you have the ticket, you can go to sleep because you will surely be there. Today, people know that their vote counts, when you know that your vote doesn’t count, you don’t bother, you just stay at home. Because you will say, whether I vote or not, they will still do what they want to do, but today, people are beginning to know that they won’t do what they want to do unless I want them to do it by not going to vote for a person of my choice. In future, it will be much better because the voice of the people are counting, the vote of the people are counting. We should know indeed that there will be more participation, more people will pick up their PVC and more people will come out to vote.
What lessons can be learnt from the recent elections?
The lesson politicians should learn from President Jonathan’s attitude of not contesting the victory of Buhari is for them to know that when an election is known to have been free and fair, contesting it can only create problems. My advice to all politicians is that when you are defeated and you know that you are truly defeated, not through manipulation, there is no need of going to court, by causing confusion or distraction and funds are going. I am not saying that going to court to ask for redress is wrong, all I am saying is that politicians should learn to accept defeat when they are properly defeated so that peace will reign, that is the only way we can foster peace and unity.
I call on politicians to advise them to begin to cue in, it has been done at the state level and now at the national level. For a president who has the power to say no, I am not stepping down, he didn’t but went ahead to step aside.
Stepping down and allowing the will of the people to prevail should be the watch word of every politician.
My message for the president-elect is that he should not disappoint Nigerians, and the international Community. As a grandfather, I know that he will treat us as his own child and I know that with him, Nigeria is safe and a proper foundation would be laid for this country, particularly bringing the country to remain as one strong nation.
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