Edo 2024: Meet Hon. Dr. Isaiah Osifo, APGA Guber Candidate (a must read interview)

Interview by Raphael Okhiria, Bassey O. Bassey.
Hon. Dr. Isaiah Osifo, is the governorship candidate of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA), in the September 21, 2024, gubernatorial election in Edo State.

My birth and upbringing

Dr Isaiah Osifo is a child that is conscious of his Identity in-terms of where I was born and how I was born as narrated to me by my mother. It will interest you to know that I am from Uvbenisi Community and it’s where I have my residence, the same Uvbenisi Community that’s 3km away from Oza Community, where the health centre for women and children is located. There my mother told me that when she was having signs of labour delivery, she got to know the maternity; and she narrated this story to me when I was laying the foundation of my house at the community. So I was born in the village and by the grace of God, my house quarter is today named after my mother (Mrs Imalele Osifo) at Uvbenisi rural community, a community which believes in ethics and moral uprightness; although there are no written laws and principles but the people are principled and conscious of being upright in deeds and moral modesty. For example, most of us are predominantly farmers who have different yam barns in the farms with no wires, guards, no protectors, the yams are seen the way they were left behind, hunters set traps for animals, when animals are caught in the traps, it’s a custom and morally right to remove it and take it to the owner of the trap, but when you don’t know the owner, you dare not go near it. So essentially, you don’t take what doesn’t belongs to you. This is a practical orientations I had right from my youth till growing up to this level. Again cooperative and communal ways of living was highly valued; for example when one wants to build a house in those days, people in the community came together and join hands in form of community efforts to assisting and supporting in the building. Celebrations were made, they would cook and eat together. Foods, drinks, including palm wine, hot drinks and different types of liquors. This is called communal way of living; so as a young boy, growing up in the village was something beautiful with cooperations in farming relationships. When it’s your turn, all participatory members joined hands to work for Mr. A and when it’s the turn of another, they will do same without defaults even when there was no written agreement. So in such community, people are conscious of ethics, principles and morality.

My motivation and inspiration to be the next Governor of Edo state

That was why I spend time to enumerate my background and upbringing through orientation of fearing God and be brothers keeper and to respect men. So my motivation as I earlier said comes from my background, family values and virtues. Besides, sometimes it comes as a surprise when people make governance to look like a very complex institution; if you have any orientation where you fear God, respect men, then you will be conscious of the rule of law. So in summary, incarceration of the principles of the rule of law; when you do things according to the laws of the state and society; when you do that, you will experience peaceful, hopeful and prosperous society. So my motivation comes from fearing God, respect men and be brothers keeper; that’s why the theme of our campaign in All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA), is ‘Edo for Democracy”. We chose that theme because right now, there’s no democracy in Edo state, and what’s democracy? It’s simply a system of government that’s adherence to the rule of law. By this, it’s now cleared that government is not someone’s personal property, and we should see ourselves as subservients to the people that elected us into offices. You will fear God, respect men, and by so doing, you will experience prosperous and peaceful administration. I want to prove to Edo people that it’s possible to have democracy and Governor that fears God and respect men.

My chances and challenges

My chances are very bright; as you know that when you are contesting for an election, it’s the electorate that decides who governs them and that’s why we are appealing to the people like you especially being fourth estate of the realm, civil servants, civil society organizations, public servants, market men and women, artisans, pensioners, students, traders, university teachers, primary and secondary school teachers, drivers, and the rest. The position of the governor is not decided by any politician and a political party, but it’s the people that decides. The time has come to stop pretending that miracles is going to happen to any political party; it’s not a business as usual for any governor to just sit down and nominate someone to succeed him. It’s not going to work that way to determine who govern Edo people, rather it’s the business of the people, everybody must chest out, everybody must come out to decide who govern them. Right now, we have almost 2.6 million eligible voters and going by INEC register, 60 percent of this number can clearly shows simple majority and a million people can determine what’s good for them. Before casting their votes, they should look at the candidates, their backgrounds, their training, their knowledge, and let no one deceive them that it’s a political party that gives the best candidate, but rather they look at the pedigree, antecedents and character of the candidate. I’m pleading with my Edo people to ignore those politicians who comes to tell them that they have a whole community in their pockets, lo and behold to determine their future. On election day which is September 21, I want Edo people to come out enmass to vote for me; they should vote APGA.
Secondly, the challenges are enormous but they are not insurmountable; they’re solvable. Through my character and orientation that I have from my humble beginning, and as a university teacher, a researcher and a farmer; my people always say that ‘A child that has no shame should not be sent for an errand”. Inline with the Constitution of Nigeria, it’s not difficult to prove to Edo people about governance; as a young man, having been elected twice as chairman of a local government council (Uhunwode), I can attest to you that the different between a chairman and a governor is their scopes of work; it’s the same work because that of the governor is similar to that of the president too. So, as a chairman of a council who have been elected twice, I have also worked as a chief of staff to a short administration of an erudite scholar, Professor Oserheimen Osunbor who demonstrated in a short while that as a governor, you can fear God, respect men and I’m very proud with my CV that we can still have a governor with a sound growing background, character and integrity and still remain a brother’s keeper. Above all, my exposure in public and private sectors have proven that the time has come for me to build on this foundation of our former governor, Prof Oserheimen Osunbor. So in summary the principle of governance is based on the true democracy. So, I’m not pessimistic by the challenges because it’s the normal environmental factor; the so-called big political parties. Most interviews I had attended, the people continue to ask me “look Isaiah Usifo, you’re a good man but what’s the size of your party and how deeply is your pocket”? Considering the moneybag politics of Nigeria nowadays, and I continue to tell them that since you know that I’m a great man, you help me to spread the gospel to the people that I’m the best candidate despite all these aforementioned challenges. We all can do it, not necessarily because of the financial aspects of it but the character and conduct of the person involves matters. But interestingly, majority of the people don’t go for money; for example, during the 2023 presidential election in Nigeria, in Edo state and so many other states, you could remember the way people voted for Peter Obi. They desired changes hence they came out massively and voted for Peter Obi. So Edo people can replicate same on September 21, by shunning the moneybags and go for the best. Peter Obi did not give anyone Kobo; it’s my wish for Edo people to equally do same by voting APGA. Labour Party then was not too known unlike other so called big parties; so they didn’t go for Labour Party but the precedents of the candidate, Peter Obi. So, by the special grace of God, come September 21, I will emerge as the winner, regardless of the size of my party and financial muscles too.

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