The Labour Party candidate who won the Enugu North/South federal constituency seat at the House of Representatives, Mr Chimaobi Sam Atu, tells RAPHAEL EDE about his victory and what his constituents should expect
You defeated an incumbent member who has been at the House of Representatives for three terms; did you see it coming that you would win the election?
I believe in what God can do and the change that the people clamoured for because we need a change in our politics and our environment. So, I saw it coming. I can only say it is God, the giver of every good thing. Secondly, I have a record of the things I have done before now. I have given scholarships to people and I helped people in my little way. In Ugwuaji, my community, I made sure more people were connected to the national grid. I think the impacts I have been able to make were part of what gave me an edge over the current representative.
There were reports that you were a bus driver and vigilante in your community before the election, how true is that, and for long have you been doing those jobs?
I have never been a bus driver. I attended Special Science School, Ihe. From there, I went to Enugu State University of Science and Technology, where I studied Industrial Chemistry. After my graduation, I had the National Youth Service Corps programme in Ekiti State, and my place of primary assignment was Ikere-Ekiti. I served in a Grammar School and after that I got a job at United Geophysical Nigeria limited. I worked as a zonal manager and after some time, I resigned and opened my own company, a real estate company. That was about eight years ago.
What motivated you to contest the Reps seat?
One was the yearnings of my people, who don’t have social amenities, employment, scholarship and infrastructure. There is no pipe-borne water, electricity or government presence in our area. The best thing I could do was to join politics to help my people. In my place, there is no government hospital. You could visit Ugwu-Agba or Akwuke in Enugu South Local Government Area to see things for yourself. Talk about Ngwo people or Iva Valley, they don’t have social amenities but they have people representing them in the national and state assemblies. You move around the streets, you see children hawking pure water and other things. They don’t go to school because they can’t afford it.
What are the specific things your constituents should expect during your term?
Their voice must be heard in the National Assembly and the country. Secondly, I must make sure that all the campaign promises I made to them are fulfilled, by God’s grace.
There are people who believe that those who won elections in the Labour Party, especially in places that used to be PDP and APC strongholds, should be grateful to Peter Obi and the Labour Party, what do you make of that?
Yes, I am grateful to Peter Obi and the Labour Party. LP provided us a platform even with money and we rode to victory on the credibility of Peter Obi, our presidential candidate. The Labour Party is just a vehicle carrying every one of us, and we contributed in one way or the other to make sure that success was achieved. You know in the field of play, you have 11 players and they don’t play the same thing. Peter Obi is playing his own while we were there playing our own but then he is our leader, and we look up to him as our leader.
Do you think the Labour Party can replicate that victory in the governorship and House of Assembly elections?
Yes, I hope so. We are also campaigning for those whose elections have yet to be held. Labour Party members are tested and trusted. Our governorship candidate, Barrister Chijioke Edeoga, has his track record and he has been in the National Assembly. He has no corruption case against him. Nobody has accused him of embezzlement of public funds, not even in his community. He has not cheated his people and he has delivered so many good things to them. He was at a time the chairman of Isiuzo Local Government Area. Interestingly, people gave him a title, ‘oka-ome’ meaning “any time he makes a promise, he fulfills it”. I believe he will win the election because he is a good man. The House of Assembly candidates are all a wonderful set of people and I know they will defeat their opponents.
Some people have alleged that some of those who won elections on LP platform might dump the party for the bigger All Progressives Congress or Peoples Democratic Party, is there the possibility of you defecting from LP someday?
Since I won on the platform of the Labour Party, how can I dump the party that produced me? No, I can’t. Rather I will make more efforts to make sure that if there is any place the party is not doing well, I will make it right so that more people will buy into our mantra that a new Nigeria is possible. It won’t be by jumping from one political party to the other. We maintain our ideology to be the new face of Nigeria politics. So I’m not thinking of leaving the Labour Party for any other party because no party is like the Labour Party.
One of the senatorial candidates of your party was assassinated 72 hours to the election, do you think it was politically motivated?
It is so sad and worrisome that our state has been turned to this. I believe the security agencies will do their job. Anybody or group of people involved in those brutal killings will not go scot-free. I know the security agencies will surely catch them. It is so painful that such a man, a former chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association, can be violently killed in such a manner and in his own state and the state is not bothered.
In your first four years in the House, what would you want to be remembered for?
I want to be remembered for good work, I want to keep a legacy that tomorrow anybody that will come after me will know that indeed, this man really represented us and my people will be very happy with me. I must make a statement at the National Assembly, in my constituency and Nigeria in general.
There are accusations and counter accusations about plans to rig the election, what are your thoughts on that?
They have been going around threatening our members and the Obidient Movement that if they don’t vote for the PDP they will deal with them. They brag openly that they are the government in power in Enugu State and they have all the machinery. I am calling on the presidency and security agencies to come to the aid of the Labour Party in Enugu State. These things are coming back because INEC failed in fulfilling its guidelines in the conduct of the last election and now the politicians have found loopholes to rig elections and they will ask you to go to court. How much will people be paid to destroy their future? People need to be allowed to elect their leaders not by using intimidation. The Labour Party stands for justice and equity, when the National Assembly is inaugurated, we will take steps to make sure that election protocol is not compromised because if the foundation is not strong, there is no way the building will stand firm. I will liaise with other Labour Party members so we can push for this, to make sure that the electoral process is not compromised. I will sponsor a bill in that direction.
