 Welcome back. Governorship aspirants on the platform of the All Progressives Congress in River State have signed a peace accord agreeing to support any one of them that emerges as the party's governorship flag there. The aspirants in a communique issued at the end of their meeting in Port Hackett, the River State Capitol, on Monday, said they have resolved to collapse their political structures in favor of any one of them that secures the party's governorship ticket. They also resolved to zone the seat of a governorship to the River and Ejo area of the state. Joining us to discuss this is Chief 10 of the All Progressives Congress in River State. Honorable Golden Chilma, good evening to you. Thank you very much for your time. Good evening. All right. As a member of the party, the All Progressives Congress and a Chief 10 of that party, what are your, what's your reaction to the news that the aspirants for the position of flag bearer or governor on the platform of your party have zoned the governorship ticket to the River and Ejo on their own? It has not zoned by anybody. The party has not zoned the office. And the last time the office was zoned was in 2014. And it was zoned to the River Southeast. And it has not changed at this time. So what am I aware of is that the senatorial zone, the River Southeast, is supposed to produce the governor. In that same senatorial zone, we have the Ejo element also and we have the Ogonis. So that senatorial zone should produce and that is the zoning I'm aware of that was done in 2014. And since then, no governor have come from that zone since 1999. That's talking about the River Southeast. Yes. Okay. So are you not aware of the meeting by these governorship aspirants? And the statement was signed by Dawari George. Yes, I'm aware of it because it's not so immediate in the news, but let me explain to you what you saw was an amalgamation of people who are scared of Senator Magnus Ade, who is supposed to come from the River Southeast because of his candidature. The benefactor of all those you saw single-handedly did say that he was zoning it unilaterally with a consultation with anybody that it will go to the riverine, which is now, which means now that all parts of the state, including the senatorial zones that have produced governor before are up for it, leaving an entire senatorial zone that will produce the governor. For me, it will not hold water, but they have the right to so claim, to so agree that if they have, if any of them becomes the candidate, that they would collapse their structures right now the structures they have, apart from one or two of them, the rest do not have any structure. So we're looking at you saying it's based, are you saying the zoning formula, even if it's unwritten in River State, is based on a senatorial district arrangement, or because I know of the upline riverine arrangement, some call it dichotomy in River State, having worked there for 10 years, should it not be an upline riverine thing? Yes, and Kofi, the state right now, the issue of riverine and upland is no longer tenable. There is virtually no part of river state that car cannot get to. Prior to now, we used to say that the riverine people have to go to water side before you have to get to body water side, for you to get to body. But as I speak with you now, the road leading to burning is 95% complete there. Cards get to people. So there's no longer the issue of riverine and upland dichotomy. We are all reverse people. If we want to say that ethnicity should be the brain of distribution of offices, then we'll know about that. In 1999, it went to the other senatorial zone, where the Canabaris belong to. In 2007, it came to my senatorial zone, where the Ocricas belong to. And the means of transportation went. Now it's supposed to go to the other senatorial zone, the River Southeast. And let me tell you, in 2014, when it was properly zoned to the River Southeast, it was between two candidates. Senator Magnus, Abbey, and right there, both of them qualified because they come from the senatorial zone. And it was between both of them. But just because of the fact that Senator Magnus has gone forward to tell the whole world that he's competent and capable for the office, which they are all aware, the reason why they are trying to microzone it to the adjourned stock is only to deny a competent, capable individual from aspiring for the office. That's the only thing. But Senator Magnus, Abbey, you know, does even have an aspiration to be the next governor of riverside, to vie for the position of governor on the platform of the APC. Because when I checked, his name was not on the attendance register of that meeting. Yes. Just as I said, the meeting was called by the other faction of the All Progressive Congress in Riverside. And if you also look at the people that signed that list, they all share the same benefactor, the right honorable, typical to their mission. And what they are expousing that letter is to say that they are loyal and subservient to their benefactor. And that I give to them. Okay. And I'm very aware that Senator Magnus Abbey is a man aspiring to lead riverside on his own accord, based on his competence. So if he aspires to lead riverside, will it be fair? Because of course we know that there's been some sort of division in the party. Will it be fair to say that all those who are aspiring, you know, the likes of Tonya Cole, the likes of the Kukupireside, the likes of Dawaari George, the likes of the former chairman of the APC in Riverside, and former chairman of the Saratura local government area. And cool. Will it be fair to say that they, you know, loyal to Rotimi and Mechi, when in times past, we know that the APC in Riverside would have had one candidate, you know, one person and all of them would, that's a consensus candidate. You rightly said in 2015, it was the Kukupireside in 2019, it was Tonya Cole. And this time around we've seen that as many as 10 of them have come out. So that shows, doesn't that show that there is some sort of freedom and that not one person is being dictated to push forward, rather, as the consensus candidate? I'm of the opinion that all those you saw, all those who signed that paper, derived their powers from right from them, which will go to Mechi. I don't think, except one or two of them, that has the zeal and capacity to claim, to want it to contest on his own accord. Apart from that, the rest of them are hinging on the wings of the aprons of the minister. And I am saying that we have passed that level. In the state, we are the position party. We need a credible and competent candidate to face the party in the state. It is no longer the issue where we're supposed to say that I have united one person. We want people to aspire. We want people to show their capacity to take in off the mantle of leadership. I wish them well in their endeavors. But I'm only saying that what you have seen there is a connoveration of those loyal to the minister. But I also want to disagree with you. In 2019, it was not to echo because the APC was also not on the ballot. But the APC had two power congresses. One produced Syleto Madus Abbey, the director and the other one, the indirect one, produced to echo. Unfortunately, they cut the title otherwise and we didn't have a candidate. But for you to say that in 2019, no, the party was not on the ballot in 2019. I wouldn't want us to go into that because I think that is what is under the bridge now. But I also want to go through the names of those who were at that meeting. I was actually judge Tolofari, I was trying to refer to. But the names there include Prince Tonya Prensel, who you know very well, Dr. de Cucupideside. That's number two. Dr. de Cucupideside, number three. Who you just talked about. Number four. You have Honorable Ojukai Flagga Makri, number six. That's number seven. You have Honorable Ibinabo Michael West, number eight. And then, of course, the final one is Chief Francis Adder. So if these are the candidates of the All Progressive Congress or the aspirants, why wasn't Magnus Abe at that meeting? Bearing in mind, we have one chairman of the APC. We have one APC now in River State United under one chairman. Hello. Kofi. Yes. Kofi, you're making statements. I wouldn't want to join issues with you. I've heard you have allowed those controversial aspects outside this interview, but let me tell you one or two things. Senator Magnus Abe, I'm not speaking for him anyway. Maybe he wasn't invited. Two, he is nuts. He is nuts. The protégé of the Minister for Transportation. Just as I've said, all those there draw their influence or their support from the minister. Now, for the names you read out there, you will find out that there's a common denominator. They will claim to come from the INC part of River State. That I give to them. But the election we're talking about will not be decided by the INC part of River State alone. So it comes to the fact that we have senatorial zones already, which could be referred to as administrative conveniences. And let me tell you, all aspects or all parts of the senatorial zone reverses have revered elements if you want to go to that. So this zone we are talking about is the reverse that has all produced the governor. And that is where the governor should come from. Anybody from that senatorial zone is qualified by me. All right. How about the fact that you've had, if you go back to, you've talked about senatorial zoning, but if you go back to the upland riverine zoning, yes, I know you said, you know, you can now drive a car to Opobo. But we all know that Opobo is still the so-called upline or the Ijeo rivers. If you want to call it that, we're talking about places like over 10 local government areas. Andoni local government area. Opobo and Koro local government area. Boni local government area. Ocrica local government area. Ogubolo local government area. You know, we have a Saratoro, Degema, Ako Kutoru, and Dabua dual. Even Podhakot South is what they call it. We've had people from the so-called upland parts of river state in power for, this will be 16 years. Honorable Chairman, this will be 16 years. So would you prefer to allow a so-called... 20 years. 20 years, okay. Would it be fair to allow a so-called maybe senatorial zoning where possibly an upland person will still become governor? Yes. In a state where the Ijeo rivers people control, like you said, INC, National Congress, control about 10, not less than 10 local government areas. Ofi, politics is all about numbers. Let us now reduce this thing to issue of ethnicity. I come from a chair local government area. And in the last 21 years, if I'm not mistaken, my ethnic group has gone to the Senate. What we are talking about here has to do with the governor of river states. Everybody is eminently qualified, irrespective of your ethnic grouping. In 1999, the Benicio Ijeo Carrera lost the governorship with whiskers. Who would have been the governor of river states? It has nothing to do with where he comes from. Let us fair to ourselves. A Benicio Ijeo Carrera would have been the governor in 1999. Dr. Odi Lee, who became the governor in 1999, was from a minute ethnic group if we want to put it that way. He's a minority in the local government, which is our Niagara. His ethnicity or his ethnic group is a minority in that local government. As he became the governor in 1999, he has nothing to do with your local government. He has nothing to do with your population spread. In 1999, I also lost in the political intrigues to Dr. Odi Lee. What I'm trying to explain to you, Ofi, we should not reduce our governorship position to ethnic space. I don't agree with anybody. Even the fact that the People's Democratic Party has names like the current secretary to the state government, has names like current special assistant to the governor on projects Dax, George Kelly and so on and so forth. These are the names being peddled. It seems the PDP might be tending towards an agile candidate. Should that not even be an indication of this? I'm confident to you. I'm not a member of the People's Democratic Party, but I'm very aware that the PDP is waiting for who clenches the ticket in APC. If the APC makes a decision to give it to the equity stock, PDP will be running down to get an equity candidate. River State is an APC state. We mishandled our opportunities in 2014 and 2019, not to be in charge of the state. As I speak with you, all the names you have mentioned in the PDP are because of the fact that they are of the opinion that because of the position of the Honourable Minister for Transportation that the party may be looking towards that angle. So they are also going there. But I do not want to join issues with them. I wish there were. But I want to tell you that the party APC will do the right thing at this point. We need to be in government in 2023. We can't afford to be out of government for another eight years. You are confirming that the APC is together united under one chairman and one leadership? You are raising issues I also do not want to answer, but let me answer you because you have brought it up for the second time. The party at the National Government is a member of the APC and that we must all agree. They have recognized my friend on the other side as a chairman. That does not mean we do not exist. We are still a faction. We still maintain our faction. We still strive to make each other. Honourable Chairman, who is your chairman as a member of the APC in River State? Thank you very much. Thank you again Thank you.