Nicolas Mshelizza
Mr. Nicolas Mshelizza, a senatorial aspirant was a special assistant to Ambassador Babagana Kingibe, former Secretary to the Government of the Federation. He is aspiring to represent Southern Borno on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and spoke in an interview on his plans and programmes. Excerpts:
WHAT informed your decision to join the race?
My motivation to go to the Senate is to bring about change and good governance and to add value to legislation at the national level.
Secondly, I am also motivated to ensure equity and fairness in distribution of political office through this aspiration in the state and Borno South in particular. What do I mean by that? In times past we have not been having equity and fairness in the distribution of political office. We had a situation since the inception of democracy where the deputy governor has been coming permanently from Biu and Senate from Gwoza.
This has not been enshrined in the constitution or they have not been any zoning arrangement entered into by the respective local government people of the area. If you notice since the inception of democracy Gwoza has produced senators and House of Representatives from even just one ward or clan, the Hambagda clan, you find out that Maiduguri Metropolitan Council or the city had produced governors and senators since the inception of democracy.
So it is not out of place for a Senator to come out from Hawul and deputy from other local governments in Biu emirate. Apart from this you find out that there are some local governments that were not given their share of consideration such as Chibok, Kwaya-Kusar. Bayo, Askira/Uba and Shani, yet they are part of Borno South or are supposed to be.
So there is general yearning from our people that we should try Senate and by doing that no one is saying that deputy governor should not come from Biu, no we are not saying that. Politics is a game of numbers and democracy has a system through which it evolves. There should be level playing ground for everybody to go either through primaries or consensus and whoever emerges should go for election.
Given the popularity of the incumbent, Senator Ali Ndume, do you think you have the capacity to defeat him?
In fact if it were to be any other candidate apart from him I would have been scared, more scared that I am now but with him I will have a smooth ride. Let him come out and show us the projects he has done or attracted, and then we will tell him they are not from him. Projects are supposed to be physical things that can be seen or felt, where are those projects we want to see? I don’t want go into issues. He was chairman of the Senate committee on MDG and by now we should be counting 1000 boreholes in Borno South because part of the primary roles of the MDG is to bring projects to communities, so where are the boreholes? So we will campaign on issues.
Do you think the PDP has the capacity to remove the incumbent APC administration?
Yes, the PDP has more than what it takes to unseat the APC government.
What is your advice to the people of Southern Borno senatorial district?
Finally, my advice to the people of Southern Borno is that they should not be cowed or intimidated into submission because of stipends, they should rather look out for credible candidates that will also take the interest of the zone at heart if eventually they win.
They should not go for the benefit of the moment but rather look for the benefit of the future, because that is the one that their children and coming generations will enjoy.
We should look for those that will leave a good legacy for us. We should not worry because we have been beaten.
Some of us are not going into this contest because of selfish interests but for the interest of the region. So whoever is going to this contest for his personal interest should not be considered as somebody worthy of their votes.
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