By Jude Opara, Abuja
Ahead of the forthcoming February 21 elections into the Area Councils in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Dr. Obinna Simon, Chairmanship candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) has stated that he is not bothered by the participation of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in the election.
Simon spoke on Sunday while addressing newsmen on his readiness to clinch the coveted seat of the Chairman of the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC).
He said despite the build up by the ruling party and the efforts of the former presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 elections, Peter Obi who has been campaigning for the candidate of the ADC, he is very confident that the people are majorly with him.
“I’m not losing any sleep because it is the people that will decide who they vote for, notwithstanding who is supporting my opponents.
The election is a litmus test to what will happen in the 2027 general elections. Many of the embassies are here and they are watching. We have the constitutional rights to vote and be voted for”.
The comedian turned politician who became popular for mimicking former President Mohammadu Buhari said he has lived a very clean life based on accountability and transparency, to the extent that he has never had any brush with law enforcement agencies.
He promised to be making public the financial books of the Council every month so that it will be easy to maintain the culture of accountability.
“Now as AMAC chairman, transparency and accountability is one of my key cardinals. Many of you in the media here know I was in the comedy industry before contesting this election. You knew how popular I was in the entire country, even in the Diaspora. You also know that there have never been reported one single scandal about me. Even though what I was doing was quite sensitive, mimicking a sitting President that if you were not told, you would think he is the one. Even if I’m on phone with you, you would think that he is the one speaking to you.
“But I have never for once defrauded anyone or used the same talent to shortchange anybody. I was one of the people that DSS were watching closely, more than anybody. Every move I make, every call I make, but they have never found me wanting for one day, for that eight years”.
Simon said AMAC has enormous resources and goodwill that could catapult it to become one of the most developed Council areas in the country.
The leading candidate further stated that another area of concern to him is the state of education in the Council, a development he said is highly regrettable.
“As many of you know, I was teaching before even joining Comedy. I taught for over seven years in primary and secondary schools.
“And that is why I shed tears when I went around the schools in AMAC, even though the school where I taught was a private school. But I shed tears because I found students sitting on the bare floor receiving lessons. Who could believe that these schools are under FCT? They are under AMAC.
“And that is why even the day I made my declaration, I made it very, very clear that I will, on assuming office, I would declare state of emergency on education in AMAC. I made it very clear. It’s out there”.
He also promised to train and retrain teachers, especially those who did not graduate as education students.
On the area of security, Simon promised to work closely with the traditional rulers to curb the spate of insecurity. Police alone cannot do the job because they are overwhelmed already.
According to him, job creation will be given the attention it deserves because it is a way of curbing the high rate of insecurity in the country.
