Honourable Paschal Ugbome submitted his Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Senatorial Nomination Form for the Edo North Senatorial District election on Saturday, April 9, 2022.

After submitting his forms, the former Chief Whip of the Edo State House of Assembly and Chairman of Etsako Central Local Government Area spoke to some members of the FCT Online Publishers in Abuja.

Question: Honourable Paschal Ugbome, you just submitted your party’s Expression of Interest and Senatorial Nomination Forms. Assuming you get your party’s ticket and win the senatorial seat, what should your constituents expect from you?

Hon. Paschal Ugbome: Thank you very much, Nigeria is not working and we just can’t fold our arms and continue to complain. With the situation and challenges that have arisen, every right thinking person will want to get involved and find solutions. It is a terrible situation of poverty and insecurity, life has lost its meaning.

I see my going to the Senate as an opportunity to team up with other like minds so that we can rescue Nigeria. It’s the only country we have, we need to rescue this country, make good laws, make policies, assist the executive to initiate programs that will help to secure this country. Essentially that is the essence of government, to secure the lives and properties of its citizenry. By being at the Senate, I will thereafter be the voice of the Afemai people at the Red Chambers to ensure that governance is brought to the doorsteps of my people and are made to feel they are a part of Nigeria and as we fight Insecurity, fight poverty and hunger at the national level, we will cascade it down to our Senatorial District to ensure that our people sleep with their two eyes closed. It is pathetic, it is troubling that right now, you can't even go home, the farmers cannot even go to the farm. My Senatorial District is essentially agrarian. There can’t be food security when there is no farmers' security.

Do you think that Nigeria is heading for a Famine?

Yes, we are heading for Famine and that will even compound the security situation. Right now we have a situation where we are talking of external aggression, when there is now Famine, it means there will now be insecurity arising like an insurrection/uprising from within the ranks of the people and then it becomes an explosion.

How do you see your role in the Senate within a democratic polity?

I see the Senate as an opportunity to use the law as an instrument of creating a descent society for our people and helping to create policies, network institutions and see how we can bring to bear, activities that can uplift my people of Edo North.

These are the things that we are looking forward to doing at the Senate and I have the experience and pedigree, I've been a member of the State House of Assembly, I was Chief Whip of the House of Assembly, I was a Council Chairman, I have tested both executive and legislative functions and responsibilities, I am there with our people, I know what they feel. I know the degree of youth unemployment is terrible. We need to be able to change the mindset of our people and bring them up to speed with developments in the world. The world has moved, the world has gone digital, our people need to be digitally reawakened so that we can become players in the global digital market place.

From Fugar, Ekperi, Avbiosi, Igara, Ihievbe, Anegbette, Auchi, Agenebode,Jattu you can be a big player in the digital market and make big money. Our people just need somebody to point the direction and show them the way, rather than to resort to criminality, banditry or throw their hands up in the air in resignation. We are going to help our people to unlock the innate abilities that God has given to them.

So essentially, I pay respect to my predecessors, those who have had the responsibility in the past and even the incumbent, they've done their best, it's time for us to change the roles, you cannot do the same things over and over again and expect different results.

Given the spate of reckless killing of our citizens across the country and the apparent inability of the federal government to take control of the situation, what will you do if you are elected to the Senate with regards to the right to life and self defense of our citizen by bearing fire arms after all due security checks and balances have been put in place for the purpose of self defense, especially in areas where our defense forces are absent?

You have said it all. I believe in it as it obtains in advanced countries. People should be allowed to bear arms. Our people must not be consigned to a life of perpetual fear. Terror should be balanced. If I have an assault weapon and you have an Assault weapon, and you are coming to my house to attack me, you will think twice. There must be respect.

What is happening now is that, it now pays to be lawless, if you are bold to challenge the law you rule. Those who are respecting the law are the ones who are now victims. So let’s liberalise the right and let everybody bear arms like you said, after going through due security checks as it happens in advanced countries and you will see that Insecurity will be minimized.

Of course, I support State Policing. The Vigilante should be further revolutionized and better equipped. We need to bring everything down! I believe in True Federalism, let us have Local Police, let the Vigilante be transformed into Local Government Police, then you have State Police, Federal Police, and let each individual who can and has met stipulated requirements, bear arms. I assure you that this whole thing automatically will be checked.

Do you have a slogan for your Campaign?

Yes, I do. I come in with a breath of fresh air and my slogan for this election goes like this: When I say Ominimini, you say, Breath of Fresh Air!

Ominimini!! Breath of fresh air!!! Cho! Cho! Cho! Cho!

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