By Chikaodi Chukwuleta
As political activities gather pace ahead of the 2027 general elections, Hon. Chukwuma Tagbo Ezike, who has emerged as the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) candidate for Anambra South Senatorial District, has outlined his plans for the district and promised to maintain direct contact with constituents if elected to the Senate.
In an exclusive interview, Ezike spoke about his approach to political representation and what he described as his “politics of accessibility”, insisting that elected representatives should remain accessible to the people after winning elections.
According to him, effective representation should involve a direct relationship between the elected representative and the people, with the concerns of constituents properly recorded, followed up and pursued rather than forgotten after an election.
Asked what gives him the confidence that he can win the election, Ezike said the mood of the electorate had changed and that many Nigerians were no longer prepared to vote simply because of financial inducements.
“We have strategies that will not give them room for rigging and manipulation,” he said. “Nigerians are tired. Nigerians are ready. Even if you give them money, they will collect your money and still vote the way they want. The consciousness has changed.”
He said voters had become more conscious of their power to determine who represents them, adding that the electorate was increasingly interested in what candidates could offer beyond campaign promises.
Ezike also linked his argument to the difficult conditions confronting many communities in Anambra South, particularly areas affected by insecurity and poor infrastructure.
“We have suffered a lot. Insecurity, poor development. People don’t live in their houses. Some have not gone home for Christmas in the last three to four years,” he said.
He questioned how politicians could expect people living under such conditions to approach elections casually, saying the concerns of the people should form the basis of political representation.
“You cannot see a man in that situation and ask him to vote carelessly. The people deserve better,” he said.
For Ezike, one of the major problems with political representation is the distance that often develops between elected officials and the electorate after elections. He said he would not want to become a politician who is difficult for the people to reach if elected to the Senate.
“I don’t want to be a politician that you cannot access. I want to practise politics of accessibility. I want 100 per cent access to me anytime. You can address me in the most humble way. Titles create a wall between me and the people,” he explained.
He said his proposed approach would allow constituents to raise their concerns directly rather than depend entirely on intermediaries before reaching their representative.
A major part of Ezike’s political message is what he calls a “Journal of Demands”, which he intends to use to record the requests and expectations of the people and keep track of issues raised during his engagement with constituents.
Ezike said he wanted voters to change the way they engage political candidates, arguing that the conversation should not only centre on what a politician intends to do but also on the specific demands of the people seeking representation.
“The wrong question is: What will you do for us? The right question is: What do you demand of me? I will bring my journal and tick it off one by one until we fulfil it. That is the contract I want with Anambra South people,” he said.
According to him, the journal would provide a simple record of the issues raised by constituents and the progress made in addressing them. He presented the idea as part of the accountability arrangement he wants to establish between himself and the people of Anambra South.
His decision to contest under the APM also formed part of the interview, with Ezike explaining why he left his former political platform.
“I left where I was because a rotten apple will make the good apple decay. I studied APM. I saw no compromise, no double standard. The people have clean records. That is why PDP members are also joining us nationwide. APM is the real thing about Nigeria today,” he said.
His comments come against the backdrop of political realignments ahead of the 2027 general elections, including reported movements of politicians and political structures from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) into the APM.
Ezike said developments within the APM were part of a wider political movement that he believes could strengthen the party ahead of the elections.
At the senatorial district level, however, he said his campaign would focus on issues affecting the people of Anambra South, particularly insecurity, development and the relationship between the people and whoever represents them at the National Assembly.
He said his interest was not simply to occupy a senatorial seat but to establish a system in which constituents could approach their representative, state what they needed and follow up on those demands.
That approach, he said, informed his decision to make the Journal of Demands a central part of his political message.
“Give me your demands,” Ezike said. “I will carry the journal and use it to keep track of the issues raised by the people of Anambra South and the progress made in addressing them.”
