Yesterday, Friday, December 15, 2017, Yul Edochie, Nollywood actor turned politician, dumped the Democratic Peoples Congress (DPC), where he had against all odds, contested during the Anambra governorship election and moved on to APGA, the winning team in the State. In this exclusive Interview with Kemi Filani Blog, Edochie, a movie star from Nteje village in Oyi local government area of Anambra, revealed why he got only 145 votes, how he was betrayed 3 days to the election, his pains, gains and more.
Excerpts;
How was the whole election process?
Thank you. First let me congratulate Governor Willie Obiano on his victory at the polls.
The process was a fulfilling one. Stressful but I would do it all over again for the good of the people, the youths.
Did you start losing hope at a point?
I never lost hope till the end.
When the results were announced what was your immediate reactions?
No one likes losing certainly, but I thanked God for the experience and keeping me alive all through and I moved on quickly.
You conceded to defeat so easily and congratulated the governor, did you see it coming?
Yes! I think I saw it coming towards the end. 3 days to election some of my party members went to pay allegiance to another party, accepted money from them and said that i had stepped down. Which they didn’t discuss with me before doing. And it went viral. I did a video to counter that. But the propaganda had spread so quickly and my supporters thought I had stepped down.
But I hold nothing against anyone, its all politics.
Have you dreamed or pictured yourself in the government house?
Yes! I pictured myself being in a capacity to give the people good governance.
Now that you had a little bit of experience, will you try House of Assemblies?
House of assembly? I don’t know yet.
Are you currently eyeing any political office, like speculated?
No! I’m not eyeing any political office. I’m concentrating on rendering my service to the people and government of Anambra in any way I can to ensure a better life for my people.
Do you have regrets venturing into politics?
No regrets at all. I’m happy i ventured into it and i have come to stay in politics. And i urge more Nigerian youths to come into politics. We all need to know how our state and country is being run and make contributions. If you are not part of the solution then you are part of the problem. 95% of the people in Nigerian politics are there to grab money, they dont care about giving the people good governance. So if we keep waiting for them to change things then we are wasting our time. We need more good people of integrity to come in and kick start the real change we want.
Would you say its a wasted efforts?
No! It wasnt a wasted effort at all. I gained so much experience which I couldnt have gotten elsewhere. It brought me closer to the people and i witnessed various problems which different communities in Anambra are facing. Through me their voices will be heard.
So, what’s next for you?
As time goes on I’ll figure out what next for me.
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How has this affected your acting career?
Well, I left acting and directing for months to achieve this. And a lot of my people missed me. I missed them too. I’ll be back.
How were you even able to joggle the two?
I dropped movies and concentrated on politics.
How did your family cope during the long absence?
My family coped well.
Your Father, Pete Edochie, what was his role in all of these?
My father just encouraged me.
People were saying not even your parents or brothers voted for you, how true is that?
Not true. My people voted. It was the whole propaganda of me stepping down that reduced my votes because a lot of my supporters believed I had stepped down.
Your colleagues didn’t give you support, even at the tail end of the campaign, didn’t you carry them along?
I carried my colleagues along as much as I could. Of course I wouldn’t force anyone to support me. Its their choice. I have nothing against anyone.
Whats the true story behind the Channels Debate?
About the channels debate I wasn’t invited. Which isn’t nice, because a young man who defied all odds to run for governor at 35, without sponsors or godfathers deserves to be heard. I attended the two debates that were held before the channels one and many of the candidates in the big parties did not attend.
It was said that you couldn’t raise the N1.8m they had requested, true?
Well, nobody asked me to pay 1.8m. If they asked them to pay then its a shame because it shouldn’t be so. Candidates are not supposed to pay money to be heard.
What has all these taught you about life?
It made me stronger as a person.
Should we expect a Nollywood movie detailing your experiences during the campaign?
No. I’m not doing a movie about my experience.
What did you miss while you were running around during the campaign?
I missed my family and my Nollywood family as well.
-nairaland
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