Prof. Rufai Ahmed Alkali is the National Chairman of the New Nigerian Peoples’ Party (NNPP). In this interview with reporters in Lagos, he speaks on the issues that will shape next year’s general election and what his party intends to do to be on the winning side during the contest. EMMANUEL BADEJO reports
What informed your visit to Lagos?
We came to Lagos to meet the media, as we prepare for next year’s landmark election. The direction and outcome of this election may either make or mar the country. We came to appeal to you (the media) as stakeholders to play your role as the fourth estate of the realm to help in the building of this country. Historically, every election or transition comes with its challenges, including fear, trepidation, uncertainty and the like. But, as the fourth estate of the realm, you know what it means to stabilize the country. We are also here to give you a better understanding of our party so that you can assist us to achieve our ultimate goal.
But, are you not bothered by the perception that the NNPP is a regional party?
No, it is not. The NNPP project is not a personal or individual matter; it is not an ethnic, religious, or regional matter. It is a Nigerian project. The NNPP’s emergence is similar to that of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) in 1998. The PDP eventually became a phenomenon and went on to win the presidential election in 1999. Its emergence is also synonymous with that of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2013, with a mantra of change. The APC also went ahead to defeat the ruling party in 2015. Now, Nigerians are looking for alternatives and the NNPP has come to provide that alternative.
Given the short time between now and next year’s general elections, do you see the NNPP making any meaningful impact that would sway the electorates to vote for the party?
First and foremost, let’s ask ourselves, are we happy with the current state of affairs in the country today? Are we happy with what the PDP has done or what the APC doing, especially in the management of security, economy, education, healthcare, infrastructure and interpersonal relations among Nigerians? If we are happy, then we don’t need an alternative. But, if we are not, then we need an alternative. An alternative does not come to stay without the efforts of patriotic Nigerians who will stand up to say, enough is enough. So, there is nothing strange about the formation of the NNPP. If you remember, the APC came to be in less than a year before the election and it went on to win the election. So, it is the people that make up the party and not the other way. Therefore, our party is coming into the scene at the right time.
What gives you the impression that Nigerians will give the NNPP a chance?
Nigerians have come to some kind of consensus. The first is that they love democracy and freedom. Secondly, they want good governance; a government that is accountable and inclusive. Nigerians want leaders with integrity; leaders who know their worth and whose words are their bonds. We all agree that Nigerians look toward a better future. There is also the consensus that we have the material resources and the human resources with the educational attainment to turn things around for the better. Another consensus is that Nigerians are disappointed with what has been offered to them in the past 22 years. There is a consensus that Nigerians are losing hope in themselves and in democracy itself. This has contributed to the voter apathy experienced in recent times. It is the mindset and determination to solve these problems that led to the formation of the NNPP. I can tell you that though the journey has been challenging, it has been good so far.
Political parties in Nigeria have been accused of a lack of ideologies. What is the ideology of the NNPP?
Anybody who says there is a political party without an ideology is not telling you the truth. This is because the lack of ideology in itself is ideology. Yes, for you to say you are travelling from Lagos to Abuja without any goal in mind is something out of place. Every political party is driven by ideas. But, in Nigeria, unfortunately for us, any political party that talks about a free market economy will draw the attention of Nigerians. This is so because Nigerians like marketing and business generally. For the NNPP, whatever happens in Nigeria, we believe that every man and every woman is at the centre of our problem and that is our ideology. We are not saying we are socialist but within the context of the liberal school. Whatever the case may be, the NNPP cannot abandon Nigerians. Nigerians want to know how we can boost education, the healthcare system, pressure on housing and other issues. Yes, the campaign has not started, so we can not be mentioning specifics. But, the best way to describe us is that we are social democrats. For us, democracy must go beyond elections.
There are speculations that your party is planning to merge with one of the leading political parties. How true is this?
First, there are three levels or more where political parties grow and expand. We have membership growth. We have support from others and merger. But, going by the regulations of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), all mergers have been concluded since March. So, the rumour of a merger does not have a place unless, of course, a political party collapses its structures into that of another party without necessarily going through the normal processes of sharing formulae. The second one is what we call a coalition. This is common under the parliamentary system of government like we have in Britain. This does not exist in a presidential system, which Nigeria practices. What we are left with now are alliances. This is a situation where one or more political parties can decide to form partnerships and relationships. This can be done either before or after the nomination of candidates. It can also be done before or after elections. An alliance can be done either at the presidential or the governorship level. Historically, at the regional level, Nigeria is usually a one-party state but at the federal level, we talk about multi-party democracy. The point is that the NNPP is open to discussions. As we speak, conversions are ongoing in that regard. However, these discussions are based on our understanding, political ideologies and principles that we share; they understand the areas of our objectives. But, what is happening is that some political parties are sophisticated in propaganda. They don’t want to give, but they want to take. They invite you for a merger but have no intention of consummating it. In as much as a party has registered with the INEC, even if it has 10,000 members, it is equal to another party that has 10 million members before the law and politically too. This is so because a smaller political party can grow bigger at any point. Any political party that wishes to deal with the NNPP should do so on an equal partnership basis. The other one is that some negotiators try to use the media for negotiation. Any political party that wishes to deal with the NNPP should do so on an equal partnership basis. The other one is that some negotiators try to use the media for negotiation. They go to the pages of the newspapers to announce that they’re meeting with some parties when they have not even started talking. We, in the NNPP, are very serious people and we are ready for engagement but we can’t be intimidated by any political party. Our objective is to bring genuine change to this country
In your view, how will the exit of former Kano State Governor Ibrahim Shekarau affect the chances of your party in next year’s election?
He is a leader and an elder having served in various capacities. What we can say about his exit from our party is that we respect his judgment and we won’t allow ourselves to be drawn into any unnecessary controversy. We know that he is a person that believes in a better country and we respect his decision.
One of the challenges the nation is contending with at the moment is that of unemployed and restive youths. This is due to the high unemployment rate. How does the NNPP plan to address this malady?
First, I think every society that wishes to advance must invest in education. The quality of education you give to your citizens will determine how far they will go in life. Most countries of the world today that are going to the moon do that through education. Unfortunately, it is glaring that we have not taken education seriously in this country. If we must liberate this country, we must give education the attention it deserves. There is an uneven development as far as education across the country is concerned. Fortunately, some of us have been involved in this sector. Our leader, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso is a core educationist; he did so much to boost education in this country. This he has done even after he left the office as a governor. Our presidential running mate is an excellent educationist. There is no country without its economic crisis but every country has a way of resolving its crisis. Take for instance, after the Second World War the European economy was badly devastated by the Germans. Britain became extremely poor. Some economists suggested that Britain must do something if it must come out of the crisis. They advised the British government to recruit people to dig holes and the next day, engage some others to cover the holes. What does this mean? Simple, it was for the government to create all kinds of jobs. Once this is done, many of the human problems would have been attended to, as people will have the opportunity to enhance their quality of life. In summary, the government must provide jobs for the youths and other employable persons.
The issues surrounding the ASUU strike have been recurring for almost 30 years. How does the NNPP intend to handle issues that usually lead to the ASUU strike?
On ASUU, I have been an executive member of the union. In 1990 or so, we had a similar challenge and we fought against the development. Some of us nearly died in the process. The struggle then led to some initiatives that lifted our university education. ASUU focuses on three things: autonomy of the university, academic freedom and the funding of the university system. It is not enough to negotiate and agree on terms, but agreements ought to be implemented but that is not usually the case. Yes, the government has a lot of financial pressures, no doubt about that, but I think the government should act like a father, or mother to ensure that these issues are brought to a conclusion as quickly as possible. I know these issues can and should be sorted out in the interest of both the government and the people.
One of the problems the PDP is contending with now revolves around the abrogation of its power rotation arrangement. On the principle of inclusiveness and fairness, how will you describe your party?
I feel by our level of education and sophistication, we should have passed this argument. It is this issue of power sharing among the ruling elites that are causing trouble in this country. This concept should be at the bottom of our politics. Take, for instance, when people talk about Muslim-Muslim ticket, we just laugh. This is because we have never had any government that is 100 per cent Muslim or Christian. Is there any government in Nigeria today that can be made of one religious group from the military to the civilian groups? In the same way, no government in this country has and will be controlled by one ethnic or religious group. It has never happened and it will never happen. What we call this in politics is reductionism when we reduce the entire serious matter to the issue of who occupies what position just because he or she comes from a particular zone.
For us, we want the kind of leadership that people can trust; leadership that can lead this country frontally and that can deliver; inclusive leadership. So, for us, we do not see why a same-faith ticket should be an issue. It is the prerogative of the candidate to choose whoever he thinks can work with him or her. The chairman of our Board of Trustees (BoT) is from Anambra. The NNPP is a party that belongs to all Nigerians. When we talk about ethnoreligious sentiments, we are reducing serious problems to the issue of zone, tribe and religion. If we want this Nigeria to change we must move beyond this discourse.