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  • APC CONVENTION: Emerging face of ruling party

    As the ruling, All Progressives Congress (APC) rounds off preparations for its June 23, 2018 national convention, Associate Editor, Sam Egburonu and Assistant Editor, ‘Dare Odufowokan, report on the intrigues and issues that will shape the exercise and how they will help to evolve a new APC

    SINCE its emergence as the ruling party in 2015, many observers and stakeholders have expressed fear that All Progressives Congress (APC) may not survive an elective national convention. The anxiety is a response to the circumstances that surrounded the formation of the party, especially; the way different political forces and interest groups came together then to form the mega party shortly before the historic general election.

    Just five days away, Saturday, June 23rd, Abuja, the nation’s capital, will play host to the ruling party as it shows the world whether it is strong and resilient enough to survive the internal crises that have threatened to make its emergence on the political scene of the country short-lived. On that day, all the gladiators within the party will assemble, with many other stakeholders in attendance, to elect new leaders for the party.

    It is believed that that day, all the permutations and manipulations of the last two years, following APC’s defeat of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2015 Presidential Election and the swearing in of the current administration on May 29, 2015, will be put to rest, as the party will elect a new National Working Committee (NWC) to replace the outgoing Chief John Odigie-Oyegun-led committee.

    Contrary to anxieties earlier expressed in many quarters over the forthcoming convention, party sources say the convention is most likely to go without any rancour as several efforts have been made and are being made to ensure that all interest groups within the party are carried along in the process that will eventually produce the next national leadership of the ruling party.

    Across the country, meetings and deals continued all through the week as party chieftains reach out to various interest groups to form alliances and reach accords concerning the various party positions.

    Also, following the announcement by the party that the previous zoning arrangement that produced the current executive members will be retained, party sources said each zone are working out arrangements to further sub-zone the offices amicably.

    Zoning

    The APC 2018 National Convention Planning Committee had earlier announced positions to be contested as well as guidelines for the party’s forthcoming elective convention. In a statement issued by the former Secretary of the Committee, Senator Benjamin Uwajumogu, the National Convention Committee also revealed the zoning arrangements. The decision to retain the zoning arrangement appears a popular one as no dissenting voice has been heard since it was announced.

    According to the announcement, the Northcentral zone will produce the following positions; National Vice Chairman (North Central), National Publicity Secretary, National Women Leader, Deputy National Treasurer and Deputy National Welfare Secretary. The Northeast zone will go home with the National Secretary, National Vice Chairman (Northeast), National Youth Leader, Deputy National Auditor. Northwest will produce the Deputy National Chairman (North), National Vice Chairman (NW), National Treasurer, National Welfare Secretary, Deputy National Organising Secretary.

    Southeast zone is billed to produce the National Auditor, National Vice Chairman (SE), National Organising Secretary, Deputy National Financial Secretary, Deputy National Women Leader.

    South-south zone is to produce the National Chairman, National Vice Chairman (SS), Deputy National Secretary, Deputy National Legal Adviser, Deputy National Publicity Secretary. And the Southwest gets Deputy National Chairman (S), National Vice Chairman (SW), National Legal Adviser, National Financial Secretary, Deputy National Youth Leader,” the statement said.

    Sources within the party told The Nation that safe for a few instances where changes occurred, most of the zones have further agreed to retain the positions given them in the states where they were previously produced. “The understanding being showed by APC chieftains across the country over the positions to be contested for at the forthcoming convention is encouraging. This may have, to a very large extent, doused the worries about any form of crisis during or after the convention,’ a party leader from Lagos State said.

    Southwest

    In the southwest, reliable sources say there is the likelihood that most of the positions will be filled by unopposed candidates following an agreement reached among party leaders in the zone recently. Under the leadership of the national leader of the party, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and other leading chieftains, including state governors in the zone, stakeholders in the party are working out what may turn out to be a consensus arrangement on how the positions zoned to the region will be filled at the convention.

    For the post of Deputy National Chairman (South), barring a last minute change, former Governor of Ekiti State, Niyi Adebayo, may be looking good to clinch the position which is retained in his native Ekiti State. Party sources say all stakeholders appear unanimous in the choice of the former governor who, if elected at the convention, will be replacing another former Ekiti State governor, Segun Oni.

    Party sources however say following his loss of the APC governorship ticket in Ekiti State to Kayode Fayemi, Oni may have indicated his desire to return to the NWC. But if feelers within the ranks of party leaders are anything to go by, he may eventually be talked out of the ambition, to clear the way for the eventual emergence of his fellow Ekiti man, Adebayo.

    “Adebayo is for now the choice of most party leaders. And if it is true that Segun Oni is interested, it will be resolved the same way we have been handling the resolutions of issues that have to do with the forthcoming convention. I can beat my chest and tell you that the Southwest is going to the convention as a united house and we will be coming back even more united as a team,” a chieftain of the party from Ogun State said.

    Following the announcement that Muiz Banire, the current National Legal Adviser of the party will not be seeking re-election, Lagos State is poised, as agreed to by party leaders in the Southwest, to present another candidate to fill the position. Banire reportedly issued a statement to say he is no longer interested in being a national officer of the party. One name that is currently trending as Banire’s possible replacement is that of Hon. Babatunde Ogala.

    Ogala, a former member of the Lagos State House of Assembly, according to party sources, is the nominee of a good number of stakeholders in Lagos State. No other chieftain of the APC, within or outside Lagos State, has shown interest in the position as at press time, fueling talks that the choice of Ogala may actually be a consensus among the chieftains of the party in the zone.

    Northcentral

    In the north central zone, it is obvious that there is no collective effort by chieftains in the zone to present a unified front at the convention. Rather, each state of the zone appears to be working on its own to fill the positions zoned to it as peacefully as possible. Consequently, there is an unwritten assumption that each state will retain the position it is currently occupying in the NWC, at the convention.

    *But the battle for the office of the National Publicity Secretary may turn out to be an exception in the zone as two aspirants have emerged from Kogi to challenge the current occupier, Bolaji Abdulai, from Kwara State. Also, Abdullai is being challenged by his kinsman, Lanre Issa Onilu. The two challengers from Kogi State are Duro Meseko, a former member of the House of Representatives and Abu Sidiqque, said to be the choice of some people in the presidency.

    But pundits say the contest for the position may have been influenced by the internal politics of the party. “The unending face-off between Senator Bukola Saraki and the presidency may be responsible for the inability of the zone to resolve who should go for the position amicably. Abdulai, from Kwara, is a Saraki loyalist to the core. And Kogi State is one place where President Buhari enjoys total loyalty.

    “Also, an initial assumption that Saraki’s loyalists will not seek positions at the convention owing to talks about defection plans, informed the aspiration of people from other states in the zone. It is most likely that it is these same assumptions that fueled the ambition of Onilu, a chieftain of the APC in Kwara, who is reportedly very close politically, to Gbemi Saraki, the senate president’s younger sister,” a source explained.

    Another source, a former member of the Kwara State House of Assembly and an aide to a serving Senator in the state, said Abdulai’s reported governorship ambition is the main reason why he is being challenged from Kwara State. The ex-lawmaker added that a faction of the party in the state opposed to Saraki’s handling of party affairs are also poised to see Abdulai replaced at the convention.

    “Not only will Onilu enjoy the support of anti-Saraki APC chieftains at the convention, he will also be embraced by many delegates from other states who see Abdulai as Saraki’s man. If they are daily threatening to leave the party, why are they still interested in party positions? And will it be safe to hand them a position as sensitive as that of a party spokesperson? I don’t think so,” he said.

    The situation in the zone is further complicated by alleged plots by some party leaders in Kogi State to swap the position of Vice Chairman Northcentral for another position in their determination to stop the re-election of Zakari Abdulahi Ede, from the state as a member of the NWC. “It is these people that are behind the ambition of some aspirants who are gunning for positions other than the zonal vice chairmanship,” a source claimed.

    Consequently, The Nation gathered that two aspirants, one from Kwara and another one from Niger State, are gearing up to contest the position against Ede at the convention, hoping to cash on the crisis within the Kogi State chapter of the party to clinch the position. But it was gathered that prominent party leaders in the state have summoned a meeting for early in the week to save the situation.

    South-south

    In the South-south, scheduled to produce the National Chairman, among others, there seems to be no serious disagreement though the topmost office may not be contested unopposed. Until this week, some observers had concluded that former Edo State Governor, Adams Oshiomhole, may contest for the plum office unopposed. Oshiomhole has formally received support and endorsement from the high and powerful in the party, including the governors, a development that suggested that for him and the zone, the convention is as good as concluded.

    But a few days ago, another former Governor of Edo State, Prof. Oserheimen Osunbor, formally joined the race for the position of National Chairman of the party, when he strolled to the party secretariat, picked the form, sat down at the party office and filled it. He also submitted his expression of interest and nomination forms immediately.

    Formally, his emergence at the scene brings to three the number of persons likely to contest for Odigie-Oyegun’s seat this coming Saturday.

    Others, are Oshiomhole; a member of APC in the United Kingdom, Ibrahim Emokpaire, also from Edo State; and a former Governor of Cross River State, Clement Ebri.

    Our investigation shows that even with the emergence of other contenders for the office, there seems to be no visible friction in South-south zone of APC as they prepare to attend the convention as one united family.

    Northeast

    In the Northeast, the battle for who should produce the next National Secretary of APC, which started as a mere rumour, has become a major issue. Sources said during the week that rapid progress made last week in settling the issue of which state in the zone should produce the candidate and which candidate should be presented by the zone, may have slowed down.

    The Nation had earlier reported exclusively that governors of the party from the zone were resisting moves by some forces who allegedly urged a relatively new entrant, Sen. Ali Modu Sheriff, a former National Chairman of PDP, to produce the next National Secretary of the party. This, we learnt, has resulted in the emergence of many contenders backed by powerful stakeholders, including governors from the zone, a development that has resulted in desperate behind-the-scene negotiations.

    As at last weekend, The Nation confirmed that at least four contenders have emerged for the office of National Secretary of the party alone. They included the incumbent National Secretary, Mallam Mai Mala Buni from Yobe State; Kashim Imam  from Borno State; Waziri Bulama, a known Buhari loyalist; and Dr. Haruna Yerima.

    A source close to Governors’ Forum had confided that while Sheriff is backing Imam from Borno, Governor Ibrahim Gaidam of Yobe State was said to be lobbying his colleagues, especially Borno to allow Yobe retain the slot since Borno State has been given many important appointments.

    “So far, Yobe, Borno, Adamawa, and I think leaders from Gombe and Taraba have agreed that Yobe should produce the party’s secretary. The governor of Bauchi State is being expected to tag along with his colleagues.”

    “Some strategists of the President, party leaders and Sheriff prefer either Kashim Imam or Waziri Bulama from Buhari Support Organisation.

    “Although the governors have been extremely loyal to the President, they might not guarantee him success at the poll in 2019 if the party’s secretariat is handed over to Sheriff.”

    When contacted, a member of the National Convention Committee said: “Some members of this committee have heard of plans to disrupt the convention but we cannot authoritatively confirm it.

    “All I can tell you is that the Convention Committee will work round the clock to make it a successful one,” the source said.

    Southeast

    In the Southeast zone, the face-off  between Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State and some other powerful APC leaders has generated tension, leading to fears that the zone will likely go to the convention as a divided house.

    It would be recalled that the zone is expected to produce the National Auditor, the National Vice Chairman (SE), the National Organising Secretary, the Deputy National Financial Secretary and the Deputy National Women Leader.

    It would be recalled that Southeast zone is billed to produce the National Auditor, National Vice Chairman (SE), National Organising Secretary, Deputy National Financial Secretary, Deputy National Women Leader.

    But as soon as Southeast stakeholders of the party came up to endorse the retention of national executives representing the zone, Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha, openly rejected the decision, especially the retention of the party’s National Organising Secretary, Osita Izunaso.

    Former Governor of Abia State, Orji Uzor Kalu, had told journalists after the meeting of the APC Southeast stakeholders in Abuja that even though few people may be unsatisfied with the decision, 93 percent APC stakeholders from the zone agreed to it.

    He also assured that efforts would be made to reconcile aggrieved members before the convention date.

    “We had a very successful fruitful meeting and have decided to endorse by affirmation from all the states, the return, through democratic means of the three members of the national officers, they include: the National Organising Secretary, Sen. Osita Izunaso, the National Vice Chairman, Emma Enukwu and the National Auditor, Chief George Moghalu.”

    Few days to the convention, it is not clear if the planned reconciliation had been achieved in the zone as Okorocha’s camp under a body called Concerned Southeast APC stakeholders are yet to publicly renounce their rejection of Izunaso’s candidacy.

    The nPDP challenge

    Aside the intrigues in some zones, there is also  growing uncertainty over what role members of the nPDP will be playing at the convention on June 23. Amidst talks that they are plotting to dump the ruling party and return to the opposition PDP, members of the party are keeping sealed lips concerning their involvement in the national convention. While a few of their notable members are currently seeking NWC positions, the leadership of the group recently raised alarm over alleged removal of its members’ names from the convention sub- committees.

    The aggrieved group accused the Presidency of replacing about 50 names from the original list. Some of the names removed from the list were also said to be those of members of the aggrieved New Peoples Democratic Party (nPDP) which had earlier said it was sidelined from party activities. The nPDP claimed it is all part of a grand plot to further sideline its members in the affairs of the party.

    But the presidency denied tinkering with the list and assured all party members of a level playing ground at the convention. “Nothing in the allegation can be further from the truth in every material particular. For the umpteenth time, we wish to reiterate President Muhammadu Buhari’s position that he will not interfere in party affairs or matters before the law courts.

    “It ought to have been obvious by now to discerning Nigerians that it is not in the nature of this President to go against the provisions of the country’s Constitution, let alone his party’s constitutional provisions. It is, therefore, disingenuous to attribute every perceived infraction in activities of party or government appointees to the President’s desk,” Special Adviser to the President Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, said.

    But there is another growing concern over the unusual silence of the members of the group over issues related to the national convention. Since the conclusion of the state congresses during which many nPDP members complained about being sidelined, not much have been heard from the likes of Senator Bukola Saraki, Hon Yakubu Dogara and Kawu Baraje, concerning the national convention.

    This, party sources say, is fueling fear about a plot that may see nPDP chieftains in the APC collectively moving to another party on June 23, just before or after the national convention. “Quote me, they have their plans. They have chosen that day to pay APC back for the alleged wrongs done to them. They feel it will be a way to weaken the party and discredit the process that will produce the next NWC of the party,” a source, who is a state executive member of the APC in Kwara State, claimed.

    But leaders of the group, when contacted by The Nation, refused to confirm if there is a plot to dump the party at the convention. A close associate of Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, speaking on condition of anonymity, said he is unaware for a specific date for the defection but assures Nigerians that unless APC bend over backward to meet the demands of nPDP members, they will not remain in the party.

    “It is not about the date or whether we will leave APC or not. It is about whether APC will do the needful and when exactly they will do it. How can you leave serious crisis unresolved and you will be going to elect new leaders for the party, using the same delegates we are complaining about while you keep telling the complainants to be patients. We are all politicians and we will do what is good for us at the time it is good for us,” he said.

    When contacted by The Nation, Kawu Baraje, the chairman of the group would not say much. While not refuting nor confirming the said plot, the Kwara State-born politician, whose loyalty to Senate President Bukola Saraki, is well know, said reporters should only write that which they can prove. “Is there any official statement out there from us stating a date for us to defect from the APC? If there is none, just write that there is none. Thank you,” he said.

    With reports about planned unity list and the successes of the ongoing last-minutes reconciliation efforts, a top insider told The Nation yesterday that this coming Saturday’s “APC convention will be mere celebration of a party that has survived the initial challenges. For us, the worst days are over. What you are seeing today is a political party many opponents never gave any chance, which has however survived and has come of age as a united and strong national party, ready for the future.”

  • Kogi: More troubles for ruling party

    Kogi: More troubles for ruling party

    Fresh troubles in Kogi State Chapter of All Progressives Congress (APC) over the right State Executive Committee suggests that former reconciliatory committees to resolve varying interests in the state may not have achieved much, reports Assistant Editor,  Dare Odufowokan

    THERE is no respite yet in the supremacy battle ongoing in the Kogi State chapter of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). Rather, the troubles within the party heightened during the week as forces loyal to Governor Yahaya Bello failed in their bid to take over the leadership of the party following a botched attempt to get the Haddi Ametuo-led State Executive Committee suspended by the zonal leadership of the party.

    While the national leadership of the party wasted no time in intervening in the fresh rumpus, the two factions within the party, made up of those loyal to the governor and those opposed to him, have renewed their supremacy battle in earnest with party members across the state left to pitch tents with either of the two camps. While Ametuo and his supporters are opposed to what they describe as the dictatorial tendencies of the governor, the Kogi Central Vice Chairman, Alhaji Ibrahim Ahovi, leads the governor’s loyalists.

    The Nation learnt that both camps organised meetings for the weekend with a view to plan new strategies to be deployed in the unending battle for the soul of the party ahead of the 2019 Governorship Election. Governor Bello, who is seeking re-election, fears that he may be denied the party ticket by the Ametuo-led leadership of the APC in the state. According to party sources, the APC chairman and his group are loyal to the political family of Hon. James Faleke, Bello’s rival for the ticket.

    “Although the crisis in the party started even before this government came to be, it has been further compounded in recent times by the struggle for the governorship ticket of the party. It is public knowledge everywhere in Kogi that Hon. Faleke will struggle for the ticket with Governor Belllo. It is also common knowledge that Bello is not in the good books of the leadership of the party in the state as presently constituted.

    “This is why there has been relentless effort by the governor’s camp to change the leadership at all cost. It is for the same reason that other party chieftains, like Faleke and Melaye, have been working hard to ensure that the executive committee is neither dissolved nor suspended by any organ of the party. That also explains the uproar that greeted the reported suspension ordered by the North Central zonal leadership during the week,” our source explained.

    Deputy Chairman of the party, Osune Shuaibu, while speaking on the latest developments within the party, urged party organs to intervene urgently to promote party supremacy in the state ahead of the 2019 governorship election. According to him, the leadership of the party in the state is determined to prevent any individual or institution from hijacking the structures of the party.

    It would be recalled that the National Vice-Chairman (North-Central) of the party, Zakari Abdullahi Ede, had on Thursday, announced the expulsion of its Kogi State Chairman, Haddi Ametuo, and 38 others from the party. According to the letter announcing the expulsion, the members were axed following the allegation of gross misconduct and anti-party activities leveled against them.

    Ametuo, who has been embroiled in a bitter face-off with Governor Bello over control of party structures for more than two years, and others, were accused of working against the interest and progress of the party in Kogi State. The list of the sacked executive officers also includes some local government officers of the party who were allegedly found guilty of working against the interest of the party.

    The zonal leadership of the party in the North Central claimed that it had set up a fact-finding/investigative panel which looked into allegations against the affected party officers. Ede announced that he decided to uphold the report of the committee which recommended the removal of the affected officers. Expelled along with Ametuo were more than two-third of the members of the Executive Committee, including the Deputy Chairman, Treasurer, Legal Adviser, Organising Secretary and many others.

    Botched plot?

    But hours after the news of the suspension of the SEC became public, the embattled Chairman and his executives on Friday, rejected the purported suspension and their reported expulsion from the party. This development further compounded the confusion rocking the troubled state chapter of the ruling APC. Ametuo insisted he is still the Chairman of the APC in Kogi State.

    According to him, the action never emanated from the national leadership or any of its organs so empowered to do so. The SEC admitted that there are issues within the party in Kogi and the NWC has directed a committee to investigate the issues and make recommendations. It added that the national leadership has not been appropriately briefed on the outcome of the committee’s work and, therefore, has not taken any decision.

    The state leadership asked members of the party at all levels to desist from taking unilateral actions that are likely to further jeopardise the on-going peace process.

    But supporters of the governor are determined to ensure that the alleged suspension of Ametuo and others stand. A close political associate of the governor in Lokoja said it is in the interest of the party for Ametuo and others to be relieved of their current positions. “That is the only way to bring peace to the APC in Kogi State. There is no sense in keeping people who always disagree with the governor in charge of the party as 2019 draws nearer,” he warned.

    Disturbed by the new twist to the unending squabble within its Kogi State chapter, the national leadership of the APC, through its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, promptly dismissed reports that the State Executive Committee (SEC) has been suspended. According to him, the now controversial suspension order did not emanate from the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party or any of its organs vested with the constitutional power to do so.

    Abdullahi, who made this known to journalists in Abuja on Friday, said: “Our attention has been drawn to a story on a National Television that the State Executive Committee (SEC) of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kogi State has been suspended. We want to state that this action does not emanate from the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party or any of its organs so empowered to do so.

    “Although, there are issues within the party in Kogi State and the NWC has empowered a committee to investigate the issues and make recommendations, the NWC has not been appropriately briefed on the outcome of the committee’s work and therefore has not taken any decision. In this wise, we affirm that the State Working Committee of APC in Kogi State, led by the Chairman, Alhaji Haddy Ametuo, remains the only recognised executive committee of the party in the state until the appropriate organ of the party decides otherwise in accordance with the procedure laid down by the party constitution.

    “We wish to affirm that whether in Kogi or elsewhere, the NWC will ensure that justice is done to all concerned and will be guided by the constitution of the party and the best interest of the party. At the moment, we believe this action, purportedly sacking the Kogi executive, is prejudicial and incongruous with the party’s desires for reconciliation. We enjoin all party members at all levels to desist from taking unilateral actions that are likely to further jeopardise the on-going peace process.”

    The Nation learnt that the Ede-led zonal leadership is expected to explain the rationale behind its controversial move to expel prominent chieftains of the party in Kogi State at a time the leadership of the party and other organs of the APC are working hard to reconcile aggrieved chieftains and members across the country. “The zonal Executive Committee is answering questions about the order as we speak,” a party source added.

    Many efforts at peace

    The latest promise by the national leadership of the party to look into the causes of the crisis rocking the Kogi State chapter of the APC will not be the first time it will be making effort to restore peace to the troubled chapter. In 2016, a committee, which was chaired by Prince Tony Momoh, former Chairman of the defunct Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), was constituted.

    Other members of the committee were John Shagaya, Barnabas Gemade, Ahmed Aboki and Olubunmi Adetunbi. The National Chairman of the APC, Chief Odigie-Oyegun, while speaking at the inauguration of the committee, had said, “It is clear that in a few of our states, we have fairly serious issues to contend with  Kogi, Bauchi and to some extent in Kano.

    “The party’s National Working Committee decided to select some of the very best that we have to help us unravel the problems in these states and also make serious reconciliation efforts. Kogi is an equally very challenging assignment in the sense that it has a history behind it. The circumstances that led to the emergence of the Governor of Kogi State have also to be considered a factor.

    While what became of the report of the Momoh Committee remains unknown till today, the party again in 2017, set up a seven-man Reconciliation Committee to resolve the crisis rocking the Kogi State chapter of the party. The seven-man committee is chaired by Idris Garba, while the party’s Deputy National Secretary, Victor Giadom, is the secretary. Other members are Don Etiebet, Patricia Etteh, Rufai Garba, Umar Lawan Kareto, and Joe Orji.

    Speaking at the inauguration ceremony of the committee at the APC National Secretariat in Abuja, Odigie-Oyegun thanked members of the committee for agreeing to serve the party. He insisted that the party’s leadership wanted peace and settlement in its Kogi State chapter, noting that they were ready to give every possible opportunity for a settlement.

    “What triggered the events in Kogi was very tragic in their nature. So for us as a party, we are bending over backwards to say, ‘yes we understand your feelings. We understand what you have been through, we understand the work that you have put in to get the APC elected; we understand also that God who disposes of power, brought somebody at the last minute to be the beneficiary of all the work and labour that everybody obviously has put in.

    “So, we are bending over backwards and we have assembled this very top-level team so that those on the ground there will see that we mean everything we say when we say ‘we want peace in Kogi State’. So, your responsibility is a very great one.

    “The issue now is really to call just the principal groups and say look, this has to stop, how do we go about it,” Oyegun had said.

    But if the recent development within the party and the events that followed it are anything to go by, it appears neither the fact finding committee, nor the reconciliation committees Oyegun inaugurated and mandated to restore peace to the APC in Kogi State achieved much. Expectedly, the inability of the party to put its house in order is seen by many as a threat to its chances at the 2019 General Election.

  • Isiaka: we ‘re turning the heat on ruling party

    Isiaka: we ‘re turning the heat on ruling party

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship standard bearer in Ogun State, Gboyega Isiaka, spoke with SEYI ODEWALE on preparations for the general elections and his chances at the polls.

    How much ground did you think you have gained and are you sure you can defeat the governor at the poll?

    We are doing everything that needs to be done. We are talking to our people, we are talking to various associations; we are going around visiting. We are confident of victory. It is not a road that is new. We have done all that is needful. More so, when we know that the APC government in Ogun State has not done well.

    There is this opinion that the shift in the dates of the elections was a blessing in disguise to some parties, particularly in Ogun where the PDP is in the opposition as it gives them ample chance to campaign…

    The shift in the election days is a blessing in disguise to democracy when you consider the fact that in Ogun State, for instance, only 40 per cent of voters were able to collect their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) needed for the election. So, if the election had taken place with only 40 per cent of registered voters in a position to vote, what kind of leaders are you likely to produce? A leader elected by the minority. And that is not too good for democracy. That is why I think it’s a blessing for democracy itself. Even from the admission of Prof. Attahiru Jega, recently, that they were expecting over a million PVC. With that it is clear that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was not read then.

    But, Prof Jega never said INEC was not ready for the election…

    Yes, that was what he said initially, but lately when he visited the Senate Committee his words all amounted to the fact that INEC was not prepared. That is the truth. If you come up with a list that shows that only about 40 to 50 per cent of voters have collected their PVCs, then it means you are not prepared for the election, especially when you are still expecting many more PVCs to be printed. That to me is an admission of not being prepared. If he did not use those words, I think it’s just a matter of semantics. INEC was not prepared as at then.

    A lot of Nigerians say the campaign are not issue based. Do you consider the campaigns being run by politicians as acceptable and do we consider them as good enough?

    Well, for us, I think the campaigns we have been running are issue based; they have actually been addressing one issue or the other. There is a banner we placed directly opposite the University of Education where we said: “Will this be scrapped”, obviously referring to the news that it may be scrapped because we know there are attempts by the APC government in Ogun State to scrap it. There was another one that talked about the demolition that we have experienced in the state in the last three and half years, which we say are largely needless. We have faced issues. We have not attacked individuals or persons as that is not my style. I don’t attack persons, I face issues. We have reeled out clearly what we want to do, which we call four pillars. And out of these pillars we are beginning to bring out what we want to do, which we want people to really remember us for. So, for us, we have faced issues and we are certain about that. In the days ahead we are going to be seeing more of such in our campaigns.

    There seem to be an uneasy calm in the PDP, especially with the departure of ex President Olusegun Obasanjo from the party. What is your take on this?

    Baba Obasanjo is a national figure and, therefore, his departure from the party is better looked at from the angle of his impact in the party at the national level. Is it positive or negative? For so long now, Baba himself said he has not been active in the Ogun State PDP. Even in the local politics his influence has not been that much. I think Baba is a father of all. Therefore, I’m not expecting that his exit or his tearing of card, as it were, would have a major influence on the local politics that we are running here. Because in the elections that we have had in the past we all know the extent of Baba’s involvement; what he has done and what he has not done. He has not really been involved in our local politics, especially, in campaigns and elections.

    And you don’t see his exit affecting the fortunes of your party in the state?

    No. It’s not going to affect the party’s fortunes. I can say that very clearly.

    You are from Yewa. With your emergence as the PDP governorship standard bearer, what has been the response so far?

    Somebody has to be born somewhere, but the important thing is that we are aspiring for a seat and that seat is Ogun State governor’s seat. The whole state is my constituency, of course, because the people of Ogun West have never had a shot at the governor, there is excitement in the air, a lot of passion and interest. And that is good for the polity; there is no doubt about that. Even if it is just to say that we are part of the state and have what it takes to govern it. Even if that is all we want to get from it, I think our people are excited and are ready to go considering what I have seen. In terms of my mandate, my mandate is for everyone in the state and, therefore, I have responsibility for every nook and cranny of the state and Ogun West inclusive and that is exactly what I’m going to do. Therefore, what we expect people from other parts of the state, to do, which is what they are doing, is to look at me as an individual and make up their minds.

    Have there been feelers from the opposition, considering what they perceived you to be?

    They have been pursuing us all over the place. They have been tearing our posters, removing billboards and doing all what not. We have begun to see a fairly intolerant government and we hope that would be curbed. There were billboards that we have put in place that were being removed and taken to the house of one of the people in government or those close to those in government that we know. We are just imploring them that they should allow the game be played fairly. So, when you talk about how they have been feeling, I would say they have been showing to us lately that the heat is on and we know that the heat has just started. We also want to implore that they should allow the people to make up their mind and decide on what to do, and not use the machinery of government to unnecessarily harass and begin to remove posters and billboards. I think that is not too good.

    Was any of such done lately?

    O yes! Even yesterday my billboard was removed under the pretext of whatever law they said they have made. They said it was too tall. Anyway, I don’t want to talk about that; we will make our position known on the matter in due course. There was one of my posters in front of TASUED that was torn and damaged less than 24 hours after it was done. Even the President’s posters were damaged at the entry into Abeokuta. I saw some on my way this morning. There are so many cases of such coming from the same direction of the APC. I think that not good enough.

    What is to be expected on the election day?

    What to expect is for the INEC to get prepared and let people have their PVCs and for people to really get interested in it. It is a decision we are going to take one day that is going to affect the life of the state in the next four years and even beyond four years, because what a government does at one term can transcend and affect other terms ahead. I think everybody should take it as a serious business. It is a decision for us to say clearly how we want the state to be run, how we want the future of Ogun State to be and how we should live in the state in generations to come. I think it is a very serious business and I expect everybody to come out and vote the right man for the job, who is my humble self for the governor and other PDP candidates in other elections.

    What are doing to address the division within your party?

    Well, it is nothing unusual, when primaries are held, especially in a contest that had 11 aspirants, there is bound to be some of these reactions. It is not out of place and they are bound to happen. Therefore, what is important is how was it addressed? I think we have addressed it well. When you mentioned those who left the party, including Prof. Bamgbose you referred to, he is a friend; he himself knew his strength and he has taken a decision which he is entitled to. Looking at the totality of the election, only the handsome Prof. knows why he must run for this office. He has moved from the Accord Party to the PDP and now to APGA. Again, I leave him to his decision, but I want to tell you that it has nothing to do with the function of the PDP at all. When you said people left the party I was going to ask which of the major contenders left. And you mentioned Prof Bamgbose. The person that came second in that primary was Jelili Amusan and we have always been together. Other contenders were Hon. Akinlade, who is running for the House of Representatives. Also Hon. Bankole was a major contender in the whole process. He is still a member of the party, although he may not be as active as expected, but he is still working for the party underneath. Others are Alhaji Sarafa Tunji Ishola.There was also Omo-Oba Segun Adewale, also from Ogun West. He is still a member of the party. Also, Remi Bakare. For me, what happened at the primaries was not unusual, but we have put that behind us now.

    What about the role allegedly played by the national leadership of your party?

    There was no role. The national body issued a statement in the evening of that day that the primaries had been postponed, but that was after the primaries had been concluded. They realised that later on and adopted the result. of the primaries. It was not something major.

     

     

  • ‘Why ruling party is scared’

    ‘Why ruling party is scared’

    THE Lagos State All Progressives Congress has alleged that the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP’s) desperation to use cloned fake voter cards to rig the rescheduled elections “is responsible for its hollow campaign against the use of card readers” for the polls.

    The party noted that the desperate manner the PDP was going about “fighting the use of a credible device to stop the use of stolen, fake and cloned voter card,” had exposed the ruling party as a cabal of electoral thieves, who predicate their strength on “farcically manipulating every election in  Nigeria”.

    State APC Publicity Secretary Joe Igbokwe, in a statement in Lagos, urged the PDP to stop its opposition to efforts to curb electoral fraud, adding that the ruling party at the centre should face the masses on the strength of its performance in the last 16 years in power.

    The party insisted that the time was up “for the PDP and its fraudulent ways of short-changing the country and subjecting it to the type of horrendous wreckage that has marked PDP’s unfortunate years in power”.

    “Nigerians should recall that the Directorate of State Security (DSS) invaded the APC Data Centre in Lagos, vandalised the place and arrested some workers. We recall that the DSS was to follow this horrendous act with a specious, outlandish and false claim that the APC was cloning voter cards in the centre.”

    The party said it denied the DSS claim and went on to show that the agency was up to some tricks for the PDP.

    “Nigerians should recall that recently, Lagos APC revealed a sinister plan by the PDP to mop up voter cards of unsuspecting Lagosians and the card numbers of Lagosians in its wild dream of capturing Lagos for a dying PDP. We also observed that the PDP in Lagos, using a front of mainly traders and Igbo groups, has been boasting lousily of having millions of PVCs to execute its wonky dream.

    “With the raging PDP frantic effort to stop the use of card readers to verify the authenticity of voter cards on election day, it is now clear to us that the PDP has been busy cloning voter cards and using voters PIN numbers to hack cards it intends to use to rig the 2015 election.

    “It is now clearly obvious that in launching a brazen attack on the APC and raising the false claim that the APC was cloning cards, the DSS was providing covers for the PDP to clone millions of cards with which it hopes to rig the 2015 election, hence such diversionary trick by the PDP’s DSS.

    “We challenge PDP to disprove this fact that now dustbins its deadly campaign for the stoppage of the use of card readers, which stands to unearth its rigging strategy this time around. If this is not the case, pray what harm do the card readers stand to inflict solely on the PDP? Why is it frantically trying to stop a device that will detect stolen and cloned voter cards, if it had not stolen enough cards and cloned millions of fake cards all over the country for the purpose of manipulating the 2015 elections?

    “PDP is desperate as it continually runs out of dubious schemes to continue remaining in power and as Nigerians continue to suffer irreparably from PDP’s corrupt use of power to dehumanise and traumatise them. No one is deceived by PDP’s latest antics, but Nigerians must insist on free and credible election as an irreducible minimum for leadership selection.

    “Card readers must be used in the coming election as a means of stopping such electoral frauds as stealing and cloning of voter cards, which PDP excels in.”