2019: PDP can’t return to power in Benue —Yaro

Benue State chairman of All Progressives Congress, Abba Yaro, spoke with JOHNSON BABAJIDE on the political situation in the state and preparation for 2019 election.

TWO years down the line, do you think your party, APC, has been able to deliver on the expectations of the people of the state?

Yes, we have been able to do that. We are all in Benue. If you go round, you will see for yourself the physical actualisation of the promises made and the dreams this administration came with upon assumption of office. The governor is following the manifesto of the party strictly. What the governor has done so far in his two years in office is highly commendable.

But the opposition PDP is insisting that the ruling has failed the people, hence the resorting to propaganda by the government?

What do you expect from an opposition party? I was once an opposition chairman during which period we also made comments that the PDP was doing nothing. What do you expect from an opposition party? If you look around, all the challenges we are facing today is because the PDP bastardised the economy.

As promised, there are no jobs for the youths, workers are not paid salaries as and when due. How do you reconcile this with you position as a party?

It is a very pathetic situation and it is actually not the fault of the ruling APC. Even when the PDP was in power, there were no job opportunities. It is a general thing in the country. The PDP bastardised the economy in such a way that they did not want anyone to survive it. We are talking about the issue of salaries. Benue is not the only state owing salaries. PDP states also owe workers. Bayelsa which is an oil-rich state is also owing so are several PDP states.

How prepared is your party for the 2019 general election which timetable INEC released recently?

We know 2019 is coming. Whether we like it or not, it’s not going to be easy. But we will certainly win. We know that we will have sell outs in our party. And those who might not be fortunate enough to get our tickets might decide to move on, but we know very well that by the grace of God, come 2019 Governor Samuel Ortom will win again because he is doing well.

Ortom rode on the back of sympathy which was hinged on the issue of non-payment of salaries, lack of jobs and all that to become governor. How do you intend to convince the people when you have not met their expectations?

Do you know that you can spring surprises if you have resources to tackle challenges that require financial intervention? If we have enough financial backing, the government can clear a backlog of salaries owed workers in a day. But the funds are not there. That is why we are insisting that the funds found to have been looted by the previous administration should be returned. If the government is able to get back that money, we will clear all outstanding salaries, pensions and gratuities.

Aside that, a lot of infrastructural development will also take place in the state. But without the refund of the money, how can the government be able to raise enough funds to address the challenges confronting the state? Come to think of it, what does the government get from the federation accounts? The state wage bill is about N7billion and we get about N4billion every month. Which magic can anyone perform to meet the salary needs of the workers?

There are insinuations that the crisis rocking the PDP is being masterminded by your party the APC.

That is absolutely not correct; it’s not possible. What is our business with PDP? We are not interlopers so we have no business with the PDP. It is the evil they perpetrated in this country that is hunting them. You see, anything you do to the children of God will not go unpunished. The evil that men do lives after them. It is a curse from the people. As a result of that, they will not be able to organise themselves or resolve their differences.

God Himself took governance away from the last PDP administration in Benue even before we took over government and they knew it. That is why they did everything to frustrate the incoming government by first and foremost jacking up the wage bill and today it’s a major challenge. But we believe that God Himself will intervene in the matter.

You said your party would spring surprises in the 2019 general election but when you think of winning election in Benue, you must consider the Benue South zone which is your constituency. But in several elections in that area the APC lost, what magic will you apply this time to succeed?

Honestly, we used to lose elections in that area because our people don’t believe in opposition politics. Secondly, when you look at that zone, the political orientation is low. I’m from that area. We have been telling our people to follow the change agenda and forget anyone who keeps telling them stories. I believe strongly that we won the last senatorial rerun election. Look at the votes we garnered, never in the history of election in that area did we secure such magnitude of votes. I can assure you that we will spring surprises in the 2019 elections and we are ready for a free and fair election devoid of violence or intimidation.

But don’t you think the inability of the state government to pay workers’ salaries if it persists, will count against your party in 2019  as it counted against PDP in 2015?

Are those states where the PDP cleared local government elections not owing salaries? So, it doesn’t matter. The most important thing is that the people have accepted the fact that our party is on a rescue mission and they are ever willing to support us.