APC still conducts itself as an opposition party —Senator Obi

Senator Ben Obi is the Secretary of the Senator Ahmed Makarfi-led National Caretaker Committee of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP); a creation of the party’s National Convention of June 2016. In this interview with Senior Deputy Editor, TAIWO AMODU, he attributes PDP’s loss of power in 2015 to what he called, indiscipline, impunity and impudence. He equally dismisses the ruling party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), as bereft of vision to walk the talk of its electoral promises to Nigerians.

Excerpts:

How will you assess this administration in the last two years, in terms of its performance?

Well, I will like to start by saying that not much has been achieved and the expectations of Nigerians were quite high and the mantra under which the administration came to power is like a two leg mantra:  security and the fight against corruption.

Basically, these are the two issues that was the campaign issues and promises. I will like to submit that the issue of security, the fight against terrorism, Boko Haram, I must confess were successful, to a large extent. But we must put the security situation in proper perspective and deal with it decisively.

On the issue of the battle against corruption, I dare say that it hasn’t been a successful one and I say this with all sense of modesty and responsibility, because I had the opportunity of advising the former National Security Adviser, (NSA) from 1999-2003; that was the Obasanjo’s administration and I was also involved in the anti-corruption crusade and they achieved quite a lot, which a lot of people didn’t know because it wasn’t a thing that was done on the pages of newspapers.  I am sure during that whole period when General Aliyu Gusau was NSA, until he decided to go into partisan politics, nobody could really identify him on the street; nobody could really put the face of Kayode Are as Director General, State Security Services, (SSS) nobody could put the face of Ambassador Okeke as Director General of National Intelligence Agency, (NIA). It was more of serious work, undercover and results were achieved.

Again, it was in that same administration that the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission, (ICPC) and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC) were put together and it was all done from that office of the NSA and office of the Attorney General of the Federation, who then was Chief Kanu Agabi.  So, one was privy to all that transpired.

When you now bring to the fore the present crusade against corruption by the various security agencies, in this present administration you can see how all their cases are collapsing in courts. The reasons are obvious: thorough investigative work aren’t being done and this idea of always running to the press, grandstanding in the media has to stop.  And when you put across a situation where there is clear and obvious misunderstanding among security agencies, you then have to ask yourself, what is really the matter?

You want to imagine, in the days of Aliyu Gusau that these security agencies will be doing this? No, it wouldn’t have happened! But you see, unfortunately we have a president today who has some health challenges. Were it not so, I don’t think all of these would have happened.

 

If the health challenge is impacting negatively on his performance, will it not be advisable for him to throw in the towel, as being canvassed in certain quarters?

Well,  the fact is that we haven’t been fully briefed about the state  of his health and most prominent Nigerians, I think the most recent  was Professor Wole Soyinka and a good number of them are saying he  should come clear. So, without this information and depending on what his aides are saying one find it difficult to say he should resign.

 

There was an alarm raised by the First Lady, Aisha Buhari, sometimes that her husband has been trapped and he is at the mercy of a cabal within the presidency. Do you think she has been vindicated, against the backdrop of recent development within the Presidential Villa?

Yes, but have you forgotten that we experienced that with Yar’Adua?  So, what she said isn’t new and even before the wife said it, some other persons had already alerted the nation that he has been hijacked by a cabal.  You see, all I am trying to say here is  that his health has affected the man Buhari and that’s why all these  things seem to be happening and there is no way anybody in his right  senses wouldn’t pray for a man of that standing to get well quick and  make a decision on way forward.

 

The economy is still in bad shape, despite claims to the contrary by President Buhari spokespersons. What they say most of the time is to attribute the poor economy to PDP: that it wrecked the economy and it isn’t an easy task to revamp it. What is your take?

For me, I find that absolutely uncalled for. When they were campaigning, they said everything that needed to be said about PDP.  The fact of the matter is that they weren’t prepared for governance.  They didn’t even see victory coming their way so they didn’t put their thought together. But the fact again is that, look you have won election, you have taken over, two years you are still complaining about PDP. When they even speak, they still speak like opposition party, they haven’t even started speaking like a political party that is in government, because they aren’t grounded to know the difference between a ruling political party that is in charge and a party that is in opposition!

That no matter what you say about the PDP, it laid solid foundation for sustainable democracy. Everything today, that you can say is the handiwork or projects that is being commissioned and being promoted by this government were all done by the PDP government. Name them, there isn’t one particular thing today this government has put in place that you can talk about.  So, the issue of the economy as I speak to you today, I don’t know those who constitute the economic team of this administration and I believe, though I am not an economist, I believe that for the economy to be right, the politics has to be right, because that economy we are talking about is a function of the political situation in the country.

So, there is a problem which needs to be addressed. Now we are talking about the budget has been passed by the National Assembly it is now being debated who will sign it!

What do you mean, who will sign it?  For God sake, we are talking about the Federal Republic of Nigeria, not a banana republic!! A letter has been transmitted, handing over to the Vice-President and somebody is saying, who will sign the budget; somebody is asking, when a minister would be sworn in.  What are they waiting for? No, the APC should just wake up from their slumber and know that they are in government.

 

The PDP is polarized into factions: Makarfi and Sheriff.  You are the secretary of the Makarfi faction. Would you say the party’s leadership crisis is externally induced, or self-inflicted?

Well, the truth of the matter is that the PDP crisis started from being self-inflicted. You see, when you see a slit in the wall, it allows for insects and lizards to find their ways into it. So, like I said after 16 years of being in government, there was indiscipline in the PDP, there was lack of internal democracy in the party, there was impunity, impudence—just name it!

But having said all of that, a couple of times ever since then we have apologised to Nigerians for taking their trust for granted and that’s the truth: we took the trust of Nigerians for granted and we paid dearly for it. Now, there is clear signal that there is intervention  from the ruling party in the affairs of the party but you see, I want  to warn them that it is in their own interest that opposition is  allowed to stay  and survive. It is in the interest of Nigeria and Nigerians that a  viable opposition is in place. That’s the only way democracy can thrive. So, if you think, oh, let us destroy the PDP, it is a question of one finger pointing to the PDP and four pointing to the APC. What goes around, comes around.

 

You talked about clear signals of the ruling party meddlesomeness in your party. Can you speak in specific terms?

Look, when you start to decimate leaders of the party. You pick up this one, throw him into detention, endlessly. What are you trying to do? So, those of them who even have some tint of problem now decide to defect, to go to a safe ground and when they get there, they get comfort. The people who have said, no, we will remain here, rebuild this party stand by it, those one you grabbed them.  How specific can I be?

 

There was a committee led by Governor Seriake Dickson that made recommendations towards resolving the party leadership crisis. Why is it that your faction is the one squealing against the recommendations?

We only said to governor Dickson that what is good for the goose is good for the sauce. If you have a committee report as a reconciliation committee, your duty is to present this report to all organs of the party to study and when they have studied it, it is either they agree with it or amend it, or then you will come to an open all stakeholders’ meeting to deliberate on the report. Not to just go as they did and presented the whole thing like that to the Sheriff Camp and made it a media blitz. Fortunately, he came here and I told him that look, this is where you erred. If you had done this, nobody would have complained. He then asked me, if it was possible for him to correct it and I said, why not? Go back to the various organs and do the right thing and he agreed and he did that. I mean, he was doing  this thing in good faith actually, but unfortunately when you are  dealing with the Sheriff camp, you must hold a very long spoon to deal  with that camp because there are so many characters there that will  always come up with one intrigue or the other.