In this interview by LEON USIGBE, the spokesman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Kola Ologbondiyan, speaks on what can facilitate the conduct of the 2023 general election.
Given the trends of insecurity in the country, people are nursing fears that the 2023 general election may not be possible. Is the PDP one of them? What is the think in your party?
Well, we have our concern about our nation, particularly in the realm of insecurity. And that is why we’re asking President Muhammadu Buhari and the members of his administration, to do all within their power to secure our nation because before we can talk of election, we must have a secure nation. We must also ensure that the demands of Nigerians in the area of devolution of power and in the area of restructuring, particularly as it concerns devolution of power must be implemented by the National Assembly. Nigerians are also demanding that the INEC under Professor Mahmud Yakubu must be such that will conduct election that is transparent, and will be generally acceptable to the majority of Nigerians. Unfortunately, President Muhammadu Buhari is not talking about these, he’s not addressing these issues, he’s not seeing the concerns of Nigerians. They’re only interested in building billboards across Abuja, claiming, declaring ‘Baba for All.’ But we have said it clearly that President Mohammadu Buhari is already enjoying his last and final term as a civilian president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Recall that before the 2015 election, there was also this groundswell of fears about national security whether the election could hold, the issue of Boko Haram bombings and all that and I believe the opposition, may be, made a huge feast out of it. Are we seeing the same scenario in the run up to 2023?
The security situation in Nigeria today is worse than what we had in 2015. It has become alarming to an extent that the Peoples Democratic Party has demanded for a national emergency on security. Wherever you turn to in any of the geo-political zones whether it is Northwest, Northeast, North central, Southwest, South South, South East, the situation is becoming pathetic. It is more serious in some zones more than the others. But as I speak, what we are witnessing in Nigeria in the area of insecurity is unknown and it’s unheard of in the history of our country, and it has as just shown clearly, that President Muhammadu Buhari, a former Commander-in-Chief, Head of State, General, has failed woefully in his responsibility to secure lives and property in our nation and it is rather unfortunate
You are saying the security situation in 2015 was a lot better than now…
It was a lot better.
The situation was bad enough to help the APC to power. Does the PDP plan to capitalise on what’s going on now and what will the party do?
Our plan is to hold this government accountable for the insecurity in the country. Our plan is to demand for the restructuring via devolution of power even before we consider discussing election. Our plan is to ensure that the necessary laws are put into effect as it concerns our elections. Our plan at the appropriate time is to ensure that Nigerians demand that their lives deserve to be secure.
The government of President Buhari says it’s doing its best but you are saying he has failed. What would you have expected him to do to inspire confidence in the 2023 elections?
If you listen to discussions among Nigerians, you will hear Nigerians complaining that our military forces are not fully equipped to be able to confront the bandits, the rebels, the kidnappers, the vandals who have taken over our land. So, it is now left for Mr. President who we believe has every intelligence required, to deal with this ugly situation. It is just for him to live up to the responsibilities of the office that he occupies as the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Don’t forget that in Mr. President’s campaign, he promised to lead from the front. Unfortunately, as we speak, it is becoming clear that indeed, Mr. President is occupying the rear. And as a matter of fact, he has not shown empathy toward Nigerians in respect of the insecure situation that our nation has been plunged into.
Is the PDP happy with the preparation INEC is making? Do you have enough confidence, assurance that INEC will do well in 2023?
If the president has not signed the Electoral Amendment as required by the National Assembly, even in the last National Assembly, and Mr. President till this moment is yet to show concern about generality of the complaints by Nigerians in respect of our electoral laws and if, as he has been consistently advised, he has refused to touch the 2014 Confab Report put together by all the geopolitical zones of our nation as a way out on the logjam that we have found ourselves as a country, how can we be satisfied with whatever preparation they claim to be making? As far as we are concerned INEC said they are not doing electronic voting. They have not told us the part of electronic voting that they will not do. For instance, transferring votes from the unit to the collation centre has to do with electronic voting. And I believe that data processing in the course of the election has to do with electronic voting. So, what are they saying? INEC needs to make itself clear on the aspect of electronic voting that it has told Nigerians that it will not use.
After the Edo governorship election, Nigerians expressed satisfaction with the programming that allowed for outcome of election at the polling unit to be transferred directly to the collation centre as an improvement on our electoral process. So, we believe that INEC needs to come out and tell us the aspects of electronic voting they are not accepting.
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