PDP has nothing to offer Nigerians but corruption —Dr Aliyu, former APC national women leader

Can you share your experience from the 2018 APC National Convention in which you contested for a second term as the National Woman Leader but lost out?
Glory be to Almighty Allah, it was a worthwhile experience. I have since put the negatives behind me and decided to focus on the positives. In spite of the challenges, the party came out of it and we are getting stronger by the day. It doesn’t have to be about me. You win some, you lose some. We have to play politics with maturity. No bitterness and that is how life should be.

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Many say you lost out because you were not in the First Lady’s camp. How do you react to this?

There will always be theories for those who do not believe in the power of destiny. I have also heard other theories to the effect that I lost because my state governor was against my return. So how many theories will one react to?  At the end of the day, my firm belief in the will of the Almighty allows me to be at peace with myself and by extension my party. The First Lady, the governor of my state, as well as my humble self remain fully committed to the same goal of ensuring the success of President Muhammadu Buhari, especially with the elections around the corner.

The concern now is how to put in more efforts for our president to reemerge in the forthcoming election so that he can continue with the good works. And we have been mobilising people, not just women before now and we are still going round to strategise.

With the next elections around the corner, what is your assessment of the President Buhari-led administration in the last three and a half years?

Very high; when you look at security, the economy and the anti-corruption war which form the tripod upon which we ran a successful campaign in 2015, then you will see why I rate President Buhari’s government highly. Nobody is saying we are 100 per cent better; far from that. But success is not merely a function of how high you have gone, but also of how low you are coming from.

This administration has pulled us out of recession; doused the insecurity in the country; confronted corruption in high and low places and has frontally embarked on a massive infrastructural rejuvenation across the country. We can do more, but already we have so much to be proud of.

Do you think the APC candidate stands a better chance ahead of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, the candidate of the main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)?

Absolutely. With everything President Buhari has achieved in the past three and half years, even with meager resources, a lot of Nigerians can see beyond the propaganda of the PDP. How would they return to power without disparaging the president? But we are not distracted by their desperation. PDP and its candidate have nothing to offer Nigeria beyond a return to the dark alleys of corruption and insecurity. Nigeria has moved on for good.

Considering the serious opposition mounted by the PDP presidential candidate, don’t you think the election would be a replay of what happened in 2015?

How do you mean? The set circumstances which led to the ouster of a sitting government in 2015 are markedly different from what is obtainable today under this government. In 2015, Nigeria was, for all intent and purpose, in a limbo. Key indices like security, economy and infrastructure were all looking bleak. Nigerians had to come together to effect a change of government.

Today most of these indices are looking better and things can only get better from here. So Nigerians have no need to go back to our collective national vomit. We are moving forward, thanks to President Buhari, a role model and a father figure to corrupt-free minds.

As the immediate past National woman Leader of the ruling APC, are you satisfied with the inclusion of women in the present administration?

To some extent, yes, I get this question a lot and my answer is generally not too dissimilar on each occasion. We can hardly ever have enough women in government to be honest. Under this APC administration, we have women occupying key positions in the cabinet as well as other parastatals. Of course, we would keep asking for more, but I am proud of the effort of the current government thus far. At least, I can boldly say more women are coming out with boldness; they are ready to serve and eager to make an impact.

Do you see APC winning Kogi State despite the alleged failure of Governor Yahaya Bello, especially in the area of payment of salary?

Well, for starters, we need to clarify that the general election in Kogi would not include the governorship election and therefore the president can be judged by the people of Kogi State on his own merit; which we generally agree is stellar.

The people stand a chance to continue to benefit from the numerous interventions and programs of the APC- led government like the N-power, Tradermoni,  school feeding and bailout funds. So I urge all my people to rally behind APC in the overriding interest of our beloved state.

What is your advice to Nigerians as they go into the elections?

Once again, I would like to thank Nigerians for their patience and commitment to the APC-led government of President Buhari. I assure you all that, if reelected, this government would step up its effort to revamp our ailing infrastructure and all also make life much better for all Nigerians, irrespective of tribe or religion.

I am encouraging Nigerians to go for their PVCs and those who already have it to keep it safe in order to vote en-masse for a man of integrity in the person of President Buhari and his running mate, Professor Yemi Osinbajo.