You criticised the opposition for the manner they conducted their primaries, the PDP also has crisis after its primaries in states like Katsina, Yobe, Adamawa and Taraba. Why?
We have seen a lot of politicians insisting that they must be candidates of the PDP. The only thing we are regulating is to ensure that they do it in accordance with our guidelines and the provisions of our constitution. In those states mentioned, in the last few days or one week, the National Working Committee (NWC) has been working hand-in-hand with the national leadership of the party to ensure that we resolve these issues. The national leadership of the party is presently engaged by ensuring that we go through all the protests because we have the primaries and then we have appeals. We will take the appeal panel’s decision and then the NWC will sit over the appeals. We also have until December 25, 2014, to discuss the issue of governors and the House of Assembly. So the candidates of Katsina, Yobe and others you are talking about, the protests that we have, we will look at the legitimate ones.
Are you not worried that the party lost prominent members including its former national chairman Chief Barnabas Gemade and former minister of state for trade and investment, Samuel Ortom after the primaries?
It is unfortunate, but there is no establishment that is perfect. I know that we have also gained. To lose a former national chairman of our great party, Gemade and to lose a state secretary, NWC member and former minister at the same time is not something that one should be happy about. But you can’t win everything, you can’t win everybody and there is no way you can make everybody happy or satisfy 100 percent of Nigerians. So, these are issues that came up with our primaries, but then we are happy that a lot of people joined us as well and we are moving forward.
What arrangement did you make prior to the primaries to stop these people from defecting to other parties?
I must be honest with you, mistakes were made. Some of them were preventable. I believe the issue of Gemade was preventable, because I know being the longest serving member of this party at the national executive level, I can tell you that Barnabas Gemade is one of the best national chairmen we had in the history of our party. We made some mistakes and we have learnt some lessons. But I know that wherever Gemade is, whatever he is doing, he is PDP 100 percent. He thinks about PDP, his mind is PDP and he will never leave PDP. Unlike some people who have left us and criticised us, I can assure you that Gemade and Ortom can never ever abuse the leadership of PDP. May be it has to do with their personal interests, that is why they left, but in terms of ideology, belief of the party, they cannot go against it. Gemade is a democrat. I asked him and he said he was not leaving but that he is not happy, so I believe that by and large, mistakes were made along the line.
You have always talked about the opposition. Is there anything about them that poses a challenge to the PDP?
Yes, their capacity to issue propaganda and deceit is a big challenge to us. Their propaganda machinery is awesome. For democracy to survive in this country, we need PDP. PDP is not controlled by one single individual unlike the APC that is being controlled by only one individual. The APC has been able to heat the body polity and create some forms of insecurity by their statements after losing the election in 2011. I hope the governor of Rivers is not forming a parallel government in the APC, because I know he is very interested. We do not wish them to have this country. The only good thing they have is the capacity to insult the president, the lies and propaganda that they have been peddling.
What is the party’s plan ‘B’ in the event that the courts void Jonathan’s eligibility to re-contest?
There is no plan ‘B’ to what we have. We have the president. we have the best product to sell for this country at this precarious time, and we believe that for this country to survive and continue, we need him to continue at this time because of his democratic credentials and personal values.
Do you still believe that APC is a‘Muslim Brotherhood of Nigeria’ and a Janjaweed party?
It is important to keep the records straight. I never labelled APC ‘Muslim Brotherhood of Nigeria.’ I made a statement and I was drawing the attention of people to what some northerners have said. That was an advice. Then Janjaweed has nothing to do with religion. I referred to the opposition ideology as being Janjaweed, that it has something to do with Janjaweed being the meaning of anarchy and chaos. Janjaweed is an association. What they want to put in force is anarchy, chaos and civil unrest. So, the idea the opposition has is completely anarchy and chaos. It is an ideology that there will be parallel government, that they will fight if they lose election. So, that is a Janjaweed ideology of no respect for law and order, that is what the APC has personified in their statements and utterances, they want chaos in our polity and that is why we call them Janjaweed. It has absolutely nothing to do with religion. For me, I know that some people in this world, their ambition is to have money, some is to have children, some is to have mansions, then there are some people that their ambition is just to worship their God and you cannot question that. We do not think that the APC is a Muslim party. The Islam itself is a religion of peace, it is a religion that respects law and order, a religion that wants things to be done appropriately and it has respect for constituted authority. So, you cannot equate it with a party that has no respect for constituted authority. No, the APC is not a Muslim party. What they have is a band of anarchy, whether they are from the North-east or west, they want to subvert our democracy and we will not allow that.
How much did the PDP realise from the sales of expression of interest and nomination forms for the 2015 elections and what does the party intends to do with the money?
A lot of people participated in that process, so we realised a lot of money, may be the highest we have ever realised, because we have more aspirants now than we ever had in the history of our party. But the exact number of people I may not know, I have to consult with the treasurer. But I know that it is a high figure. I am sure that the amount of money we have realised will be able to complete our building projects. What we have witnessed is that immediately after elections, we realised some money and the money goes into projects and other things. In one year, the money goes while in the remaining two or three years, we don’t have anything to run the party, so we will make sure that this time, we use the money judiciously so that the party’s administration will not suffer. That is what we are going to do with the money.
What is your reaction to complaints that government is interfering in the activities of the EFCC?
I have never heard anything about government interfering in the activities of the EFCC and I have never seen it. Yes, they can complain about funding just like every ministry or department in Nigeria complains about funding. Credit should be given to PDP for the way it has been able to fight corruption in 15 years. It is only during the PDP administration that leaders in government have been investigated and some even prosecuted. Even the children of our leaders have been prosecuted. Credit must be given to the PDP government that has formed the EFCC and the ICPC. Let the opposition allow their members who are corrupt to be prosecuted just like the PDP and the federal government have allowed it to happen. We have done well in the fight against corruption.
What strategies is your party adopting to win Kano, Lagos and Rivers states in the 2015 general elections?
The truth is that we are going to win the elections, that I can assure you. There is no way the people in these states will not vote for President Goodluck Jonathan. In Kano State, we are going to have difficulty, but we do hope that we will struggle to control the state, we will struggle for supremacy. We are in control of Rivers. In Lagos, we will like to believe that now is the time that the people are yearning for change. There is multiplication of taxation in Lagos. People are crying under that yoke that they need a change from. So, we are going to win Lagos as well by God’s grace.
Source: Daily Trust
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