Politics
‘Nigeria Is United By Corruption’
A political stakeholder in Rivers State and stalwart of the Labour Party, Chief Isaac Nwonwu contested the Emohua/Ikwerre Federal Constituency seat in the National Assembly in the 2015 general elections. In this interview with Opaka Dokubo, Chief Nwonwu bares his mind on some contemporary political issues in the country. Excerpts.
You are a stalwart of the Labour Party. Are you still a party man?
Yes, I still believe in the ideology of Labour Party, particularly, in the interest of Rivers people and Nigerians.
You were a candidate in the last National Assembly elections. Are you still interested in contesting the forthcoming elections in 2019?
We are all more or less political animals. We’re also admiring the leadership style by Governor Nyesom Wike in the State and President Muhammadu Buhari, particularly with policies and campaign promises made by the PDP and the APC and Buhari. We are assessing them all and most importantly assessing the Electoral Act as being reviewed by the National Assembly, and if it’s properly reviewed, and passed into law and enforced, we will want to see whether we can as well join the race come 2019 elections.
The 2015 election was characterised by a high level of insecurity and violence, and actually did not provide room for any reasonable and constructive persons to be able to participate in politics. But if between now and 2019, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), can, by law, provide an enabling environment for free and fair elections, I’m sure that more credible people will participate in the elections.
What do you make of the recent special press statement released by former President Olusegun Obasanjo?
It’s a wonderful one. We must commend Chief Obasanjo for such a letter; even if the process wouldn’t have been very necessary but we have no doubt that he has spoken the minds of a few Nigerians. We have no doubt that his observations are likely to have been there but it should be welcomed by the APC under the leadership of President Buhari to be able to correct the shortfalls.
As a member of the Labour party, do you agree with Chief Obasanjo that there are only two political parties worthy of note in Nigeria?
We had hoped that Labour Party would have been an alternative party and we’re also looking forward to seeing many politicians and Nigerians to embrace Labour Party as an alternative party to be able to bring leadership to this country but, so far so good, we haven’t seen an aggressive drive in that direction. We have not also seen new political parties springing up with the capacity to face the challenges of 2019; it therefore suggests that what we have before us is APC and PDP. In those circumstances, we still believe that if the enabling political atmosphere is actually created, we should be able to encourage more Nigerians to join the political parties to see whether we can bring about a change by supporting any of the existing political parties.
Are you saying you do not agree with Chief Obasanjo that we need a new political movement?
Absolutely, it will not be correct to have any group. if that was to be; it should have been during Chief Obasanjo’s administration when there were a lot of shortfalls.
Of course, we must also agree that leading Nigeria is not an easy task anymore as compared to what we saw in the days of Chief Obasanjo when there was no social media system. It was only NTA that was controlled by the national government; it was only what you wanted to be aired that was aired through the NTA. But today, we have a lot of competitions in terms of the news media and all that. And of course, through the social media, you expose any information in your community. It means you must also understand Nigerian politics to be able to lead Nigeria and as much as the federal government dissociates itself from corruption, it will definitely be difficult in repositioning Nigeria the way it should be. And I must say that what has continually united us today is corruption. Once you erase corruption, everybody will disengage.
Do you agree that President Buhari should not seek re-election in 2019?
In a genuine democratic process, Chief Obasanjo has only one vote and I do not think he was speaking for Nigerians; he was actually speaking for himself. The question of who becomes the president of Nigeria can only be determined by the electorate and we should be able to leave it for the poll to determine who leads this country.
Should President Buhari heed that advice?
The membership of APC, the membership of PDP, the membership of Labour Party and Nigerians are all entitled to vote and be voted for. And I think that if President Buhari so wishes, he should also contest elections. If the APC so wishes that President Buhari becomes their candidate come 2019, so be it.
Are you satisfied with the performance of this administration so far?
We must make a separation distinct in this matter – Buhari one side, APC one side. Buhari as president of Nigeria has done well. It is left for Nigerians to assess the institutions, the officers, the ministers and other people around him on how well they have performed. I believe that President Buhari means well for Nigeria.
What do you make of the timetable for the 2019 general elections recently released by INEC?
The timetable met my expectation and except for some politicians with hidden agenda, I think that we should be able to conform to the INEC timetable and work towards it. I also know that most politicians and political parties are already gearing up towards the INEC timetable for 2019 elections.
With 68 political parties on ground, INEC says it is likely to register more before the 2019 elections. Do you think we need more political parties?
The Constitution permits INEC to register as many political parties that meet the requirements. I am also in the process of registering a political party and looking forward to mobilising Nigerians that will be able to support us for leadership. We are in the process of registering a political party. We are taking an overview of the process.
No doubt that multiple political parties will create clumsy processes, will cluster the ballot paper, will increase logistic issues, will create quite a challenge for the electorate, will as well increase the burden of presiding officers and of course will also result to additional cost in the electoral process. Except, between now and the elections, something like the electronic voting system is adopted to save the situation.
In your own estimation, what number of political parties would be ideal for Nigeria?
Four wouldn’t have been too much at most and of course with a provision for independent candidates. I don’t think we need more than four political parties.
Are you worried that so early in the day, politics is given so much attention vis a vis governance of the country by this administration?
Yes, it is quite worrisome with the level of politicking now and it should also be a matter of concern to Nigerians why virtually every issue is politicised.We should approach the processes with caution. We should be able to get the dividends of democracy within this period. We should be able to charge our leaders to offer service between now and the 2019 elections because if we devote all the time there is to just campaigns, we may not see the dividends of democracy.
We should all participate; we should all look inwards and encourage our governments to be able to give us the dividends of democracy; to ask questions and ensure that their electoral promises are delivered. We are expecting them to perform between now and the elections and their performance will determine our direction in the elections.
What would your advice be to the APC as regards heating up the polity so early in the day?
I think a release has already gone out from the presidency to the APC asking its members to exercise restraint on their call on the president to run for 2019. I am also aware that the president has not made any comment as regards issues relating to 2019 elections, whether to run or not to run. I think the issue of election should actually be on hold for now and let’s see how the respective governments at various levels are able to perform, provide us with basic infrastructure and improve upon the economy, provide us with the shortfall on fuel supply and the development of our roads and rails. This is exactly what we expect from our government at this period.
The Tide source reports that Prof. Akinoso was elected alongside 38 other executive members of the party at the congress held on Saturday.
Other executive members are Dr Abiola Olaonipekun, who emerged as Secretary, Alhaja Latifah Latifu, Women Leader and Mr A. Adeleke, elected as Youth Leader.
It was learnt that the congress, which took place at the Obafemi Awolowo Stadium, Oke Ado in Ibadan, was attended by representatives of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the Police, other security agencies and prominent members of the party.
The election was supervised by electoral committee members, among whom were Prince Diran Odeyemi, who served as Chairman, Hon. Awoniyi Tolulope, Mr Babatunde Gbadamosi, Queen Stepheine Oyechere, Alhaji Yusuf Abidakun, Mr Olumide Aguda and Dr Phillips Adeniyi, who served as Secretary.
Prof. Akinoso, in his inaugural address, urged members of the party to set aside intra-party differences.
He advised them to concentrate their resources on the promotion of the party, saying, “The primary responsibilities of party executive members are to coordinate party activities, ensure harmony among members, and ensure party victory during general elections.
“Our immediate assignments are to key into INEC released 2027 general election time-tables. As directed by the National Caretaker Committee of PDP, our party e-membership registration starts next week. We must be fully involved and do a membership drive.
“A political party is only relevant and benefits its members if it wins the election. This is our goal. We should set aside intra-party differences; concentrate our resources towards the promotion of the party. We will make necessary consultations and dialogue to actualise this”.
President Tinubu disclosed this during an interfaith breaking of fast with senior journalists and media executives at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Saturday.
He also disclosed that his administration had opened up on the principles of true federalism to the extent that local governments now get direct allocation from the Federal Government.
“There’s no morning that I ever leave my house without going through the newspapers. It’s an addiction. I read all of you.
“It might not be in full detail, but headline, the one that would hit me and the ones that won’t.
“At the beginning of this administration, I was just a little bit stubborn, looking at opportunities to correct things and make life more easier for the downtrodden.
“We’ve opened up the principle of federalism to the extent that local governments are now getting their money, but how they use it is in your hands. So, don’t bombard me alone,” President Tinubu said.
The ruling party said the ADC had turned criticism of the APC-led administration into its operating manifesto instead of presenting concrete solutions to Nigeria’s economic challenges.
In a statement issued on Saturday by the APC National Publicity Secretary, Mr Felix Morka, the party dismissed the ADC’s interpretation of a report presented at a policy dialogue organised by Agora Policy which suggested that the country’s poverty rate had risen from 49 per cent to 63 per cent.
Mr Morka said the opposition party’s reaction to the report as a “damning verdict” on the government’s economic policies reflected either ignorance of economic realities or deliberate political mischief.
“The African Democratic Congress’ attempt to spin a recent report presented at the Agora Policy dialogue indicating a rise of poverty rate of 63 per cent from 49 per cent as a damning verdict on this administration’s economic policies speaks either to its shocking ignorance of economic policy or its wilful blindness to the justification for, and transformative impacts of, ongoing economic reforms,” he said.
The APC spokesman noted that the report itself recognised the necessity of reforms aimed at correcting long-standing structural distortions in the economy.
According to him, the ADC had failed to present any credible alternative policy direction for Nigerians.
“Clearly, the ADC does not recognise itself as a political party. The ADC has not articulated a single alternative policy position or prescription of benefit to Nigerians. Condemning the APC and its policies has become its operating manifesto,” Mr Morka said.
He explained that major economic decisions taken by President Bola Tinubu, including the removal of fuel subsidy and the unification of multiple foreign exchange windows, were necessary steps to rescue the country’s economy from collapse.
Mr Morka said the subsidy regime had for years placed a heavy burden on public finances, consuming trillions of naira annually while encouraging corruption, fuel smuggling and inefficiencies in the system.
He added that the reforms had helped redirect national resources to key sectors such as infrastructure, healthcare, education and social development.
The APC spokesman acknowledged that economic reforms often come with short-term hardship but stressed that the measures were essential to build a stronger and more resilient economy.
“Economic reform is never cost-free anywhere in the world. The transient hardship experienced by Nigerians was an inevitable cost of reforms meant to build and guarantee a better future for all Nigerians,” he said.
Mr Morka maintained that the country’s economic outlook was already improving, citing recent growth figures and stronger external reserves.
“Our economy has rebounded and is expanding steadily. The country’s Gross Domestic Product grew by 4.4 per cent last year and is projected to expand by 5.5 per cent this fiscal year, with foreign reserves now exceeding $50 billion,” he stated.
He also pointed to government initiatives designed to cushion the effects of economic adjustments on citizens, including cash transfer programmes, student loan schemes and the rollout of compressed natural gas (CNG) initiatives to reduce transportation costs.
Mr Morka reaffirmed that the APC-led administration would remain focused on rebuilding the economy and expanding social investments to support vulnerable Nigerians.
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