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 former two-term governor went down memory lane to recall how they founded the APC but were used and dumped.
In his words, “…those calling on us to join APC, we have agreed to join the APC but on clear agreement that protects and respects the interest of my party, NNPP and my political movement, Kwankwasiyya. No state where you go that you don’t have NNPP and Kwankwasiyya. We have gubernatorial candidates, senatorial candidates and others.
“We are ready to join APC under strong conditions and promises. We will not allow anyone to use us and later dump us.
“We were among the founding fathers of the APC and endured significant persecution from various security agencies while challenging the previous administration.
“Yet when the party assumed power, we received no recognition or appreciation for our sacrifices, simply because we didn’t originate from their original faction.
“We are not in a hurry to leave the NNPP; we are enjoying and have peace of mind. But if some want a political alliance that would not disappoint us like in the past, we are open to an alliance. Even if it is the PDP that realised their mistakes, let’s enter an agreement that will be made public,” Sen. Kwankwaso stated.
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has dismissed long-standing claims that he once sought to extend his tenure in office, insisting he never pursued a third term.
Speaking at the Democracy Dialogue organised by the Goodluck Jonathan Foundation in Accra, Ghana, Chief Obasanjo said there is no Nigerian, living or dead, who can truthfully claim he solicited support for a third term agenda.
“I’m not a fool. If I wanted a third term, I know how to go about it. And there is no Nigerian, dead or alive, that would say I called him and told him I wanted a third term,” the former president declared.
Chief Obasanjo argued that he had proven his ability to secure difficult national goals, citing Nigeria’s debt relief during his administration as a much greater challenge than any third term ambition.
“I keep telling them that if I could get debt relief, which was more difficult than getting a third term, then if I wanted a third term, I would have got it too,” he said.
He further cautioned against leaders who overstay in power, stressing that the belief in one’s indispensability is a “sin against God.”
On his part, former President Goodluck Jonathan said any leader who failed to perform would be voted out of office if proper elections were conducted.
Describing electoral manipulation as one of the biggest threats to democracy in Africa, he said unless stakeholders come together to rethink and reform democracy, it may collapse in Africa.
He added that leaders must commit to the kind of democracy that guarantees a great future for the children where their voices matter.
He said: “Democracy in Africa continent is going through a period of strain and risk collapse unless stakeholders came together to rethink and reform it. Electoral manipulation remains one of the biggest threats in Africa.
“We in Africa must begin to look at our democracy and rethink it in a way that works well for us and our people. One of the problems is our electoral system. People manipulate the process to remain in power by all means.
“If we had proper elections, a leader who fails to perform would be voted out. But in our case, people use the system to perpetuate themselves even when the people don’t want them.
“Our people want to enjoy their freedoms. They want their votes to count during elections. They want equitable representation and inclusivity. They want good education. Our people want security. They want access to good healthcare. They want jobs. They want dignity. When leaders fail to meet these basic needs, the people become disillusioned.”
The dialogue was also attended by the President of the ECOWAS Commission, Dr. Omar Touray, Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah of the Sokoto diocese of Catholic Church among others who all stressed that democracy in Africa must go beyond elections to include accountability, service, and discipline.
The Rivers State House of Assembly yesterday resumed plenary session after a six-month state of emergency imposed on the state by President Bola Tinubu elapsed on Wednesday midnight.
President Bola Tinubu had lifted the emergency rule on September 17, with the Governor of the state, Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, Ngozi Odu, and members of the state assembly asked to resume duties on September 18.
The plenary was presided over by the Speaker of the House, Martins Amaewhule, at the conference hall located within the legislative quarters in Port Harcourt, the state capital.
The conference hall has served as the lawmakers’ temporary chamber since their official chamber at the assembly complex on Moscow Road was torched and later pulled down by the state government.
The outgone sole administrator of the state, Ibok-Ete Ibas, could not complete the reconstruction of the assembly complex as promised.
Recall that on March 18, President Bola Tinubu declared a state of emergency in Rivers following the prolonged political standoff between Fubara and members of the House of Assembly loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.
He subsequently suspended the governor, his deputy, Ngozi Odu, and lawmakers for six months and installed a sole administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (rtd.), to manage the state’s affairs.
The decision sparked widespread controversy, with critics accusing the president of breaching the Constitution.
However, others hailed the move as a necessary and pragmatic step.