Hon Prince Benebo

With months of prepara
tion and concentration of efforts and resources to conduct the governorship election in the least populated state in Nigeria, many did not envisage any issues around adequacy in availability and functionality of materials for that election. But it is now history that the card readers again failed in that election thereby raising concerns and questions about this device that is intended to tame the evil of electoral fraud in Nigeria.
In this interview with Opaka Dokubo, Hon. Prince Benebo, one time local government chairman and governorship aspirant  in Rivers State proffers a way forward in our electoral process among other issue, in the polity. Excerpts.
What do you make of the fight against corruption at the federal level?
Fighting against corruption is good for the overall good of the country. If the problem of corruption is objectively addressed, it will indeed help this country considerably. Having said that, I believe that the fight against corruption is not the only promise made by the president during his electioneering campaigns.
The president, we are told, is a man of integrity and the test of integrity is the ability to keep to your word. Therefore, keeping to his promises to the Nigerian electorate by fighting corruption and also creating jobs, as well as addressing the security challenges will go a long way to show to the entire nation that indeed he is a man of integrity. If he does that, he will be a role model to young men and women as well as young politicians in this country.
Are You Impressed by the way the fight against corruption has gone so far?
Well, he has started the fight against corruption but we also hear some politicians who are crying that the fight is one sided, that its only PDP members that are being witch-haunted. I believe that party affinity does not limit corruption. Every human being has that tendency to be corrupt, including party, government and so on. Therefore the fight against corruption should be holistic. In other words, irrespective of party leanings, if somebody is reported to be corrupt the government should take necessary steps to investigate and prosecute that person and recover the money. For us to assess the success or otherwise of Mr. President’s fight against corruption, we need to see the facts we will be given. For instance, number of persons arrested, amount of money recovered, number of persons prosecuted and how effectively corruption has been prevented. Indeed the fight against corruption must include the prevention of corruption.
When these facts are made available, we will be in a position to say yes there is fight against corruption. It is not enough for party faithful to shout that they are fighting against corruption.
Is the political atmosphere in Rivers State conducive for development?
Well, as one who does not belong to either of the two dominat parties, my own objective assessment of issues is that when there is instability, it breeds further instability and adversely affects economic growth and development generally.
Election was conducted and somebody was declared winners by INEC. Others said there was no election. All of them went to the tribunal, presented their facts, the tribunal looked at those facts and looked at the law and took a decision which nullified the governorship election and some other legislative elections. Now the governor has gone on appeal.
The practice in Nigeria is that there is a stay of execution of judgement. If it were a place like the United States, the governor will be out of office until a superior court overturns that decision of the lower court. But the reverse is the case in Nigeria and that’s what is keeping the governor in office. Now that the case continues, all of them or the other. In the face of such situation, there can be no stable development.
What  do  you make of the  black   Monday  by the APC  and  white  Friday by the PDP in Rivers  State?
This is tied to the issue of political instability in the state. Yes, in a democratic society people are free to air their views, people are free to embark on peaceful protests. But that protest should not degenerate to create crisis or to cause a breakdown of law and order in the society. At the same time, I want to say that Rivers State is bigger than PDP or APC. Parties come and go. In the 1960s, we saw the NCNC, Action Group, NPC. They are gone. Nigeria remains. We also saw the NPN, UPN, NPP< GNPP, PRP.
They have all come and gone. We also saw the SDP  and the NRC. They have all come and gone. Now we are in this era. The truth is that in terms of membership, the PDP  and the APC probably have more members but it time will come and we will not see them.
They can lawfully do whatever they intend to do but it has to be according to law.
Your  feeling about  Bayelsa  elections
Well, I do not have personal preference for either candidate since I have not got details about them, both in character and manifesto. But even if I have personal preference, the ultimate decision lies with the people of Beyelsa. That is democracy. Sovereignty lies with the people and it is they that can surrender their sovereignty through the social contract, through the election and say we give you four years to govern us. Which ever way they decide, to me they have made their wise decision.
The election is already on and I think the people should vote not against their conscience and they should know the candidates and not for them to regret after they have made the choice my advice to the candidates first and foremost, and indeed the parties, is that once the election is conducted, and also seen to be credible, free and fair, they should be courageous enough to congratulate your opponent. It is about service, every one wants to serve that state.
On the other hand, if any one has reason to dispute the outcome of  the election, there are legal processes.
I will advise all of them to follow the due process of law and not to take the law into their hands in the interest of peace, progress and development of Beyelsa.
The overall interest of that state and the people should override individual ambitions.
Your  thoughts on the performance of the card  reader machines in Bayelsa
My own thought about this is that, in Nigeria, there are people who are obstacles to doing the right thing.
The late president Yar’Adau set up a committee to review the electoral process and to make recommendations on the way forward. That committee was headed by retired Chief Justice Uwais and there were other notable members like Prof Bolaji Akinyemi. Even Prof. Atahiru Jega was a member and  part of their recommendation was the Option A4, open ballot system for Nigeria. We tested it under the SDP and NRC era and it clearly reflected the true voting pattern of the people.
President Jonathan submitted that recommendation to the National Assembly but the National Assembly deleted that recommendation.
Jega and his team brought in card readers and we’re all living witnesses to what we’re experiencing. Even in the last general elections, so much crisis was created.
The election has been won and lost, agreed but those problems are still there with us. If in a state election that they have used so many months to plan is having this type  of problem where the name of a former president is disappearing, then what hope has the common man in that electoral system that they’re applying?
I remember watching a television program where a legislator was making the point that he could not understand how a peaceful state like Kogi could record only 40% PVC distribution while Borno that was in crisis achieved over 90% distribution rate.
And even though many people had moved to other states, Borno returned up to one million votes in the election. There are indeed a lot of questionable issues in the way that election was conducted. It has come and gone but if this issue is not addressed, perhaps one day it might  lead to something else.
My take on this is that if INEC knows that their machine is not working, they should remove those machines. My recommendation is that we should go back to Option A4, Open Ballot system. I don’t know what we are afraid of. It is your inalienable right to vote for who you want and not to vote for who you don’t want. I think it is a lot easier to rig election in the system in place than under the Option A4.
Is  your ambition still alive to be Governor of Rivers State?
With every sense of humility my desire is to serve the people of Rivers State in the capacity as governor and I believe that I will serve them right. That desire is alive and well. I believe that Rivers people need a very committed, honest, pragmatic person to serve them. Service needs humility. You need humility to serve people and so having gone round this state, and seen the people, they themselves recognise that fact. But it is this lack of internal democracy in the parties that has been the problem.
Yes, I am still ready to go into contest for the position of governor of Rivers State.
Do  you have a time frame?
The time frame depends on what I’m working on and at the appropriate time it will be made known to the people. I know that time will come and the people will recognise who indeed is ready, willing and humble enough to serve Rivers State in the capacity of governor. As long as god fathers are installing people and not the people themselves, as long as there is no internal democracy in the parties and manipulation is going on, any governor who emerges will not be able to sincerely committedly, humbly serve this state.
I know that is only in this part of the world that people only one who has amassed wealth that can go in for governor. In being a governor you’re not going in to do business, you’re going in there to serve people. It is the people who are supposed the candidate to go in so they can own the government and make that government accountable to them.
Is this realistic here?
We might say it’s not realistic but, believe me, time is coming for that because those who say they will not make available their five naira or two hundred naira to support a candidate even when they know that this candidate is going in for what is good for them, when those candidates who are imposed by godfathers and money bags come into those offices, they pay more through the education system, the healthcare system roads and all kinds of ways.