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Tag: ExMinister

  • Presidential candidate’s running mate’s permutations target poll victory –Ex-Minister Moro

    Presidential candidate’s running mate’s permutations target poll victory –Ex-Minister Moro

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    Presidential candidate’s running mate’s permutations target poll victory –Ex-Minister Moro

    A former Minister of Interior and now a Senator representing the Benue South Senatorial District, Senator Aba Moro, speaks with JOHN CHARLES about power rotation, insecurity, and the Peoples Democratic Party’s chances in the 2023 elections

    What are the chances of the PDP in the 2023 presidential poll?

    I want to say without prejudice to members of the Peoples Democratic Party that the chances of the party winning elections in 2023 are very high because if you look at Nigeria’s political space, it is inundated with complaints of lack of performance on the part of the current government.

    Insecurity, for instance, has risen to a high level. If you go back in time, we were only concerned about insecurity in the North-East, as manifested by Boko Haram’s activities.

    But today in Nigeria, there are multi-layer security problems. You have kidnapping on the rise, robbery and all manner of criminal activities, especially by the bandits in the country. Nigerians can no longer sleep with their eyes closed.

    Another thing is that infrastructural deficits have been on the increase, the health system is collapsing and our educational system has collapsed. For almost six months now, the Academic Staff Union of Universities has been on strike and students have been at home. There is no hope when they are going to return to school. Poverty is on the increase. Many Nigerians today cannot afford one square meal a day and begging has become the order of the day.

    Quite frankly, the situation is so bad that Nigerians are yearning for a change, The PDP was not very good according to the estimation of Nigerians, but the APC government is abysmally worse and Nigerians are now yearning for the devil you know is better than the angel you don’t know. The toga of change that the All Progressive Congress wore to come to power has become a mirage.

    So I think that given the level of mobilisation and level of agitation across the country, I think the chances of the PDP winning the coming election are very high. I want to tell you that Nigerians are looking for anything other than the APC.

    If you look at the Nigerian political situation and of all the political parties that are around, the PDP presents a better alternative than any other political party. Of course, we just witnessed an election in Osun State. The result is very clear. What is left for the PDP is to put its house in order.

    But your party, the PDP, appears to be mired in a stalemate over a running mate. How do you feel about this?

    It is a little unfortunate that we have a crisis in the running mate choice. The fact that a committee was set up and the committee made its recommendation didn’t help matters, especially when the committee’s recommendation was not accepted.

    By and large, running mates, whether for governorship or presidential positions, are appointed, not elected, so it is the prerogative of the candidate to pick the person he can run with. The person he believes can help him win the election and run the government. That is what has happened in the case of the PDP. Yes, it has not gone down well with the majority of our party members and they are not too happy with the situation, but that is what we have on our hands.

    The person who has been picked is a Nigerian, a serving governor and a member of the PDP, so I want to hope that the person that is wanted by the majority of the PDP members has not been picked. I think at the end of the day, the crisis will simmer down.

    In the party and country’s interest, I want to hope that the leadership of the party can resolve the crisis and we will be able to come together as one body, a united party. The PDP is seen as one big family. All of us agreed to belong to the party, and I am sure that all patriotic Nigerians that are in the PDP will not allow disagreement of that nature to derail our desire to rescue Nigeria and rebuild the country.

    As one of the leaders in the Benue South Senatorial District, there has been agitation from that zone to have the governorship seat rotate to the area, but the Tiv brothers and sisters resisted this. What is the fate of the zone?

    Let me say that I am the Senator representing Benue South Senatorial district. We have elder statesmen like Senator David Mark, who is our leader and mentor, and other political gladiators too.

    I want to say that the people of the zone feel neglected and sidelined when it comes to the issue of becoming governor of Benue State. I don’t subscribe to the idea of marginalisation. I would rather say neglected and not widely accepted to be governor.

    Like the state governor had said, the Benue South senatorial district people have not done enough to inspire confidence in the mind of the majority of Tiv people to present a governorship candidate in the state.

    It is a very sad development, but that is what I call the tyranny of the majority. In a democracy the majority will always have their way and the minority will always have their say. That is what is manifesting in Benue State and it is a little unfortunate because the people of Benue South senatorial district feel short-changed in the political process, but again, that is the reality of democracy.

    While we feel sad about what is happening, I want to say that we will continue to struggle and work very hard to ensure that one of us becomes the Benue State governor to contribute our quota to the development of the state and to have a sense of belonging so we can say that we are also part and parcel of the state holding.

    As a senator representing the district, I have a very huge challenge of providing a legislative intervention so that the zoning that is embedded in the constitution of the PDP is respected. I also have a very huge challenge and responsibility to also provide the legislative intervention that will make it possible for the entrenchment of effective rotation in the governance process such that governorship will rotate among the senatorial districts.

    Frankly, I am an apostle of the rotation of the presidency to the South and North. That will restore the level of sanity and stability in our political process and it will also bring some level of unity to the country. If you know that as a Nigerian or as a Benue State person, one day you can assume the leadership of your community, then you have a very strong sense of belonging. This is one thing people of Benue South senatorial district have been clamouring for and I want to say that it is not yet Uhuru but all hope is not lost as long as we human beings continue to make our contributions in the political process.

    I want to believe that one day, the majority of Benue people, including the Tiv people, will realise that a time has come for us in Benue South senatorial district to be supported to govern the state. I think that way we will join hands to develop the state and it will happen.

    There have been security challenges in the country, particularly in Benue State. How serious are the killings in Benue?

    Insecurity in the country and Benue State has been very serious. Recently, there was an attack at Igama in the Okpokwu Local Government Area where 12 people were killed.

    Also, at Orokam in the Ogbadibo Local Government Area of the state, two people, including a councillor-elect, were killed. It is a very sad development.

    Recall that we have had several attacks in Benue South senatorial district, particularly in Agatu and Apa councils and also at Emosu, where 22 people have been killed in the recent past. It is a problem that is endemic in Benue State, particularly in the Benue South senatorial district.

    It is a source of concern for all of us. I, along with other community leaders and the state government, have been very much concerned about killings in the state and we are working hard to make sure that history does not continue to repeat itself.

    We have been encouraging security agencies to be more proactive than reactive because what has happened in the past is that when an attack occurred, security agencies rushed to the place to calm the situation, and that is what it is.

    I agree that our security agents are thinned out and they don’t have the numbers to tackle the problem as it is, but I can assure you that everything is being done to ensure that these killings stop.

    The theoretical postulation that has been put forward for the reason for crime and criminality is part of bad governance; part of extreme poverty that has made it impossible for Nigerians to live the way they want to lead their lives, hence, making them turn to criminality.

    However, it is not only in Nigeria that people don’t have access to means of livelihood. I think sufficient intelligence must be undertaken to know exactly what is happening in Nigeria. The general view at home and abroad, among the international community, is that the government is not doing enough to provide for its citizens, and that is why some people take to crime.

    Is it true that herdsmen have taken over some communities?

    I have not taken statistics on that, but I don’t think that some communities are occupied by herdsmen today. Yes, herdsmen have always been part of our existence; they have always lived with us. I don’t think that translates to being taken over.

    I can always say at the moment with information available to me that herdsmen have been attacking some communities in the state and Benue South senatorial district, but I don’t have any history of outright occupation of communities in the state.

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  • APC has hidden agenda, says Ex-Minister Dalung

    APC has hidden agenda, says Ex-Minister Dalung

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    APC has hidden agenda, says Ex-Minister Dalung

    In this interview with JAMES ABRAHAM, the Plateau State Social Democratic Party’s candidate for the House of Representatives, Langtang North/Langtang South Federal Constituency, Solomon Dalung, speaks about the Muslim-Muslim ticket of the All Progressives Congress and assesses the incumbent governor, Simon Lalong’s administration

    How much support are you getting from your new party, the SDP, to represent Langtang North/Lantang South Federal Constituency after resigning your membership from the All Progressives Congress?

    So far, so good, we are ready as a party. The SDP is the second oldest party in Nigeria after the Peoples Redemption Party. It’s not a new party to our people except that the two mega parties have dominated the landscape. I have taken the SDP ticket.

    In fact, we have just concluded a project on the permanent voter card mobilisation of our people. The SDP is the party to beat for the House of Representatives seat for the Plateau State’s Langtang North/South Federal Constituency and we are ready to emerge victorious come 2023.

    Don’t you think the APC will win in the 2023 presidential election?

    I don’t think so. It is going to be a serious and herculean task for the party to win because, apart from squandering the goodwill of managing the country in the past seven years, the APC has also introduced a dimension that is going to make it impossible for it to be an option for Nigerians to consider. If it had performed, Nigerians would have overlooked the issue of the same religious ticket it introduced.

    What do you make of the controversy over the APC’s Muslim-Muslim ticket?

    It’s the highest manifestation of religious intolerance and insensitivity to the sentiments of Nigerians and an attack on our diversity that has squandered the goodwill of Nigeria.

    For me, the worst thing the APC has done is to bring in a joint religious ticket from the same faith. The Muslims in this country have twice elected southern Christians as northern deputies. So, why would Tinubu, the APC presidential candidate and the APC think they would not elect a Southern Muslim and a Northern Christian as his deputy?

    The reason why he thought of changing this tradition is that it creates more fear than the ticket itself because it means he has something he is hiding away from Nigerians.

    What do you think he is hiding from Nigerians?

    What I suspect he may be hiding from Nigerians is that he may be playing the script of an unpatriotic political elite that uses religion to manipulate people and access power.

    In reality, they are not religious people because, once they form a government, they use nepotism to appoint family members, in-laws, and other unqualified people to strategic government positions. Their children will be marrying each other and their cronies using the state’s funds.

    That does not resemble an agenda for national development; an understanding that there is endemic poverty; hunger; and unemployment ravaging everywhere.

    For me, there is a hidden agenda that they are playing the religious card to get power just for the sake of getting power and using it irresponsibly. If they get the power, then they will now manifest their real intentions.

    What do you make of the continuous detention of former Governor Joshua Dariye and others despite the state pardon granted to them by the Federal Government?

    It is part of the deceit of the Federal Government because the President cannot pronounce an amnesty on citizens and the certificate of release would not be issued until many months after that pronouncement. That tells you how disorganised the APC administration is currently.

    It shows the unpreparedness of the APC to govern the country. I think it is a sad thing that the government will make a pronouncement and not implement it at the same time. It has not come out to tell Nigerians why they have continued to hold them in custody.

    Now the burden lies with the Attorney-General of the federation to explain why that is the case.

    For the purpose of emphasis, let me clarify that the President cannot take back the state pardon granted to those citizens and he cannot withdraw it because there is no provision in the law that gives him the power to withdraw the amnesty that has been given.

    The Christian Association of Nigeria and the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria had earlier warned parties against a Muslim-Muslim ticket, saying Christians would not vote for such a ticket. Do you think the plan of the APC to retain power will suffer if Christians boycott the APC?

    When you introduce religion, you have to also define your friends, opponents, and allies. Assuming the Muslims in Nigeria believe that they are the majority, there are three major religions in Nigeria, which are Christianity, Islam, and the traditional religion. The question that Muslims or those supporting the Muslim-Muslim ticket would have to deal with is, will the traditionalists go with Islam or Christianity? The certain answer will be that the traditionalists will go with the Christians despite their differences.

    This is because the Islamic fundamentalist groups that have emerged and been attacking people in Nigeria have painted Islam in a bad light in the eyes of ignorant Nigerians.

    Thus, it would be very easy for politicians to manipulate religion and whip up sentiments. I want to assure you that Muslims marry four women. Traditionalists marry more than four, some even 10 or 20. The most populated religion in Nigeria has not spoken, and because of that, we are jostling about claiming superiority in figures because we gather on Friday and Sunday. I know for a fact that there is a man in my local government, a traditionalist, who has 87 eligible voters in his house and you can count them. Once you deploy religion, other religions will look for their allies and align, and either way, whether the Christians lose or win, or the Muslims win or lose, Nigeria is not going to be the same.

    So it’s a very dangerous experiment that is facing the current Nigerian situation.

    The insecurity in Plateau State seems to have moved to the southern part of the state with the recent killing of over 100 people in Kanam and other communities in Wase. How do you view this development?

    It is just a reflection of the security challenges Nigeria is faced with. There was intelligence long ago of arms-carrying men fighting within some forests around Wase and the Southern Zone of the state, but the government did not take any steps up till now when they (the gunmen) started attacking people.

    The southern zone is no stranger to this kind of development.

    In 2001 and 2005, the southern zone was characterised by this act of banditry, but then, there was national denial, so the appropriate name and nomenclature were not used, but the zone survived it because the communities, when they realised the inability of the security services to defend them, of course, took their destinies into their own hands and mobilised and overran these invading forces.

    With a few months remaining to the end of his eight-year tenure, how would you assess Governor Simon Lalong’s administration in Plateau State?

    Even he himself is dissatisfied that he has not done well and that his conscience should guide him.

    As for me, he disappointed some of us because he failed woefully to fulfill any of the promises he made to the people, just like the APC at the federal level.

    For almost eight years he has been in the saddle as a governor. He has nothing to show for it.

    Lalong and his supporters have always insisted the APC government has done well, citing what they called legacy projects across the local government areas.

    Even the devil has good reasons to defend “himself” and claim that he has been doing well when he has not. You don’t expect him to accept the shameful reality without having to defend himself.

    However, any defence he and his cronies may want to put up will collapse. If you take the resources that accrued to his administration in eight years and put them against the so-called legacy projects, you will discover that 10% of the resources didn’t go to those legacy projects that are the sole basis of the analysis of his performance as governor.

    We don’t need him to show us projects as legacy projects.

    In fact, there is one of the so-called legacy projects, a two-block classroom that I constructed as a minister that he claimed to have done as a legacy project. The legacy projects are still contestable, but I would not expect him to be quiet. He would deny it, but the people know whether his denial is genuine and fair or manipulative.

    Which of the classrooms are you referring to?

    They are the two blocks of six classrooms in my hometown, my alma mater, the LEA Primary School, Sabon Gida, in the Langtang South Local Government Area. I inaugurated it, and a year later, when I left office as a minister, the governor came and inaugurated it again as part of his legacy project.

    How do you view the failure of the Eagles to actually qualify for the World Cup?

    Well, I don’t want to talk so much about sports because what is going on in the sports sector is lamentable and I still wonder why the Federal Government or the President has not looked backwards in that direction and done something.

    You cannot tell me that in basketball, two national teams both women and men, qualified for the world cup and suddenly, the minister would write a memo to you as the President and advise you that because of a crisis, Nigeria should withdraw from international sports and the career of these young people would be ruined. The players are children of Nigerians who left this country. They were born outside this country and they would have told them that Nigeria is not a country worth dying for.

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