By Chukwudi Nweje

Mr. Osita Okechukwu, chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), the Director General of the Voice of Nigeria (VON) in this interview x-rayed the 2023 general elections and submitted that former Vice President and the Presidential Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the recent election lost because of his betrayal of the South East. He dismissed allegations that the 2023 electioneering process is the worst in Nigeria’s history but said the polls have put the country on the path to true ideological politics. He also discussed other national issues.

 

The 2023 electioneering cycle is over; what lessons do you think we should learn from the exercise?

To start with, methinks there are many memorable lessons we all must imbibe; one is the Bimodal Voters Accreditation System (BVAS), which has proven to be the vote-rigging-vaccine that Nigeria has been looking for, as progenitor of Smart Card Reader and 2022 Electoral Act.

It has henceforth no matter the human unforced errors witnessed, proved to be a game changer. It is a major shift and has vindicated lots of pundits who hailed President Muhammadu Buhari, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Civil Society Organisations and all patriots who contributed in one way or the other in constructing the 2022 Electoral Act.

BVAS has diminished the role of godfathers and has retired some governors who act as Emperors and mischievously converted the Senate to a retirement monastery.

What other lessons?

On the crunchy partisan angle, the second lesson is the cost of betrayal in politics, despite the erroneous belief that politics is a dirty game.

The loss of the PDP and Atiku Abubakar in the election is a crystal example of how a political party paid hugely for their betrayal of the South East who had since 1999 in good and tough times supported the party.

In sum, we of the APC should thank Atiku Abubakar for his betrayal of the South East geopolitical zone that embedded all their eggs in the PDP. The South East was attached to the PDP even when Dr Alex Ekwueme, first chairman of the PDP was shunted in Jos in 1999. They repeated same, which is even more painful when President Buhari nominated Dr. Chuba Okadigbo as his running mate in 2003 presidential election and then Dr. Edwin Umezeoke as his running mate in 2007 presidential election.

INEC stirred some controversies during the elections, firstly with the BVAS and INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV) during the February 25 Presidential Election results collation and when Nigerians thought they had seen it all, the resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Adamawa State’s supplementary election declared a winner when results were still being collated, how do these impact on the integrity of the electoral commission and future elections, especially the next off season elections coming on November 11?

That is part of what I dubbed the unforced errors in human affairs and it is regrettable and unfortunate.

The truism is that INEC erred on the side of what we call in the Social Sciences, rising expectations and in law legitimate expectations; fall out of extant and subsidiary laws, plus pronouncements. INEC raised the hopes of Nigerians on real time upload of results, from the Polling Units, as evidenced by off season gubernatorial elections. That the presidential election result was not uploaded real time tainted the exercise, though INEC tendered the excuse of technical glitches.

I will not go further on this to avoid contempt of court, for it is trite law to stay away from matters in court, in this instance the Presidential Election Tribunal.

Some people say that despite the introduction of new innovations that should have made the process better, that the 2023 elections are the worst since 1999, what is your take?

I disagree with the narrative, especially when the presidential candidate of the PDP, Atiku joined and shouted to the top of his voice that this is the worst election in Nigeria. Ironically, Atiku forgot that his nemesis was because of his betrayal of the zoning convention of president from the North to the South and vice versa. Atiku and his handlers lived on the assumption that the northern electorate are robots who will vote on the primordial slogan of naka-sai-naka (your own is your own). They even recklessly hung on the jaundiced analysis that 2023 presidential election is akin to that of 1979, where Alhaji Shehu Shagari pulled the northern votes to prevail over Nnamdi Azikiwe and Obafemi Awolowo. The likes of Dele Momodu and Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo also expressed the view that Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and Peter Obi had divided the South to the advantage of Atiku who they forecast to win the northern votes. They neither addressed the Peter Obi Tsunami nor the Kwankwasiyya Movement. In foolhardy scenario, they did not even weigh the strength of APC Northern Governors, who patriotically wrote a passionate letter to Mr President on June 4, 2022, and wholeheartedly supported rotation of presidential power to the South. Luckily, the sacrifice of APC Northern Governors Forum was not in vain as Asiwaju, a southerner won.

Are you saying that there are no flaws in the election?

To say that the 2023 presidential election is the worst is pure revision of history; yes there were some flaws, but we cannot throw away the baby and the bath water, especially when we remember the 2007 electoral fiasco, conducted by Professor Maurice Iwu, a most fraudulent election which the foremost beneficiary, President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua of blessed memory nobly and patriotically acknowledged was flawed.

How is 2023 presidential election better than 2007 presidential election?

Please take your time and submit the two to critical analysis devoid of sentiment and emotion which are bound in such political contest. Primarily, the 2023 presidential election benefitted from some of the profound electoral reforms propelled by the famous Justice Mohammed Uwais Electoral Reform Committee, an outcome of Yar’Adua’s pledge of reform.

Democracy is not a revolution, all gains made in liberal democracy throughout history had been on incremental basis.

Otherwise, an Okada rider from Kaduna will not be heading to the House of Representatives and the young man who defeated Yobe State Speaker, could have lost. If it were in 2007, Senator Aisha Binani Dahiru could have received INEC’s Certificate of Return for the Adamawa State governorship election. There is no doubt that BVAS guaranteed Ahmadu Fintiri’s re-election, without which Hudu Ari could have prevailed over Professor Mele, the Returning Officer. Do not forget the role of BVAS accreditation mantra, which is the handgun of both winners and the petitioners. With BVAS accreditation, the era of padding with the fabled voters register is gone forever. That is why results reflected low turnout in 2023. These are historical facts.

We must not brush aside tangible gains made, when we know that at both State and National Assemblies, multi partisan membership will be the unique features of our legislatures.

We have a President- elect and Vice President elect from the South West and North East respectively, both are Muslims, how do we balance the power distribution equation in the Presidency of the Senate and Speaker of the House of Representatives?

I am a subscriber to zoning convention. For me equity, fairness and natural justice are core ingredients of liberal democracy. It obliges every citizenry sense of belonging and self-worth, which is the ligament that binds our dear nation together. It is in the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as the Federal Character principle, which commands national loyalty and unity. In this connection, it will be most suitable to zone Senate President to South East and Speaker to North West and the rest equitably.

Your distribution format leaves out the South South, which gave more votes to the APC?

It is more strategic for the leadership of our party, the APC to think ahead, for there is always the next time. Our electoral cycle is four years; thus, our distribution of appointments and projects should be more strategic than the notion that today is the last day.

Who is your choice if the Senate President is zoned to the South East?

I have my affinity with all the contenders; however, I nominate Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, firstly because he is not only a ranking Senator, but also because he is currently the Chief Whip. OUK was governor of Abia State at the same time when Asiwaju Tinubu was governor of Lagos State.

OUK grew up in the North and has a wide reach that one cannot ignore. I do not think Asiwaju will be shopping for puppets.

What of the religious balancing, we already have a Muslim-Muslim combination at the Presidency?

It is germane, equitable and political correctness for Christians to be accommodated in our new government. To do so is imperative not only for the creation of sense of belonging, but for future electoral contest. As I said earlier, BVAS is no respecter of the power of incumbency or federal might. The best is to adhere to the fine tenets of liberal democracy which is preferable to dictatorship. Today, the best electoral strategy is to lobby both your friends and foes.

What do you think should be the place of the South East, a major tripod of Nigeria in the incoming administration?

South Easterners are the fabled Beetle you cannot kill. We are Zikists and more patriotic than any other tribe; our headache is that no geopolitical zone is modernising at the anticipated rate including even those who presided over our affairs since independence. If you develop North West, or South West, North East, or South South, or North Central, we follow you and the development track. All we are saying please develop and modernise any geopolitical zone. Ndigbo inhabit all the nooks and crannies of our dear country and invest wherever we reside, unlike our brothers.

Before the elections, the APC, your party saw Peter Obi and the Labour Party as a social media hype but the election results showed a different thing to the extent that LP won the President-elect in his home state of Lagos, what do you make of this?

To be honest as a Political Scientist, I am still studying the Peter Obi phenomenon. I am of the view that the only counter is for the President- elect to be accommodating and muster the political will to avoid the old fashioned exceptionalism of any tribe or creed.

18 political parties went to the polls, new parties LP, NNPP and SDP will be part of the incoming government at different levels while some others remained just logos that appear on the ballot paper every election season, do you think there is need to further prune the number of political parties in the country?

There is no need, let all flowers blossom. That is the juice of liberal democracy. We must avoid cherry picking from the myriads of tenets of liberal democracy, for in multiparty system, all political parties are allowed space, and naturally the electorate will select two dominant ones in the fullness of time. Are you aware that the United States has more than ten political parties with Green Party and others? Naturally, the US electorate wittingly or unwittingly zeroed on Republican Party and Democratic Party. In the fullness of time, two political parties will dominate the environment.

The ethnic strifes noticed before and during the February 25 and March 18 elections seem to continue, what are your thoughts and why is it difficult for Nigeria to forge a stronger bond?

Identity Politics is not peculiar to our dear country. With the 2022 Electoral Act, identity politics will evaporate sooner than later. We talked of Obi, do you think he relied only on Igbo votes to win 11 states including Lagos and FCT? I do not think so, that is why I told you am studying Obi’s trajectory. Do you think Asiwaju could have won huge votes in the North if he relied only on Yoruba voters? This shows that our democracy is growing fast and will in due course render ethno-religious politics irrelevant. For me, our voters are on positive mission of minimalism of our fault lines of all hues.