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From Romanus Ugwu, Abuja
A quintessential editor, author, administrator, politician, former Commissioner, ex-Minister of Sports and Youths, ex-Spokesperson of the ruling party, APC, and many more, Mallam Bolaji Abduallahi, could be rightly described as a complete package and a man of capacity and capability.
Abduallahi, currently aspiring to represent Kwara Central in the upper legislative chamber of the National Assembly, spoke to Sunday Sun on various contentious issues in an exclusive interview in Abuja.
He also spoke on the precarious security situation in the country, his senatorial ambition, the slim chances of his former party, APC, retaining presidential seat and raising the alarms that; “the Nigeria we know is fast disappearing before our very eyes.”
What are you contesting for in the 2023 elections?
For the past two electoral cycles, my plan has always been to contest for the governor of Kwara State, I have made very serious attempts twice, coming very close at the primary stage, but duo to internal party arrangements, which zoned the governorship ticket to the North Senatorial District, I have to support the decision of the party as a loyal party man not to run for governorship this time around since I am from the Central Senatorial District. I will instead run for the senatorial position of Kwara Central Senatorial District. That position used to be occupied by Dr Bukola Saraki, but he is contesting for president, which by God’s grace will be elected president of Nigeria soon. I am pretty sure that I will win the ticket both at the primary and the main election. I am very confident because the odds are not against me compared to that of governorship. At the moment, there is only one person aspiring for the same position, but I am very confident of getting the ticket at the end.
What about the speculations that you are holding the ticket in trust for Bukola Saraki should he lose the presidential ticket?
I think those positions are pure speculations and I think it is presumptuous. If I felt for whatever reason or I had reason to suspect in any way that Dr Saraki will be interested in the senatorial district position, of course, I will not contest for the same position as my leader. The fact that I am running means that he is not running for that position.
How certain are you that the Otoge uprising will not happen to the PDP again?
The truth is that there will be no Otoge for anybody to hide under. Everybody will have to answer his father’s name this time. Unlike the last time, people who could not even win their polling units hid under Otoge wave to win elections. Some even win the election without leaving their sick beds or bedrooms. It was a case of once you identify with the Otoge movement; you are certainly going to win the election. But there will be no Otoge wave this time around and this is the time for every aspirant or candidates to market themselves in Kwara State solely on your own merit not based on any bandwagon effect or orchestrated hatred of somebody, but on competence. I believe that I am the best candidate for the position to represent the people judging by the kind of job we have done. I believe that I can do it. There are different categories of people in the Senate. There are those that saw the Senate as a retirement home, as somewhere to hide, pending the time they can aspire for something else. But there are those who genuinely want to be senators and value the work of legislation and representing the people. However, regardless of whatever category one falls in, what is clear is that ahead of 2023 Nigeria is facing a very dare situation that will force everyone, including the most conservative among us to know that we need to reposition the country and bring to the precipices that it is, not only for functionality but also for safety and productivity. No Nigerian is certain that he will be alive tomorrow. You cannot announce to your wife that you are heading down the street and guarantee you will come back safely. The situation is that bad. Finding ourselves in this situation as a nation, you have to agree that whatever system you have at the moment is not working. So, 2023 is going to present us an opportunity to ask those questions and seek answers to those questions that we are going to ask. There is no higher platform for the conversation about the future of Nigeria if not the National Assembly especially in the Senate. Therefore, the Nigerian Senate in 2023 is going to be the type where conversation is going to happen about the destiny of Nigeria. The benefit of any zone or constituency will get in this renegotiation about Nigeria will depend on the quality of representation at the National Assembly. My people in Kwara Central will be doing the right thing if they vote for me to be in the Senate to give them quality representation because I have the voice, brand visibility, social network, and long-time relationships to give them the voice in the National Assembly. Yes, legislative work is not something that I am interested in because I am executive person traditionally, I like to solve problem on a day to day basis, but given the precarious situation facing the country, I believe the National Assembly is going to play a pivotal role on the future of Nigeria. I believe that there is going to be so many good people at the National Assembly, I want to join them and by joining them we will be able to form sufficient critical mass to give new identity and new focus to the National Assembly.
What will be your fears of not getting the ticket?
I don’t have any reason to entertain any fear. Two outcomes are involved in election, win or lose. As you hope for the best, you will also prepare for the worst. If you ask me my fears, I will say that I don’t get the ticket or that I don’t win the election. But my best hope is that I get the ticket and I win the election. I am in a very good position to win the election because I believe that the gentleman representing us is not doing enough. Our people are not feeling him and I believe I can do better.
Are you surprised with the calibre of persons jostling for the PDP presidential ticket?
I am not in any way surprised and let me say that the fundamental point we have to agree on is that every single person that came out to say that they want to be president in our party is immensely qualified to aspire for that position in legal terms and their pedigree or experience. Secondly, it is a major transition year where the incumbent is not going to contest, which throws the field much more open. And that is why many people are clamouring to contest. The most important point I want to make is that the APC and President Buhari campaign were based on three things: Security, economy and fight against corruption. We have to leave the issue of economy and fight against corruption, which we don’t need to talk or ask Nigerians about the economy because they are all reflective in almost everybody and everything we do, in our stomach, the quality of lives we are living, inability to pay our children’s school fees, the size and quality of the Nigeria middle class today. In Nigeria today, there are very few extremely rich people, for the rest in the larger number of 98 per cent is a case of poor, poorer and poorest. There is no rich man in between. The most important thing is the issue of security and the unanswered question is how we got to this point that over 200 people will die and we just move on as if nothing happened. That you cannot go to Kaduna if you are coming Southward means that the territorial integrity of Nigeria has been subverted. Nigeria no longer have territorial integrity because they cannot travel to Kaduna by air since the airport has been attacked and shutdown, by road because the bandits have taken over the road, or by rail because the bandits have also attacked and people captured in the train are still in the custody of the abductors in captivity. So, what it means is that Kaduna has been cut-off. What every Nigerian is asking today is change. The real change! Beyond Kaduna, there are communities in Nigeria today where bandits collect taxes, they levy indigenes. There are areas where government has lost the monopoly to tax people and where extra-governmental authorities and forces could actually levy taxes on people. The Nigeria we know is seriously disappearing before our eyes that we can no longer recognise this Nigeria. I am not in the habit of laying blames, but just painting picture of the situation we found ourselves today. Whoever wants to take responsibility can do. If you think that you are part of those that have led us to this situation, you have to take responsibility. And those that don’t want to take responsibility can blame who they want to blame. They can continue to blame the PDP, or Dimka, or Judas, but what I am saying is that Nigeria is waiting for the PDP to recover the country from the situation we now found ourselves. That is why I find it quite frustrating that even our own party, the PDP, is still talking about zoning under this dare situation we find ourselves when Nigerians are waiting for PDP to recover and rescue Nigeria from this situation we found ourselves. We can begin to have conversation about zoning at normal times. If it were possible for us to bring someone from Australia to fix the country for us now, we should do so even though we can’t because we are Nigerians. Truth be told, Nigeria is disappearing. The insecurity has escalated that palaces are invaded and kings abducted, brides are abducted in wedding gowns. And what should be our prayer point is that Nigeria should not experience the wrath of God like in Afghanistan, Syria, Somalia, Libya, and Iraq. May we not experience the wrath of God where professors, former judges, lectures, highly privileged, educated people, lawyers, bankers, reduced to destitution, will line up to collect food from the United Nations Food Aids because their countries collapsed. Whoever becomes the president of Nigeria in 2023 will have to work with everybody that has something to contribute.
If you are suggesting sacrificing zoning as you claimed, does it mean you won’t mind the party that produces the next president?
As a party man, I won’t say that, but if the APC has run this country for close to eight years and this is what we have and where we are, those that will run under the APC ticket would have to tell Nigerians that it is not the party, but President Buhari that kept the country in this condition and if given the chance they can do better. We can understand that argument. But if they admit that they have run this government together under the APC, and this is what we have, then on what basis should Nigerians trust anything under the APC and expect it will work. It is either the aspirants and candidates are exonerating themselves or accepting responsibility that they are not part of the situation we found ourselves in. APC has led us from frying pan to fire because they told Nigerians in 2015 when they came that we were in frying pan, but today the APC has led Nigerians into the fire. PDP is a party designed to be in power, but the problem is that they forgot who they are over the years, but everybody has learnt their lessons. The PDP can say that they are not part of the problems the country is encountering today, challenge boldly that people should go back to what happened to the country since the APC took over power and ask Nigerians which one do they prefer.
How would you describe the seven years plus of the APC government?
I told you earlier that I don’t like to pass that kind of judgment. I have been in government and I know what it is. I know you are looking for a headline for me to say that APC is a disaster, but I am not going to say all that. However, you and I know that since government is not a secret cult, we ought to know whether they have performed or not. If the government has actually worked for us in the last eight years, we will know. I could leave Ilorin about 10 years ago in the evening to Kano. I will most likely arrive Kano unless I had an accident. I was born in Kontagora, Niger State, where my family lived in a village called Beri along the highway leading to Kaduna. Today, that place that used to be a rural peaceful haven that doesn’t have padlocks on our doors is now den of bandits and kidnappers. No matter the level of cover up, bandits have taken over Niger State and you are asking me to assess the current regime. As a student we use to travel by train. Can anyone go to any market today and confidently believe that nothing bad will happen. You enter a mosque or church to pray you are scared that something will happen. Nowhere is safe. I used to have a farm somewhere in Ilorin, but I can’t go to that farm because I know for sure that I could be abducted. How did we get to this point.
Do the current National Assembly have any comparison with the 8th Assembly?
You know I don’t do comparison, but only stick to the fact that I know. As a social scientist, I know that there could be variables. The National Assembly can do much better than what the current Assembly is doing. I know many people at the current Assembly who are worried everyday that they are not having opportunity to do enough. That is why I said that the more people we have at the National Assembly with conviction that it is about serving Nigeria, the better for us as a country. There are two things we need to pay attention to. No matter how brilliant a legislator might be, if he is in the minority, you cannot do anything. Interestingly, the people who voted you into the National Assembly do not care about how many bills you have sponsored or initiated. They will judge you about how many school fees you have paid, how many marriages you have sponsored, how many employment letters you have secured and brought home. If you like initiate and sponsor all the bills that will change the country, if you don’t meet up with the primary assessment of their demands, you may not be re-elected.
