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Former presidential aspirant, Mr Martin Onovo has warned that any attempt to dump zoning may have unpalatable consequences on the nation’s democracy. In an interview with TUNDE THOMAS, Onovo who contested the 2015 general election on the platform of the National Conscience Party (NCP) noted that zoning would help to sustain and nurture democracy.
What’s your position on zoning and 2023? There have been on-going debates on zoning of the presidency among the regions.
I am a democrat. I believe in authentic democracy, not the pseudo-democracy that we have today. Zoning is democratic because the overwhelming majority of Nigerians support it and democracy requires inclusion and representation. I believe that zoning will help strengthen our democracy. It will also promote equity, fairness and justice. Zoning has also helped in strengthening the pillar of our democracy since 1999 and it will be in our interests to sustain it. For those who are opposed to zoning, I believe that they are being self-centred. My own take is that anybody that truly loves this country and will not want anything to jeopardize her peace and unity should support zoning. Aside this, the Nigerian constitution provides for the principle of Federal Character. Federal Character is also another way of saying that power or positions should revolve around or among the regions. We can recollect that the late Gen. Abacha’s Draft Constitution also provided for power rotation between zones.
Again, democracy requires inclusion and representation and zoning will help to enhance that. It will promote fairness and national cohesion. Nigeria is not the only country where zoning or rotation of power among the regions is practised. We have other nations of the world where such is also in existence, especially in multi-ethnic societies. If we truly love this nation as genuine patriots we should support zoning.
How will you react to the agitation for a Southern President come 2023?
I’m fully in support. If we want Nigeria to remain a united nation where justice and equity prevail, we should allow the next President to come from the South. By 2023, Buhari, a Northerner would have been in office for eight years, and so, naturally, power should revolve to the South. It is part of what we are saying that the unity of the country should be paramount in our political arrangement. I support the idea of having a Southerner as President in 2023. I support it completely. It is a matter of justice, representation and inclusion.
The North has dominated political power in Nigeria for so long and that domination is unjust. Domination also undercuts national development due to the marginalisation and exclusion of key demographic strengths. However, while supporting the calls for a Southern President, my take is that it should be the turn of the South-East, and I have my reasons for saying that. Since, 1960, a person from the South-East has held the position of Head of Government in Nigeria for only six months which is less than one per cent of the time from October, 1960 to May, 2023. In comparison, the North-West has held the same position for two hundred and sixty five months which is over 35 per cent of the time.
The three northern geopolitical zones cumulatively have held the same position for 554 months which is over 72 per cent of the time. Therefore, the domination of power by the North, particularly the North-West, is established and unpatriotic. It seems the South-East is excluded or marginalised. To address the issue of marginalisation of the South-East, the geo-political zone should have the Presidency in 2023. It should be noted that some prominent Nigerians, groups, and associations have also been canvassing that the South-East should have the Presidency in 2023.The issue of marginalisation of the South-East in the nation’s political setting should have long been addressed, and I believe that 2023 present a golden opportunity to redress this issue. South-East is part and parcel of this country and the people from that part of the country should be made to have a sense of belonging.
What’s your reaction to the current unfolding developments in the ruling APC?
I am not a member of the APC. However my observation is that the party is not a party of democrats and therefore cannot be democratic. The right way is the democratic way which requires the rule of law and the direction of the majority. The APC suffers the absence of internal democracy, it suffers the Godfatherism syndrome and it applies coercion instead of collaboration.
The party has never manifested any sign of being a truly democratic party, and this is why we see one ugly development or the other always rearing its head within the party. Recently, the Chairman of the party’s Caretaker Committee, Governor Mai Mala Buni of Yobe State was unlawfully removed as the Chairman of the party’s Caretaker Committee without the knowledge, and approval of the majority of stakeholders. If Buni can be removed from office in an undemocratic manner, what should Nigerians expect from such a political party that doesn’t have respect for internal democracy?
What’s your assessment of this administration in the last six and half years ?
There is nothing to write home about in the last six and half years that General Buhari has been in charge. For me, Buhari regime is a catastrophic failure. It is clearly the worst since independence. After it deceitfully disowned its own campaign promises in 2015, it announced its three priorities as anti-corruption, security and the economy. The government promised to turn the economy around. Sadly, this government has not delivered on those three promises.
In its dysfunctionality, it has robustly promoted corruption and has very clearly become the most corrupt government ever in Nigeria. The amount of funds involved in its corruption, the prevalence of corrupt activities, the impunity of its corrupt officials and the cataclysmic impact on the economy confirm the unprecedented level of corruption in the regime. The annual reports of the Auditor General of the Federation, the impact of corruption on the economy and the current rating of Nigeria by the Transparency International all confirm that this government is the most corrupt in the history of Nigeria. The government must be encouraged to account for about N50 trillion it has spent since May 2015 without any significant achievement. On the worsening insecurity, government has been exposed in the confession of a very prominent former APC founding national chieftain, Alhaji Kawu Baraje, that the ruling party is the direct sponsor of insecurity and terrorism in Nigeria. This confession is confirmed by so much evidence that it is absolutely a sure fact. The regime has promoted insecurity through its moral and strategic support for terrorist herdsmen, unwillingness to deal decisively with Boko Haram, bandits and their sponsors and use of security forces against any groups like the one led by Chief Sunday Igboho that attempt to defend themselves against terrorist Fulani herdsmen. It has never been this bad. On the economy, the Buhari regime has deliberately destroyed the economy with corruption, mediocrity and waste. Currently, every economic index has plummeted drastically. GDP, employment rate, inflation, national debt, poverty, etc. all have become worse. According to the ‘World Poverty Clock’, Nigeria became the global capital of extreme poverty under this regime. While Nigeria remained the global capital of extreme poverty in 2021, more Nigerians slide into extreme poverty every day.
Currently, unemployment is at an unprecedented level. Inflation is at the highest ever and national debt is also at the highest ever. From N12 trillion in 2015 to about N36 trillion currently. It is estimated by some economic analysts that 97 per cent of total national revenue will be applied to debt servicing this year. The economy is completely ruined. From all indications, there is no sign that Nigerians can expect any relief except they vote for a change next year. This is why Nigerians are now yearning for a true and genuine democratic change. APC promised Nigerians change in 2015 but this is not the kind of change Nigerians bargained for. Nigerians eyes are now opened, and I believe they will use their votes next year to get APC out of office.
From the way you are talking, are you saying nothing has changed?
No. Everything has changed, but things have changed for the worse. Go and ask those Nigerians who have lost their jobs whether things have changed or not, they will answer you. Go and ask those hungry Nigerians whether everything has changed or not, they will tell you.APC promised Nigerians 3 million jobs in a year, but what we got in return was a job loss of 9 million.APC has become a big burden on Nigerians. They promised Nigerians free healthcare and services, but has the party implemented that? No.
With all these your comments and observations, what do you believe is the way out? Is it restructuring as some Nigerians have been saying?
Wrong diagnoses, wrong solutions. Let’s first of all admit that APC has failed Nigerians. Then we can talk about the way out. There is nothing wrong with restructuring. However, the fact must be pointed out that the major problem with Nigeria is lack of visionary leadership. Nigeria has been very unlucky with leadership. Most of the time, Nigeria has been very unfortunate to have mediocre and corrupt leadership.
The problem with Nigeria has always been corrupt political leadership. Corruption and mediocre leadership are the major problems confronting Nigeria. If we can tackle these two social ills, Nigeria will be on the path to her greatness. Nigerians must take advantage of democracy to elect a patriotic leadership. If we get the right leadership, Nigeria’s problems are solved.
What’s your take on the current scarcity of petroleum products?
The current high prices of petroleum products are a direct consequence of the deceitful, divisive and unpatriotic disposition of the ruling party. As long as we tolerate the deceitful and corrupt machinations of the regime, we must suffer the consequences. The ruling party promised deceitfully in writing during the campaigns in 2014 that it will fix existing public refineries and build new ones. But the party is yet to fulfil its promise. It has not built any new refinery and it could not even fix any of the existing ones almost seven years after. For a lasting solution, we must increase domestic refining. This will reduce waste, save costs, promote energy security and reduce unemployment. The solution is domestic refining but the ruling party lacks the capacity and sincerity of purpose required to implement the simple solution.
How will you rate Federal Government’s efforts at curbing insecurity?
So far I have not seen any concrete efforts being made to tackle insecurity. Rather what we see are the efforts of the regime to promote insecurity. We do not see any efforts to curb insecurity. From the moral and strategic support to terrorist Fulani herdsmen to the abuse of security forces, what we see are efforts to promote insecurity. When the government is genuinely ready to tackle insecurity, we will start seeing visible results. If genuine efforts are being made to tackle banditry and insurgency, why are we then witnessing an alarming increase in banditry, and other forms of criminal acts? When those in authority are ready to tackle insurgency, they know steps to take in order to achieve the desired results. It is very unfortunate that bandits and insurgents are wreaking so much havoc on Nigerians.
What are your fears about 2023 and advice to Nigerians as we look towards another general election next year?
I don’t have any fear about 2023. Let all the stakeholders play the roles expected of them. The political parties, INEC and others. Political leaders and political parties must not see the elections as a do-or die affair. They must strive to play the game according to the rules. My advice to Nigerians is that we must be very careful in 2023 so as not to repeat the mistakes of 2015 when APC was voted into office.
Some of us warned Nigerians that time but we were ignored but today we have been proved right by what is happening in the country. We can’t continue this way, and expect the nation to move forward. We must agree with Prof. Wole Soyinka that leadership is the key to our greatness as a nation. We must also agree with the late Prof. Chinua Achebe that the problem with Nigeria is the leadership. Then we can use universal principles to identify and sponsor the right persons to leadership positions. Having the right people in leadership positions is the answer to the myriads of woes currently plaguing the country. With what is happening now, we can’t afford to make another mistake in 2023.
What’s your view on the newly signed electoral act 2022?
The new Electoral Act 2022 is clearly an improvement over the previous Electoral Act. The electronic transmission of results from polling stations will curtail rigging at different collation levels. The accommodation of all relevant INEC recommendations will check undue excuses for failure from INEC. The new Electoral Act 2022 represents an improvement in electoral laws in Nigeria if the spirit and letters of the law will be respected. However, how can we trust INEC after the 2019 charade elections when it still has the same leadership that conducted the 2019 charade?
As Nigerians are looking for the next president, what qualities do you want them to look out for?
Universally, leadership requires vision, integrity and competence. Comprehensive competence includes moral, mental and medical standards. In addition, given our current national predicament, we must look for a young and industrious new-breed citizen with the energy to confront our dire situation and breakaway from our inglorious past.
