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The leader of the Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG), Jamilu Aliyu Charanchi, has urged Nigerians not to vote along political party lines, but vote for credible candidates irrespective of their parties or where they come from, in an interview with VINCENT KALU.
How have the campaigns been?
The campaigns are bitter than previous electioneering. Certain developments in the country are heating up the system – the redesigning of the naira and its exchange for the new ones, the fuel scarcity and the hike in university tuition fees. These issues will definitely affect the election process if they are not properly addressed. There may be a situation that people may not find it easy to travel to the places they registered to vote. There is no money in circulation because of the redesigned new notes and this has increased the hardship. All these factors may negatively affect the elections.
The presidential candidate of the APC, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, said it might be because of him that these policies were instituted or not being properly carried out. Are you in agreement with him?
As a party man, he has every right to say so because what has been obtainable is that at the end of every tenure, the government in power brings out policies that will help the party secure votes and win the election, but unfortunately, the policies this government has rolled out are frustrating Nigerians and at the same time, the voters. This will make the electorate not to vote the party again. Look at what happened in Katsina the other week and what happened in Kano, where angry youths attacked President Muhammadu Buhari. People are very angry; they are so bitter.
Tinubu felt that the government should assist him in winning the election, but unfortunately the government is bringing out policies that are anti people. I commend him for speaking out the truth. The policies are not hitting hard only on Tinubu, but the generality of Nigerians because anything that affects the people will affect the electoral process and even the outcome of the election.
The country is stagnant, particularly the northern part of the country; we are not seeing the new notes or the old ones. The money is not in circulation, and people have started a trade by batter system because there is no official means of exchange. The fuel scarcity has added to the already chocked situation. The petrol is not even available. Where you see it; it is more than N400 a litre. Nigerians are becoming angry every minute. The hike in university tuition is causing many students to drop out from school. So, Tinubu has the right to voice out his frustrations because what the government is doing will make many not to vote for the continuation of the APC. Many are so angry that they cannot even cast their votes for APC; so, its presidential candidate will be at the receiving end.
I cannot categorically say that the presidency is not in support of the party’s presidential candidate because I’m not part of the presidency or the president. But, one thing, which I’m very sure of, is that something is wrong somewhere. We saw the 2007 transition when Obasanjo gave power to Yar’Adua, and we also witnessed what happened when Jonathan wanted to continue in 2015, the polices they churned out were to assist the party win the election. If the government had policies that were harsh, the masses expected favourable policies towards the election so that the party would be voted back to power. Even the masses expected that since this is the time for election, that the government will reduce hardship, reduce insecurity and other things so that the electorate will not go to the polling unit hunger and angry, but as it stands, the voters are going to polling units hungry and with anger.
If Tinubu could say such a thing, it may be that the presidency is not working with him, but I’m not in the presidency to know. However, something is wrong somewhere. It is either they don’t know what the policies are all about; or they don’t mind who is going to win the election or they don’t even mind if Tinubu wins the election or not.
More so, it could be that they don’t care what is going to happen to Nigeria, or which party is going to win the election or they don’t mind who is going to be the president.
You spoke on the attacks on the president’s convoys in Katsina and Kano. Were those not risks taken too far?
Whether it’s a risk taken too far or whatever it was, the reality is that people are angry because of the high level of suffering in this country. Consider the level of insecurity in Katsina State, consider the level of poverty in the North and consider that these people sacrificed their lives and other sacrifices they made to ensure that Buhari became the president. The suffering Nigerians were passing through before Buhari was far better. A situation where people have fled their homes from fear of being killed; there are official and non official IDP camps everywhere. On daily basis, bandits are sacking communities, killing people. Why must people not be angry? There is abject poverty everywhere. Inflation is going up on daily basis and people are hungry. There are so many factors that have made people to be angry with this government. You should know that somebody who is hungry and angry can behave anyhow and that was what happened in Katsina and also today in Kano. Even when the president’s helicopter was flying some people were throwing stones at it. The people wanted to really show President Buhari that they were not happy with him and his government. If care is not taken, this will continue to happen.
What’s your advice to the people?
Our position is very clear, that people should not play politics of sentiments – ethnicity, religion, region and what have you. Nigeria is in a serious critical quagmire and we need a saviour, who may come from any part of this country. A situation where somebody should tell you to vote anybody should not arise; you should know the credibility of the candidate; his integrity, his capacity, competency and his belief in the unification of the country. One thing we need much in this country is unity; unity of the county, unity of purpose. We need to have a president who is sincerely going to unify this country because we are experiencing so many problems ranging from ethnicity, religion and regional. So we must look up to a person with credibility, a person with competency, a person who is physically fit to rule this country, and so many factors to be considered. I doubt if we can endorse a particular candidate. When you tell someone to vote for so, so and so party as the president, what of the state governors who are doing well, but are in different political parties? We encourage people to vote for candidates from different political parties who are credible so that we have the calibre of people we need; the calibre of people that have the country at their hearts. Vote for this calibre of people, irrespective of their political parties and wherever they are coming from. That is our position and I believe that we maintain that till the end of the election. We don’t believe that there is any political party where all its candidates have the competency, credibility and integrity. We encourage people to vote candidates from different parties who are credible so that we have a strong National Assembly, credible state governors and a credible and competent President to lead the country.
In this case, are you calling on the electorate to vote for candidates as opposed to political parties?
We want people to be guided by the credibility of the candidates and not their parties. We voted along party lines in 2015, see where we are now? When Buhari was campaigning in 2015, he was saying, “APC, from top to bottom”, and we followed, but this is the mess we are into. We don’t want a situation whereby we repeat the same mistake. People should look at the candidates rather their parties. If the candidate from Party A for the House of Assembly is not as credible as candidate from Party B, vote for the candidate from Party B. This should cut across all the elective offices. It is only through this that we can save this country. Politicians are interested in their parties winning elections whether their candidates are good or not. So, if you follow them to vote along party lines, then you are not helping yourselves. The masses should look for credible leaders, who can come from any part of the country.
You are so alarmed over the state of the country. Why?
No country has survived if it has a bunch of illiterates. The way this country is trying to drive the education sector, particularly the university system is dangerous, and it will get to a level that even our youth will stop going to school because they cannot afford the fees. Secondly, no country or economy can survive with the level of insecurity in the country. Is it in the North-West, where kidnapping and banditry are at a very high rate and they are no longer reported as news story in the media because it is a daily occurrence? Go to the North-East, Boko Haram is still very active despite the claim of victory by this government, which is a capital lie. Go to the North-Central, it is herders and farmers clashes. Go to the South-East, the IPOB is there; in the South-West, Igboho is there, and in the South-South, the Niger Delta militants hold sway. The stories are the same. This insecurity is what led to the disunity of this country. The country is almost disintegrated as everybody is trying to champion his region, ethnic group and religion. These politicians know they don’t have anything to contribute to the development of Nigeria, and so are promoting these divisions. Economic hardship has become a reality that most Nigerians can’t afford three square meals. The worst is corruption at the level of the government. You see a situation where one person is accused of stealing billions of naira and the government looks the other way. The EFCC, ICPC and other anti graft agencies keep mute. Corruption is walking on two legs in this administration. The president is watching and not doing anything about it.
Some politicians have been fighting dirty, each accusing the other of stealing, looting, corruption, drug trafficking. What message are they sending to the electorate?
The way these people were carrying on with their campaigns was worrisome. We expected that the campaigns would be without bitterness, but the way they were going, one was afraid that one may not accept defeat if he loses the election, which may lead to disunity.
