By Omoniyi Salaudeen
Senator Rufai Hanga, a member of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), is one of the prime movers of power politics in the North, especially in Kano State.
In this interview, he examined the intense scheming by political parties ahead of the 2023 presidential race, declaring that the election would spring a surprise. Excerpt:
What is your prediction of the 2023 presidential election, particularly bearing in mind the emergence of Peter Obi as the dark horse in the race who relies on the support of the youths across the country?
This election will spring a surprise to the ignorant Nigerians. For somebody who knows politics, the way Peter and his people are going about their campaign is laughable because the support they are claiming they have gained is not real. It is artificial, it is a hired crowd. You know I am not a tribalistic person. But from what I have seen, they are only mobilizing their own people and most of these people do not even have voter’s cards. Most of them are hired to be a part of the crowd. I learned they were being given N2,000 to join the crowd. What they are doing is just a TV show. If you look at the crowd Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso is pulling, if you look at the crowd Asiwaju Bola Ahmed is pulling, you will know the difference. These are real crowds. What Peter Obi is doing is artificial, it is a photo trick. People are going to follow candidates for what they have done before not about what they want to do. When the time comes, people are going to vote based on what candidates have done in the past. They are going to spring a surprise.
From past experience, virtually all successive presidents had always blamed their non-performance on the extent of damage they met on the ground when elected into office. With the myriads of problems now confronting the nation, whosoever wins, how is the coming new dispensation not going to end up in the same old story?
This is where I am a bit sorry for Asiwaju. He and his spine doctors are talking as if Buhari has done nothing wrong. The earlier they come out to say the truth, the better for them. They are hiding a lot of things. This government has committed many atrocities anybody can think of. We are in a serious problem; we are in deep shit. And all of these are caused by President Muhammadu Buhari and his government. When he came into office, instead of closing the chapter of the former government and coming up with his own ideas, he blamed everything on the past administration, hiding his inadequacies and incapacity. The best Asiwaju could have done is to face Nigerians and tell them, ‘we are sorry for all that has gone wrong; we promise we will do better.’ That way, people will understand them and give them the benefit of the doubt that they will do better. But I don’t know what they are afraid of by going about it as if it is only Buhari that will cast all the votes in Nigeria. They are behaving as if they are sharing the gains with the man even when it is obvious to us that they have been ostracized by Buhari. They are trying to shield the man from everything he has done wrong. Who will trust them again? I don’t believe Nigerians will want to go for this kind of nonsense. The people are watching, they want to see the person who can better their lives. They want a man who has done it before not just by mere propaganda.
The budget for the next fiscal year is now before the National Assembly. From projections, everything is built on deficit financing to the tune of over N11 trillion. What does this portend for the future economy of Nigeria?
It portends danger. And it is scandalous and shameless the way these people are going about it. They are doing things as if tomorrow will not come. These are the kinds of things we will never allow to go unchecked if our presidential candidate is elected president. They are doing things with reckless abandon, stealing left, right and centre. They’re destroying the future of this nation hoping to run out of the country with their families. They are going to answer it. The world is a global village now. Nobody can do this kind of thing and go scot-free. We are going to make them answer for all they have done.
Do you think the debt burden is actually avoidable given the fact that the current economic crisis is a global phenomenon?
Most of these borrowings are avoidable. Besides, a good chunk of the money they borrowed is not being used for what they borrowed it for. They are borrowing, but you can’t see what they are doing with the money. They borrow and steal the money. This is madness. They will answer for it, I assure you.
Does your candidate have the magic wand to change the fortune of the economy?
Obasanjo did it the way he did it. It’s all about initiative. Anybody with the right drive, competence, and capacity can do it. Our candidate is a person who believes in collective responsibility. He believes in coming together to do it together. He has the capacity to lead, he has the capacity to analyse, and ensures that whatever is agreed upon is implemented. He doesn’t wait for damage to be done before he starts crying. He believes he doesn’t know it all; he will bring experts on board to fashion out things that will benefit the country.
Former Kano State governor, Senator Ibrahim Shekarau, was a member of your party at the formative stage, but eventually jumped ship and pitched his tent with the PDP. What can you say about the man’s political exploits?
There are political harlots and political prostitutes. He happens to be one of them. He is an opportunist who is always looking for a greener pasture wherever he is. When he came into the NNPP, he discovered that it is not a party for the moneybags. It is for the people who believe in Nigeria and believe in working for the masses. But because he believes in making a lot of money, he got an offer from Asiwaju and another one from Atiku. It happened that the offer he got from Atiku was fatter than that of Asiwaju and so he opted for Atiku. That is who he is.
Are you not worried that his exit will have some effects on the fortune of your party in Kano State?
Not in the least. In 2019, he came to join Governor Abdullahi Ganduje with all the big shots in Kano to fight Kwankwaso, but Kwankwaso beat them hands down. What difference will it make this time around? They’re inconsequential; they won’t make any impact on our party or our candidate. Time will tell.
This election promises to be a competitive one. Do you also share the view that there may be a run-off election after the first ballot?
Yes, there may be a need for a run-off. APC is still a strong party because it is the party in government. They have money, they have power. That is their strength, but they don’t have followership. People are already tired of them. Yes, there may be some areas where they have followership in areas like Lagos where their candidate has done well for them. But down here where our governors have not done anything, the only strength they have is the power of incumbency. Beyond that, the leading political parties are rigidly defined. Every one of them may take all the votes in their stronghold thereby making it difficult to get the majority votes in 2/3 of the states of the federation. If that happens, those with higher votes may have to go for a rerun and that is where there will be an alignment of forces. I am beginning to feel that we may have to go for a second run. But I am sure the second run will be for our candidate. However, we may have to align with one of the three other political parties.
If your party were to arrange for an alliance for a run-off, which party would you want to align with?
It is difficult for me to decide because we are a collective group of people and I can’t make that kind of decision for the party. Certainly, I will be a part of that decision once it gets to that level. But for now, that decision is beyond me. No matter what my opinion is, I cannot say it now.
Do you foresee the role of tribe and religion in this election?
What will determine the choice of candidate is the humility, performance, and goodwill of the candidates. When I say humility, there are some candidates that are very arrogant and pompous even when the elections have not been held. What will those candidates do when they get to the seat of power? People are already watching and that will be a major determinant for the choice of candidate in the coming election. People will also look for the track record, capacity, and competence of candidates. So, I don’t see religion and tribe playing a serious role. Our candidate has an appeal across religious and ethnic boundaries. What gives him appeal is his innocence. He is a harmless person. You can never hear anybody from any part of the country who will say Kwankwaso has hurt him. He is a simple Nigerian who has his mind for the people. Even with the empowerment he is doing in the state, he extends it to other parts of the federation. And he had been doing it even long before he took the decision to contest this election. We are confident that he will have no problem winning the election.