…Says most governors not putting to use what president is giving them
From Romanus Ugwu, Abuja
All Progressives Congress (APC) National Welfare Secretary, Donatus Nwankpa, no doubt, is now a political figure, having occupied several exalted political positions, including Commissioner, Special Assistant, and party chairman, among others, in his home state of Abia.
Speaking to Sunday Sun in Abuja, the APC National Welfare Scribe delved into several issues, including the party’s performance last year, his assessment of the federal and state governments, and the party’s involvement in the crises rocking the opposition party.
How will you assess the performance of your party, APC, in the 2024 political year?
The question indirectly is how I can capture the performance of Nigeria in 2024 because Nigeria is APC and APC is Nigeria. We have done very well in terms of achievement as a party. We have been able to win more states and other multiple elections. We have remained a coercive party. The level of unity in the party has been so uncompromising. APC has not done badly as a party. This is one of the few times a ruling party has remained relevant for over 10 years, and has remained cohesive, united, focused, and committed. We have gained much ground and have done that not through any act of cohesion, but rather persuasion and people are seeing the value process of the leadership of the APC. As a party, we have done very well. The number of persons that joined the APC has also increased.
What really worked in APC’s favour?
What work for us are the relative peace, unity, and focus. Besides, APC engaged in issues without pursuing shadows. In APC, we show reasonable level of human relation, not bossing or power-instigated relationship. That is the difference. There is love in APC; the level of hostility has reduced drastically in APC compared to other parties.
Why are there still crises in the states chapters of the APC?
There is no crisis in the state chapters of APC compared to what we have in the past. But let us assume that there are crises in some state chapters, what is politics? It is about disagreeing to agree, and it is conflict of interest that brings them. We have been able to manage this conflict of interest within our ambit. The APC internal resolution mechanism is one of the best. We have used it effectively like the issues in Rivers State. Despite the fact that they were externally instigated matters, we have been able to manage it using our internal conflict resolution mechanism to bring many things to order. APC deserves applause.
Do you believe in the insinuation that the secret of your unity is by sponsoring crises in other parties?
How can we sponsor crises to remain cohesive? What you throw out is what returns to you. One of the biggest challenges of Nigerian politics is that those in the ruling party previously have not developed the mentality of taking the back seat position to operate as opposition. Most leaders, who have become used to being called ministers, governors, senators, want to remain and maintain that VIP status. They find it so difficult to know when the stage is low and how to manage the situation. Another thing is that the opposition in Nigeria, in most cases, except APC which developed a very progressive opposition mechanism, built on alliance, collaboration and cooperation, have not been able to sit up and ask where they are. Yes, we have lost election, where did we get it wrong, how do we put it back together, comport ourselves, reorganise ourselves, reintegrate ourselves, synergise, and face the future? We are too good at the mentality of I was this, I was that and I will remain this. That is the problem. Any party, who fails election, should sit down; conduct self-appraisal analysis by engaging researchers to establish the circumstances behind the failure. It has been unconstructive criticisms instead of introspection to establish where it got it wrong, what to do, how to reintegrate, reorganise, and re-launch themselves.
Can you stake your neck that APC is not sponsoring the crises in the opposition parties?
Yes, of course. Why I can stake my neck is that as the National Welfare Secretary of the party, I have not been given fund to sponsor anything concerning the crises in the opposition. That is starting from the known to the unknown. I have not conducted a research as a person to know whether there is sponsorship, and it has not come to my knowledge. I am only speaking from point of sincerity. I have not been at anywhere that money was shared to fuel the crises in the opposition party. I have not also been where it has been discussed. The problem of political parties in Nigeria is the ego of who is to be on the driver’s seat, and who will surrender for the order to be at the front. When two are riding on an uncontrollable empirical personal ego, don’t expect escapee approach by giving them the credit. By the way, is it not a shame for a party as big as PDP, having governed this country for 16 solid years or more, to claim that somebody is sponsoring crisis in the party? That means that the party with such foundation is faulty.
How do you want PDP, for instance, to be reorganised when the FCT Minister, Wike, is allegedly a member of both APC, and PDP?
The Minister of FCT got his appointment on merit. The President felt that this is the man who can do the job for him and appointed him. It is not our duty to look into what is his party’s reaction. If election is conducted in PDP today, I don’t see any personality that can defeat the FCT Minister in the opposition party. The point is that they got it wrong during their primaries, and the rest of the things they did with him. It is not our duty to pray for PDP to get strong enough to defeat us. It is an aberration and an error to embark on such prayer because it means going to war and praying for your enemy to be strong enough to defeat you. If PDP feels that the Minister of FCT is going against its policy, it should conduct a referendum to know whether it stands with him. But he is on national assignment and there is no rule which says that a member of an opposition cannot engage in such. He is serving his fatherland.
What is the relationship between the presidency and the APC as a party?
One good thing about the president is that he distanced himself from interfering with the affairs of the party after a new chairman emerged. The presidency decided to allow the party to function. The ideal thing is that when you help somebody to get to power, allow them to operate. Part of the problem they have with governors is that when you assist somebody to get to the office, allow the person to exhibit his own personal capacity, ability, and technical knowledge of governance. Even if you want to advise, it should not be the one driven as a garrison command position. You also allow the persons to show their own image and personal idiosyncratic, psychological model of leadership. Every leader must exert his own personality, his own idiosyncrasy; and psychology over his leadership, to plant certain that has to do with who he is. That is what is happening in the party. There is no friction between the party and the presidency. There is synergy between the national leadership of APC and the presidency. The only difference is that the president has refused to interfere in the day to day running of the party, which is right. Under pure democracy, partisan politics, you allow the party to flow and when you need to give advisory role, you do it during National Executive Committee (NEC), Caucus meetings and Advisory Council of the party.
Are you then confirming that the Federal Government is implementing APC’s policies and ideologies?
We came in as a progressive party and we are still a progressive party, but there is a book written by a public administrator, which says, my view, your view, the insiders’ view, the outsiders’ view. The system Nigeria was running under a magnetic micro system where people were not seeing the true situation of things, and where the situation on ground was not very visible. A lot of things were built on fantastical island. Mr. President came in and insisted on being realistic with the true situation on how to actually solve our problems. We cannot solve our problems without telling ourselves the bitter truth, and it is from that bitter truth that so many things like the price of fuel are gradually coming down. We will soon be able to get to our natural and realistic purchasing power system where economic indices system, not like banks that practice voodoo economy, which cannot translate to reality. We should not forget that 2023 suffered severe social economic challenges and Nigeria cannot be an exception. But, it takes strong leadership to withstand the wind and play a role that will now take us to stability.
Can you take a vow that President Tinubu will win if he decides to re-contest in 2027?
Nigerians are not short-sighted and parochial. They know that it is better to tell them the truth than to keep deceiving them. Nigerians knew that this man meant well, but all hands must be on deck. As a Christian there are things I don’t talk about because they belong to God. All powers belong to God. Mr. President has not even told anybody that he will be re-contesting for second or third tenure. What we are focusing on now is to deliver the dividends of his election to Nigerians. We are not talking about next election yet, we are talking about governance. We know that the president is doing his best and has done well comparatively that today Nigeria is marching towards stability.
Can you stand before your kindred in Abia State and tell them that Mr. President is doing well without risking their stoning you?
I can conveniently do that without risking anybody stoning me because they know the truth. Tell me one country in the world that is not faced with economic, social and political problems? It is not only Nigeria that is shaken by the world economy, security challenges. It is visible even in Russia, France, Germany, and the Great Britain. How many times has Britain changed government within two years? The question is beyond this aspect of my kindred because they know that whatever I tell them is not from the point of political, but realistic conviction that we are building for a greater and a better tomorrow. We are building for Nigeria where this generation will be proud to answer Nigeria.
Are you aware that Nigerians are suffering?
Definitely, every human being in every part of the world is facing some challenges, including me, but are there times in the family that a father will tell the children to adjust because things will be better? In former President Obasanjo’s reaction to the Structural Adjustment Programme by the military Head of State, Babangida, he said that it must have a human face and milk of human kindness. In life there must be hurdles and there must be potholes on the road, and some turbulence while flying in the air. It doesn’t translate to crashing of the aircraft or accident of the vehicle.
How long and what is the elasticity of patience the APC government wants from Nigerians?
I don’t call for patience; I am not a student of patience. I am a student of understanding in social family matters. Nigeria is a family and I call for understanding. We have had continental, intercontinental, and multi-continental challenges from the medieval days from the criminal war period, the First World War period, the Civil War, the European industrial revolution to the first revolution. Life of humanity has always been such that at a point you must meet challenges, but it is your ability to manage those challenges that makes greater nations. No country has come out stronger than others without internal challenges.
What is the strength of APC in Abia State with the excellent performances of Governor Alex Otti?
I want you to go and conduct empirical research on his performance. Part of the challenges President Tinubu-led government is facing is that he over empowered the states. He is over funding the states and most of them are not really putting what he is giving them to the populace. His effort to take the local government out of the control, cubicles, and chuckles of the governors is what we are praying that he should succeed in it. If he succeeds, Nigerians will know the impact of what he is doing. A lot of funds are given to the local governments and the states, yet we expect these governors to show some performance value, and investment of the resources the Federal Government is giving them. No government in Nigeria has given them such enormous resources. APC government, including President Buhari’s era, gave bailout funds, Paris fund, but what did they do with them. Nobody is saying anything about cases of the president giving a local government N400 million, but sometimes it doesn’t get up to N100 million. There is absolute need for the governors to also justify the enormous resources the Federal Government is giving to them.
Will APC in Abia oust Governor Otti in 2027?
I have never claimed to be a prophet, and I did not see Nostradamus to tell me the secrets of how we can predict the way he did. But let me ask you something, does the governor of Abia State have a political party platform? That is a research I want you to conduct. To that end, independent candidate does not contest election in Abia. On the side of the APC, we have started bringing ourselves together. What we had was the problem of the opposition, not just at the national level, but at the State level that is our ability to manage our ego, exhibit humility, accept another leadership over us. That is why a lot of people will keep on struggling, battling, and engaging in ego trip and forgetting the faith of the millions of people behind them. As it is today, APC is the largest party in Abia State, with the decampment of over 40 per cent of members of PDP and many other parties to APC. Let me ask you, if the governor is performing so well, why is it that many people are not decamping to Labour Party?
When you said political leaders should not interfere in the leadership they helped come to power, are you referring to the crisis in Rivers State?
The crisis in Rivers State was overblown by many hangers around both the governor and the minister. We know that for a long time they have built a relationship, which resulted in the minister of FCT giving him that absolute, strong support that made him governor. We know that within the shortest possible time, and maybe with the spirit of the New Year and the rest, many things will happen. We don’t want to make further comment that will keep escalating the disagreement. Rather, somebody who preaches so much of synergy, and understanding, and I am not a student of one-party system. I am a believer in pure democracy, which means every party must have the ability, the strength, the resources, the human value and the ideology to stand so that the people will have a choice at every point in their lives.
Why are Nigerian politicians always jumping from one party to another?
That is a research question, but not for me. Let me take myself as an example. My first party was the APP before it metamorphosed to ANPP. An obvious disagreement made me to move to PPA. I served the PPA government as a Commissioner, Special Adviser and ran the election into the Federal House before PPA collapsed. I was left with no option than to be the founding state Chairman of APC. I have remained in opposition except when I served in PPA government. I won’t use myself as a yardstick for others, but the most important thing we do is that we must be able to learn, not just societal adjustment, but also personal adjustment. Politicians must learn social contentment, reducing the number of cars to a manageable size. We must also learn to manage our hunger and our taste. We must be able to learn when to reduce our expectations because blessed are the hopeless, for they shall never be disappointed. Many people don’t know how to manage their expectations, and because of that they jump in and out. They jump into APC today, jump out to join another party when they see that the boat wants to shake.
Why is the nomination into South East Development Commission tearing apart APC Southeast?
The way forward is for us to sit down together and talk as brothers. The South East Commission is bigger than any individual. The interest of the Southeast is bigger than any leader because leaders will go and come, but the region remains. Membership of the Commission is not a do-or-die affair. Serving in the Commission does not just require any person, but special quality to add value and creativity. It needs transformative leaders who will understand why it was established, where we are going, how to beat the challenges and restore the peoples’ hope. People should not think that the idea is to go there to control funds. The answer is no, the expectation is beyond the money, the pride, and the attendance of the office. There is insecurity, there is an economic challenge. How many of them know about regional economic integration initiatives, collective and rural road creativity, and synergy within the Southeast? How many of them have talked about the psychological and mental re-engineering of the Southeast’s feelings, talent drive in the zone, self-reliant economic driver, and the region that can build comparative state or local advantages to create a collective, collaborated, and synergized economic system in the Southeast? How many of them have talked about the Southeast that will rejuvenate the tag of Japan of Africa? These are the questions.