Presidency: Why Buhari’ll beat Jonathan –Onu reveals

Former governor of Abia State and leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, has expressed confidence that his party will win Saturday’s presidential and National Assembly

election. He stated that the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has frittered away its goodwill.

Onu, who served as the national chairman of the defunct All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) dismissed the allegation that APC was ro­mancing with the Independent Na­tional Electoral Commission (INEC). He insisted that the only demand his party is making is that there should be free, fair and credible elections to enable Nigerians chose the leader they want.

He spoke on these and many oth­ers.

To what extent do you think the endorsement of General Mu­hammadu Buhari by the Igbo Del­egate Assembly (IDA) representing the Igbo residing in the North, will affect the election and how did you strike the deal with the group?

APC stands to gain a lot from the en­dorsement of Gen Buhari by the leaders of IDA and Ndi’Eze Udo in the 19 northern states plus the FCT because in all the states of the federation, if you remove the indig­enous population, the Igbo come second. There is hardly any town in Nigeria that there are no Igbo residents in large num­bers. IDA is the decision making body that holds together all the Igbo in the 19 states in the North and the FCT. So the endorse­ment of the IDA and Ndi’Eze Udo who are traditional rulers within Igbo communities in the 19 northern states and FCT is very significant. Their endorsement of Gen. Buhari is very significant. It will show in the Saturday’s presidential election. If you recall, in 2011 the PDP attributed many of the votes it got in the North to the same body. Now they will be voting for the APC, that is good and important.

The reason for this is that the South East, for 16 years gave almost total support to the PDP. But for the 16 years PDP did not do anything to the zone that anyone can say, yes, the party appreciated the massive support. Because of it, the Igbo feel that they were taken for granted. That is not right. In terms of the position of the Igbo in Nigeria, it is not good for them to put all their eggs in one basket. And in the case of the PDP it is like they put all their eggs in one basket and gave the control of that basket to people who are not even appreciative of the support. They do that because they are not controlling the party or even the government. That is why it has become very important for the people of the South East to look at the direction that the country is likely to move to and make sure that they are a part of it.

How concerned are you about the rumour that the leadership of IDA was induced by your party before you were able to mobilise the group to queue behind Gen Buhari?

I don’t want anybody to insult the leadership of IDA. I can tell you that they are people of honour and very high integ­rity. The APC does not have money. The money we have been using is contributions from members. If anybody can be bought with money, you must have the money first before you can buy such person. It is the ruling party, which has been controlling government in the past 16 years, that has the resources to induce anybody. APC is an opposition party; our strength is not just our members, but also the desire of Nige­rians for change. That crave for change is what has made APC a movement. You have so many Nigerians desirous to assist the party.

I am sure you are aware of the channels that the APC is using to raise funds. The channels are within the public domain. They include scratch cards, going to the bank to make contributions. Nobody in APC can be involved in any form of in­ducement, as is associated with the ruling party . The reason the leadership of IDA decided to support the APC is because they are Nigerians. They have lived in the country for the past 16 years when power was given to PDP. Over the 16 years, they are witnesses to the highest level of insecurity that we have had. Sometimes people just think of the insurgency in the North East but the insecurity is far beyond that. We have kidnapping in all parts of the country. Imagine an emir being kidnapped, retired Generals are kidnapped, other important Nigerians are kidnapped. There are forms of violent crimes going on.

Also, we have never had unemploy­ment at a higher level that it is today. The level of corruption is so high. That is why, despite the huge resources that came into the coffers of government in the past 16 years, there is little to show for it. Don’t forget that prices of crude oil had remained above $80 and $100 in most of the past 16 years.

At the time the administration of Ab­dulsalami Abubakar handed over power to the PDP government, the price of crude oil was below $10 per barrel. But the price shot to the roof immediately PDP took over. So Nigeria in the last 16 years got more money than what came into the coffers of government since independence. Yet look at the situation of the country, look at what has happened to our naira. Just because we were unable to have enough reserves to cushion the shock of the fall in the price of crude oil the value of the naira has crashed. It is well known that crude oil is a commodity; the price will go up and come down. When the price is up you should plan for when it will come down. But they didn’t do so. They can’t even plan to use our crude oil to produce petrol and diesel here. So IDA members are aware of all these things. They are aware of the unprec­edented level of corruption, which has removed all the money that would have been used to strengthen our infrastructure. They want change; they have children; they are thinking of their grand children; they are thinking of the future. That is why they decided to endorse Buhari. There is nothing like inducement.

Should it be taken that your claim that APC does not have money, supports claims in some quarters that the party is having difficulty raising funds for its campaign since the postponement of the election?

No, no; far from it. It is like a human being or a family, you have the money you need to meet your basic needs. The APC has the money to meet its basic needs. Ni­gerians want change and they are support­ing the party. We have campaigned across the country. Our presidential candidate visited 35 out of 36 states. He didn’t go to the 36th state because the people there said there was no need for his coming.

I was responding to your question about monetary inducement and I did say no, we do not have the money to engage in such.

We have enough money for our cam­paign prior and after the postponement of the election. We were in the North East on Tuesday; we had visited the South East and the South West. This extension that the PDP did will hurt it in the end.

How do you mean?

We are now in the last week of the cam­paign, but look at the number of people that left PDP in the past six weeks to join APC. We have two former speakers of the House of Representatives etc. In our rally in Owerri last Monday, we had a former governor, deputy governor, minister and speaker who defected from PDP to APC. A few days earlier, former Speaker, Ghali Na’Abba left PDP to join us. So in the end the PDP would find out that its calculation that the postponement will be in its favour would be the opposite.

But there is the argument that the people you mentioned left PDP because they are disgruntled … If that is the argument, why were they not disgruntled before . The fact is that there is now a viable alternative. Most people don’t recognise that the emergence of APC has altered the way politics is played in the country. Because there is now a strong op­position in the country, those who feel that things are not going the way they should in the PDP now have a place to go to, another party that also has the capacity to form government at the centre. This is exactly what is happening. If you look at the movements, those who have left, which party to go elsewhere, you would find out that far more persons have left the PDP to come into the APC in the last six weeks.

The comments by Gen Buhari that the South East people are ruled by emotions in their support for PDP is taken as an acceptance that APC is not on ground in that zone. Why has it been difficult for your party to gain ground in the region?

We shouldn’t interpret what the presi­dential candidate of APC said in Owerri in that light. I think what he had in mind was that, look, the people of the South East, for 16 years you supported the PDP and the party denied you all the things that are very important. This is the time for you to try the APC because the party will give you what you want. That is the message.

I believe that the APC will do well in the South East. It will do far much better than Gen Buhari did in the previous three elec­tions that he contested for President.

Why are Buhari and the APC evasive on some demands by the South East like creation of addi­tional states, implementation of the National Conference reports and ceding of the presidency to the zone after his tenure?

The issue is that the APC as a political party has a manifesto. The manifesto ad­dresses all the major problems confronting the country. Also, the presidential candi­date is committed to implementing that manifesto. The promises that the presiden­tial candidate has made to Nigerians in­clude everybody, all, the six zones. He has talked about making sure that the nation is secured, building a strong economy etc. You can see that the PDP inherited N120 to a dollar, but it is leaving with, officially, N198,199 to a dollar. At the parallel mar­ket, it is almost N230 to a dollar. Despite the amount of money that came into the coffers of government in the last 16 years, the country is bleeding .

The APC is committed to reversing the current ugly look of our economy. APC is committed to ensuring that our infra­structure are rebuilt by making sure that we reduce all forms of corruption in the system. These are promises.

As far as the national conference is concerned, it is not even fair to say that the PDP has committed itself that it is going to do this or that; we know that if the PDP wanted to make that commitment, this conference should have held a year or two earlier so that they would have imple­mented the outcome. There is no imple­mentation. We want to assure Nigerians that because of the commitment of APC to the development of the nation, as soon as the party comes into government, we will implement our manifesto. And we will look at all the problem areas and find possible solutions. The resolutions of the national conference, if we find any to be suitable we will implement it immediately. We will do that better than those who are making promises. The PDP had the time to transform Nigeria; it has been there for 16 years. Our style will not be like that. When we come in, we will make sure that all the things that are needed, both in the South East and in the other zones, are handled.

Are you saying that APC has not taken a stand on the South East’s agitation for parity of states among the six geo political area? APC has said that it is going to redress all the problems that we have in the country. The party is committed to achieving it. All these things will be taken in line with our manifesto. This is a party that believes in justice. APC will do everything to make sure that all parts of the country get justice. Ours is a better situation than the ruling party that had 16 years and it is still telling you what it will do in the future . APC has not had even a year. We will face all the problems and get them resolved.

How do you situate claims that power rotation arrangements in APC do not favour South East? We are looking at the election of 2015. The party has presented a candidate. In future, it will be the duty of the party again to present candidates. I don’t think that we should use the events of today to make projection. I agree that most times, one uses events of the moment to make projection, but the truth is that things don’t normally go that way. We should allow APC to handle things one at a time; when the time comes the party will take the best decision for the good of Nigeria.

How disturbed are you over the defection of Rivers Deputy Gov­ernor to PDP and other unfolding political developments that seem not to favour APC? Rivers State is a very important state in the country. We are very happy that APC is controlling the state. We are also happy that we have a competent governor in the mould of Chief Rotimi Amaechi. The developments in the state are unfortunate. Many people believe that the deputy gov­ernor has made a grave mistake for leaving APC. This is the way the party is look­ing at it. If you look at the reason he had given, you would wonder why taking such step now. We believe that APC will still do well in Rivers state.

Are you saying that the party will still win the state, even with the exit of the deputy governor?

That is our aim; it is our objective. I am very confident that APC will do well in Rivers State. Don’t forget that in the past, the governor had said publicly, that what was done in previous elections was allocating votes to the ruling party. But with the presence of APC you will see the effects of competition in the electoral pro­cess. That is very important for the growth of democracy in Nigeria.

What do you make of some surveys placing PDP ahead of APC in the presidential poll? Also, early this week the Jigawa State said the PDP will win the North. Are you perturbed by all these?

In elections, individuals and bodies are free to make projections. But you know that in the end it is Nigerians that will determine who wins and who does not win particularly if the election itself is free and fair. I am convinced and the APC is con­vinced, based on what is on the ground, that so long the election is free and fair, we will win. The APC is doing very well all over the country.

Are you sure you are not exag­gerating your acceptability by the people?

No, no, the APC is doing well all over the country. The ruling PDP knows that it has serious problem. Their members have confessed it. All that we are saying is that Nigeria is a great nation. We are the largest democracy in Africa. We are the largest economy in Africa. We have the largest concentration of black men and women in the world. So Nigeria should be able to show the rest of the world that we can conduct free and fair elections. Once the election is free and fair, there would be no violence; it would be peaceful. This is what we are demanding. It is the right of Nigerians and we know that Nigeria can do it.

The argument is that the parties that came together to form APC, especially ACN had a history of not accepting election results unless it went in their favour. Are Nigerians not likely to see the same reaction by your party if it is beaten?

It is not true . The truth is that even the ACN that people talk about, if you remem­ber how many results that were reversed in the courts you would know that the party was right in rejecting results of those elections. If elections are not free and fair, why should anybody accept it. Conduct­ing free and fair elections in the country is very important. It is not just important for the opposition but for the nation. If you do not conduct a free and fair election, there might be a spill over effect. Look at our trade unions; they have problem in con­ducting elections. If you go to our schools, it is the same for SUGs. It is like a poison that no nation would allow because before you know it, it will almost try to kill the social fabric. If elections are not free and fair, it means you are enthroning injustice; you are no longer a nation of laws. You are ensuring that your laws cannot be obeyed. The parties that came together, the parties that merged to form APC were victims of rigged elections. The judges were bold in many instances, in reversing those fraudu­lent results. The opposition ought to be commended instead of being criticised.

Do you think that there is convinc­ing reason to believe that Satur­day’s election will be free and fair?

Yes, we are calling for the elections to be free and fair. We have tried to show all Nigerians that there is need for the elections to be free and fair. Even the international community is urging that the elections should be free and fair. The APC believes that if our neighboring countries, I mean West African countries, like Ghana, Benin Republic and Senegal could conduct free and fair elections, Nigeria should do same. The judgment of whether it is free and fair is left until after the election . We as a nation must show the world that we are ready for leadership . Nigeria wants to be a permanent member of the security council of the United Nations, it is impor­tant that we demonstrate our readiness for leadership by conducting a free and fair elections . It shouldn’t just be that the op­position wants it but Nigeria should show the world that elections could be free, fair , credible and peaceful in the country .

On what ground will APC reject the results of the elections?

We will accept the result if the elections are free and fair. For elections to be free and fair, we must keep to the rules. We have the Electoral Act; every party must follow the Electoral Act. If the rules of the game are violated, APC will not accept the results.

What gives you the confidence that APC will win the presidential election?

I am very confident that we will win be­cause many people didn’t believe that APC could be formed as a political party. They took that position because there had not been a successful merger in Africa before the formation of APC. What people do not know is that the coming into being of APC has altered the way politics is played. No election in the history of our country has been as this particular one. Already, the effect of competition is showing.

In the past, the governors and other members that left PDP to come to APC would not have done so. They would have stayed back, no matter the problems and challenges the faced. They would stay back because they knew that there was really no true alternative. For instance, in 2004, PDP had 28 states. If you go into election with 28 out of 36 state governors on your side, how can you be beaten? But right now, in terms of registered voters resident in states controlled by APC, we have more members. We have the two largest states – Kano and Lagos. I am very confident that we will win. We should rec­ognise that PDP has shed so much weight. The first President they produced is no longer with them. The first Vice President PDP produced is now in APC; five PDP serving governors left and joined APC. PDP has lost five Speakers of the House of Representatives it produced. There are so many other prominent Nigerians who were in PDP but are currently in APC. So when I say that PDP has shed so much weight I know what I am saying.

If the elections are free and fair, APC will win. It is in the interest of Nigeria that APC should win so that our people will be in a position to compare the two parties and know which is better. That type of competition will help those in government to serve the people better.

Before the postponement of Feb­ruary 14 poll, APC was alleged to be working with INEC. Why is APC not making effort to debunk the allegation?

I don’t know whether any person can truly say that because the chairman and all the national and resident electoral com­missioners of INEC were not appointed by APC. They were appointed by the ruling party. It beats logic to say that the same people appointed by the PDP government is working with APC. If for anything it is those that made the appointment that are trying to use the electoral body. Don’t for­get that some of the top personnel in INEC were card-carrying members of PDP. The truth of the matter is that the desire of Ni­gerians for change is on the basis of what has happened in the past 16 years. PDP has a record of failures. Nigerians are asking if the bleak past is what they desire for the future. They want a totally new future that assure their children can secure employ­ments when they leave school, future that can secure everybody to the extent that we can go to our bed with our eyes closed, a future that will guarantee that when are sick we can be treated in a nearby hospital. These are the type of questions that agitate the minds of Nigerians. That is why they will vote for change.

Talking frankly, were you con­vinced that INEC was prepared for the February elections, especially in view of the improvement the body later made in the distribution of PVCs?

For me, the constitution is very clear that INEC has the responsibility to conduct our elections. And INEC said it was ready. When the body was saying it was ready, it was using the word relative to what happened in the past. The Chairman of INEC even said that in terms of the 2011 elections, they were better prepared as at that time than they were in 2011.

On the issue of PVCs, it is like taking a horse to the river but you cannot force it to drink water. Yes, more people have collected their PVCs. This goes to confirm that many Nigerians like to do things in a rush. Perhaps, those who collected now still would have done so before the Febru­ary if they wanted.

The important thing is that we ought to be a nation of laws. If we make a law we must respect it. If we make a law and disobey it or pick and chose which one to obey or disobey, we will create problem for the nation . It is wrong for our security personnel, as important as they are, to be the ones to determine when elections should be held.

It should be the decision of INEC. Government’s primary responsibility and duty is to secure the nation. If you leave an opening now, I hope it won’t be a prec­edent for the security agencies to now tell the nation that something like this won’t happen it will be sometime else. That is the aspect that is of great concern to the APC .

Written by Iheanacho Nwosu for Sun