Former old Anambra State Governor, Dr Pius Chukwuemeka Ezeife, is one of those who passionately believe in ideological-based two-political system as an ideal way to achieve good governance. However, in this interview, he dismissed the present two parties as an agglomera¬tion of politicians without address. He also warned of the danger of possible disinte¬gration of the country, if voting pattern in 2015 general election suggests that some people are born-to-rule and others born-to-be ruled. Excerpts:
What is your prediction of the 2015 presidential election with the emer¬gence of Gen Muhammadu Buhari (rtd) as the candidate of the All Pro¬gressives Congress APC?
You have asked a very big question. Ni¬geria is at a crossroads. One way leads to what people have been predicting for Ni¬geria-disintegration. The other way leads to a strong, more virile and purposeful Ni¬geria. Which way will it be? Before I give an answer, let me adumbrate the problem of Nigeria. It will surprise you to hear me say that the chief problem of Nigeria is religious intolerance. Some people; not very many but many enough to cause concern, are bent on Islamising Nigeria. And unfortunately, the West-America and her allies seem to believe that those who want to Islamise Nigeria are determined enough to win at the end. And in the eyes of the Western powers, an islamised Nigeria will be very difficult for world gov¬ernance. There is a continuing effort to Is¬lamise Nigeria.
Over decades, churches were destroyed. And more recently, all the 99 churches in Mubi were destroyed. I do know that major¬ity of Muslims in Nigeria are not looking for Islamisation. But there is a handful of Mus¬lims who tenaciously believes in Islamisa¬tion. Will we be islamised? To the West, it is yes. So, it is suspected that the West views in a positive light disintegration of Nigeria. I don’t know whether there is a fear of our coming to the world stage to dominate. With this background, it is not surprising that the promise by America to help us against Boko Haram is not in anywhere found. So, what do we do? Everything is in our hands. We can appeal to those who want to Islamise Nigeria and show them the consequences. Breaking up of Nigeria is not in the interest of anybody. It is not in the interest of Muslim Nigerians, it is not in the interest of Christian Nigeria. Hausa/Fulani gain better from one Nigeria. Igbo have voted with their legs for one Nigeria as they are everywhere in Nige¬ria behaving as if the places they are homes. The Yoruba gains from one Nigeria. All oth¬er smaller groups gain from importance of a larger Nigeria.
How then do you predict 2015 elec¬tion?
Some people say it will lead to disintegra¬tion. Others say it will lead to the emergence of a stronger Nigeria. I see one way that can lead to the emergence of a stronger Nigeria. And that is if the result of the elections say clearly that this country belongs to all of us, no group is born to rule, no group is born to be ruled, we are all one equal citizens of one Nigeria. On the other hand, if the result suggests the contrary, if the result suggests that some people are born to rule and others are born to be ruled, Nigeria will be made ungovernable. So, we have to choose either one Nigeria or disintegration. I hope we will choose wisely.
Nigeria is tending towards a two-party system. Are you saying that the present structure is not good enough for the country?
First of all, we do not have a two-party sys¬tem now. None of the parties is based on any ideology. When we had SDP and NRC, the difference was clear. One was a progressive party (SDP), the other one was a Republican conservative.
And the dividing line was clear. What we have today is agglomeration of Nigerian politicians. PDP is an agglomeration of Ni¬gerian politicians with ideological address. APC is an agglomeration of Nigerian politi¬cians without ideological address. So, if it is ideological party wise, none should be cho¬sen. Let me tell you, if Nigeria should survive this election, I will come out as a politician and start selling; one, a two-party system and two, true democracy, which means the lo¬cal people will select among aspirants who will be their candidates and not the cabals in Abuja or anywhere else. I will also preach welfares for any Nigerian thrown out of job. Anyone thrown out of job must receive money from government. SDP came so late and the money to bankroll it is not available. But after this election, we will fight for the expansion of SDP and destruction of PDP and APC. Those who are conservative re¬publicans should go to one party. If they like, they can recreate NRC. Those who believe in SDP ideology should go to SDP. The next election after 2015 will be between two par¬ties where parties are identified by their ide¬ology, not just random parties.
Are you saying that emergence of Buhari as presidential candidate will polarize Nigeria along religious line?
There was a time APC was a Muslim broth¬erhood. That time, 17 topmost leaders of the party were Muslims. That was why I call them Muslim brotherhood. But they are now moving away from that brotherhood. It is now mixed up. Nobody can call them Mus¬lim brotherhood now. The fact that Buhari emerged the presidential candidate of APC should not polarize Nigeria along religious line.
What looks like dichotomy is the social perception of Nigerians regarding those who insisted on making Nigerian ungovernable if Jonathan became the President. Some people finance Boko Haram. Some people finance all kinds of insurgents. Some people finance all kinds of discordant voices. Some people insult the person of the president on every¬thing about the country. If I am to play poli¬tics, I will rise up and say the North has ruled for 39 years, why should they be in a hurry to come back to power? The country is divided into North and South. It is the amalgama-tion of North and South that produced this Nigeria. The North has supplied presidential leadership for 39 years. The South is below 20 years and the North still wants to take over again. From that social point of view, a victory of one can lead to disintegration of Nigeria. A victory of the other can lead to a stronger Nigeria.
Democracy is all about change. If people decide to vote for a candidate that represents your so-called born-to-rule, why should that be a problem?
There is no problem. But are people allowed to choose?
It is the electoral process that will decide.
The electoral process is baptized democ¬racy. Some cabals decide who emerges as President. Like I said before, the only genu¬ine democratic process is when candidates emerge through direct primary election by the voters. What is clear is that the incum¬bent President is being vilified. Some people put fire in the house and expect the president to put off the fire. For me, I want one Nigeria where Hausa is happy, Fulani is happy, Yo¬ruba is happy, Igbo is happy and the country itself is happy. If people are happy, they will vote for Igbo President in 2019 and Nigeria will take quantum jump into to develop¬ment. Change will come because a believer in one Nigerian has taken over. They (Igbo) make a home of everywhere they go. Now, I am calling on all Igbo people, it is time to make friends with all Nigerians. When you are telling the truth and your friends begin to abandon you, you don’t have to change. Just make sure you are honestly telling the truth.
What makes you think that the sen¬timent about whether the North has ruled for 39 years will sell in today’s Nigeria?
If we are practicing democracy and the votes of the people represent their choice and there is no manipulation or rigging, even if people are misguided, we have to accept re¬turns from the field. If they are told lied and they voted on the basis of lies, they have vot¬ed. If they are given money and they voted on the basis of money, they have voted. But there are cases when the will of the people is deliberately disregarded.
Then, the onus of creating a credible elec¬toral process lies on the incumbent.
(Cuts in). Is it the incumbent that decided to create 1200 polling units for Abuja and 1157 for the whole of Southeast? Isn’t that a clear design to rig election?
But that has been resolved.
At what stage? It shows a clear intension to rig. To me, all electoral tribunal needs to do is to establish intension to rig to arrive at whatever decision.
You talked about vilification of President Jonathan. Why will he not be vilified? He promised stable electricity supply, there is no electricity. He promised resuscitation of railway sector, he failed to deliver on the promise. Universities were shut down for six months last years. The health crisis has not abated.
What else do you want from the president?
He has brought Standard Gauge railways system; you said you did not see it. He has given you even more than he promised as far as railway is concerned. In all your born years as a Nigerian, have you ever had steady supply of fuel at filling stations as you have had under President Jonathan? We have not got power as promised but the system for delivering power has been made such that any minute of darkness costs someday some money. Some private persons lose for any minute of darkness and that private persons will not want to be losing money. The system has been created to make for full availability of power.
It has not arrived there yet, but the condi¬tion for steady supply has been created. Over time, the private sector person who loses money for any minute of darkness will work to ensure he doesn’t lose that money. Yes, universities were shut and there is strike in the health sector.
Today, the condition for more strike is rife. With the decline in the world market price of oil, some kind of austerity measures may become necessary. I won’t recommend any cut of anybody’s salary but sometimes it may become necessary. Politics had affected all strikes. Because the last government was going, it agreed to any demand. And now when it came to meeting the demands, it was not possible. So, if there is any demand by former negotiator which cannot be met even if there is no drop in the price of oil, it is a matter of having people who know how to negotiate. If they labour people know the truth, they will strike if they must but not at any time.
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo in his recent book washed down the present government for not fighting corruption. How do you see the present effort to rid the country of corruption?
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo is also corrupt. If he is not corrupt, where did he get money to build university? I don’t know whether it is from his salaries. Obasanjo may say anything he likes to say against Jonathan because somehow godfathers sometimes quarrel with their godsons. It happens in government.
He thought he will be running government for Jonathan. Although Obasanjo fought cor¬ruption during his time, it was only against those who quarreled with him. It was selec¬tive justice. If Obasanjo doesn’t like your face, he would prosecute you and leave me. Obasanjo actually made corruption worse in his time. If he had taken action properly, cor¬ruption would have been reduced. But hav¬ing said that, the present government hasn’t done enough to deserve any mark on the fight against corruption.
With the present political permuta¬tions, what is the possibility that Igbo presidency will come so soon?
We (Igbo) thank God for His gift, although that gift sometimes provokes jealousy against us. Anywhere we are, we should be friendly with our host communities and keep to their laws, traditions and customs. We should identify with things around us when we live in diaspora in other people’s place. Anywhere you go, if you remove indigenes, the next populous tribe is Igbo. One Hausa man said if you go to any place and there is no Igbo there, be on the run. Now, why is it that Igbo have not had a taste of power when by now every zone has supplied presidential material? For the avoidant of doubt, Azikwe was a ceremonial president not an executive president just as he was ceremonial Gover¬nor-General not executive Governor-Gener¬al. If you were in the National Conference, you will notice a new Nigeria that is evolv¬ing.
When the issue of extra state to the east was being discussed, come and see how Nigeri¬ans are becoming their brother’s keepers. There was no dissent.
A small negative comment made by one of the delegates was attacked furiously by none Igbo. No Igbo man stood up to defend one extra state. In 2005 when we had political conference, the same thing happened. Out of 42 people, 39 said give the east one extra state. That sense of justice will let Nigerians vote an Igbo president. An Igbo president will banish poverty because of our egalitar¬ian culture. As things roll by and the spirit of fairness is in people, they will say if we find a well adjusted Igbo, we can vote for him.
But there is apprehension that the report of the conference you raised may not see the light of the day. Don’t you agree?
Once result of election in 2015 brings about a stronger, more virile and more united Nige¬ria that will resort from voting in as president a person more likely to be favourable to the report, Nigeria will be better for it and the other way round.
If Jonathan is voted in, he will implement the report. If you vote in Buhari whose both¬ers keep manufacturing hidden agenda, he will discard the entire recommendations and postpone the evil day.
Source: Sun
