Former journalist and now politician, Senator Smart Adeyemi, PDP Kogi West in this interview reviews developments in the polity in the days leading to the elections. Excerpts:
Is it really true that the PDP is afraid of this general election?
I think that cannot be true for a government that is in power to be afraid of elections. But I think the opponents must have something to say in order to get the attention of the electorates. But be that as it may, those are part of the propaganda and blackmail of the aggrieved former members of the PDP who constitute themselves into a political party now called the APC. I hold the strong view that Nigerians are now more convinced, more than ever before of the fact that the PDP is actually ready for elections. If I may ask, where is the APC now? After the postponement, they’ve gone underground, they are confused, they are in disarray; they lack focus now. They have exhausted all their manipulations and propaganda to the point that they have nothing to say about the ruling party any longer. On the other hand, the PDP is forging ahead more than ever before. Nigerians are starting to appreciate all the achievements recorded so far, the transformation agenda of this administration which cuts across virtually all the sectors and I hold the view that come the 28th of March, the PDP is going to win not just the presidential election but we are going to have majority members of the National Assembly. This is going to be so because as I speak to you today, the opposition has nothing to offer. As a matter of fact, they are stuck already. They are off the radar.
So you think the APC cannot fight corruption?
The APC is not in a position to even fight corruption. In fact, if you are looking for corrupt people, you should go to APC. How can you give what you don’t have or how can you take away what you are living with? If you tell me that PDP is bad party, that is your own perception, but I will tell you that APC is even worse than PDP. If you want to give us the performance rating of President Jonathan compared to other civilian governments before him what would be the score? I stand here and I stand to be quoted that I do not know of any civilian administration that you can compare his achievements in the area of infrastructural facilities, in the area of social amenities, in the area of expanding and galvanizing socio-economic activities than Goodluck Jonathan. Yes, I agree with you equally that there has not been any President that had the misfortune of fighting the worst war any administration will fight. Goodluck Jonathan fought the worst war. In fact, Goodluck Jonathan should be crowned as a Field Marshall of Nigeria. If there is any Field Marshall that should be appreciated in Nigeria, it’s Goodluck Jonathan because he fought the worst war, that is fighting insurgency and suicide bombers.
Is the PDP afraid of Card Readers?
The card reader will work against the APC than the PDP. The card reader will be an advantage to the PDP because the PDP has not been involved in the manipulation of card readers. The PDP is not cloning PVCs; PDP has not been involved in the purchase of cards. PDP has not been involved in asking a particular tribe not to be given cards in some States. It’s the APC that are doing that and they will be shocked that they will not be able to use those cards. It’s the APC that is acquiring cards through backdoors believing that they will use them. So, if the card reader will be used for the reason that Jega has told us, it is welcomed.
The card reader will reveal a lot of fraudulent acts of the opposition. The PDP has not really bothered about doing anything under the table to win the election because there is just no reason for it. It’s the opposition – those who are desperate in APC. The desperadoes they are the people who are involved. The APC has realized that the card reader, more than ever before will come to affect them. Now, they are coming to realize that. Has any of the security agents arrested officials of PDP for cloning cards? Have we forgotten so soon that in some States, trucks were arrested carrying PVC cards? They were States of APC. It’s not PDP State. We will see what will happen to them because they will be so ashamed of themselves. They will be drenched in such manner that to come out will be a problem for them. (Ojo Esin APC ti fe ro)
When people are making noise and when people come together, you ask for what purpose? If your coming together is not for good, you will fail. The coming together of APC, all those you see in APC, they came together out of grievances and selfish interests. As from 30th of March, they will start decamping back to PDP. They will come back home. These are people who are just out to champion their business cause. Let nobody deceive you. Of all the politicians you see, less than 25 percent of them are committed to the wellbeing of the people. Many of them are in politics because they want to protect their business empire. Many of them are in politics because they have scores to settle.
Many of them are in politics because they feel that is the way to save themselves from certain atrocities committed in times past. Many of them are in politics because they assume that is the short cut to expanding their financial empire and consolidating. So, when you see people gather and they are shouting, their shouting is meant to safeguard them from years of accumulation of our common wealth. Some people have sat down on it. Let them come out with manipulations of propaganda. How many PDP leadership are involved in media propaganda? How many PDP people own media houses in Nigeria? Those who have shares in powerful media organizations are APC members and they are using it to full advantage. But that will not win elections because Nigerian people will stand and vote and you will see what is going to happen on March 28th. APC will suffer unprecedented defeat. In fact, great will be the fall of APC on March 28. (Vanguard).
Nigerians need to use the New PVC Cards now because it will minimize the rigging of this most important election. If Ghana can comfortably use it and succeeded in conducting a free and fair election in their country, Nigeria citizens should not hesitate to use same. The right thing to do now by INEC officials and Nigerians is to use the PVC cards and Card Readers which have cost us millions, if not billions, of dollars to acquire. The fact is that, the benefits of using the PVC Cards and Readers far outweighs using the rig-ladden manual voting method. We are living in the 21st Century and not the 20th Century where elections are conducted manually.
Comrades, anyone who prefers to use manual system of voting over the new electronic system may have ominous intention of doing so. Yes, using PVC Cards and Readers will enable our voting and election results to be time-efficient and quick without delay. Voters will be able to monitor the results of their various precincts which they can track and follow at their local areas. It will definitely minimize rigging of votes which is the main reason why Nigerians agreed to introduce it in the first place. If these new technology that our Nigerian Government acquired for our 2015 elections are not used now, when are they going to be used? 2019? or 2024? or 2029? or never.
I have read and listened to several arguments from some Nigerians supporting the use of the manual system now, fixing the yet unfound bugs that may result if the new PVC Cards & Readers are used now, and suggesting the deferment of using the new technology until all the associated bugs have been removed. Indeed, it is funny how Nigerians can be quick to forget what happened to them as a country. Some few years ago, I was a member of the subcommittee that recommended the acquisition and installation of digital computer systems over our then analog systems for our deplorable and hardly working Nigerian Telephone System. Many interest groups (local, national, and foreign) fought against our subcommittee’s honest and potentially-beneficial advice and convinced the Nigerian government to purchase analog systems to handle our national and global telephone system. The result was tragic, if you recalled, ninety-nine times out of a hundred trials, Nigerians in the diasporas were frustrated and unable to reach their loved ones via land or mobile phones. Messages such as “The number that you are calling is not available, please call back later” was routinely rehearsed to each desperate and frustrated caller from the diaspora. However, a decade or more later, our government awoke from slumber and did the right thing by purchasing, installing, and implementing our current digital telephone system. Nigerians can now see clearly and are able to compare and contrast the difference between an analog telephone system and a digital one without being technologically savvy. The use of electronic gadgets and devices to monitor and handle Nigerian local, state, and national elections must begin now if we are ever going to minimize election rigging in our beloved country. Let’s just do it!
We need to adopt and use their PVC Cards and Card Readers now for our 2015 elections. Together, we must begin to enact and implement progressive policies rather than retrogressive ones which have at times kept us in a state of sporadic and arrested development. We are really our worst enemy and with time we must change the way we handle our business.
Long live the Federal Republic of Nigeria!
Long live All Nigerian Diaspora Communities!!
Prof. Francis Osita Onukwuli
Concerned Nigerian in Diaspora