'I Will Support the Most Popular Candidate'
In Kaduna State, everyone thinks power must shift, but opinion still vary along the traditional northern and southern divide to the very nature of the shift. While some think it should be along the Senatorial districts, others feel it should be rotated between the North and South of the state, Lanre Issa-Onilu and Ajagu Madugba sought the views of the Kaduna State Governor, Alhaji Ahmed Makarfi and that of the President Southern Kaduna Peoples Union (SOKAPU) Mr. Abokie Galadima.
You seem to experience some kind of peace in Kaduna now. But we cannot deny the fact that there are some agitation going on over power shift.
First of all, there is a correction, what we are experiencing now is not some kind of peace, we have peace, peace is peace. Secondly, it is only in a dead society that you do not find agitations. In any vibrant society, you always find one form of agitation or the other. So, it is a normal thing, particularly where fundamental human rights are assured, there is freedom of association and expression. I think what is happening is normal and I believe we are more than capable of handling the situation. I don't know if you are talking of a specific issue, which may lend to impact on the peace of the state.
I believe you have been here since morning. You have seen how vibrant, how open we are to people. That is the policy we have adopted, openness.
Even when people have certain apprehension, if you talk to them, you listen to them, at the end of the day, you will be able to come up with something, which is fair and just, except somebody just means mischief. Our openness and dialogue and listening to interest groups and maintainning some kind of balance, that is why the Sharia crisis is no longer an issue.
You are from northern Kaduna
I am from a senatorial zone. The senatorial issue is the legitimate thing. It is like the nation where we have six geo-political zones. But in some cases you can talk about the northern and southern parts of the country. But even outside this context, you find some people also agitating for middle Belt. So, if you talk of Kaduna, there is senatorial zone 1, there is a central zone and there is a southern zone. Some people in the central zone take themselves to be part of southern Kaduna while some people take themselves to be part of the northern zone. It depends on the issues being discussed. People align themselves one way or the other depending on what they are looking for. Sometimes they even look at within context of their local governments. People tend to leave a particular definition in order to have some justifications for what they are looking for.
You have been quoted to support power shift to the North, that is, in the context of Nigeria, will you also allow power shift to the South of Kaduna State.
If you look at the state in the context of senatorial zones, the memorandum of understanding indicated that senatorial zone 1 would have had eight years (by 2007), so let consideration be given to allow the central zone and the southern zone. That any candidate generally acceptable across the state, the party should consider such candidate. Now, it is not an issue of North and South, it is an issue of let a particular senatorial zone produce the governor. And there is a document, which defines it clearly within this context. It is a document.
But there was so much rumour that you were grooming the late commissioner for works, Alhaji Balarabe Kubau to succeed you?
I was never grooming anybody. There are so many people I am said to be grooming from each of the zones. Once you are in a position of leadership, people ascribe so many things to you. Even when he was alive, I told him I am aware of this arrangement. It is left to the party members if they want to discard it, then they will sit the same way they sat to discuss it. It is not for me to say.
Would you support any candidate from southern Kaduna to succeed you?
Anybody in Kaduna is eligible to sell himself to the people. I will support the most acceptable, the most popular. But you have to allow people to sell themselves and it is only then you find the majority view. I would align myself with the majority. But I will support any gentleman agreement.
We understand that some people in Zaria have been sentenced to amputation of their hands now awaiting your confirmation?
I am not aware of that. You have to ask the Grand Khadi. I am not in charge of the Sharia courts.
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