| No automatic ticket
for Atiku
By Femi Adeoti ([email protected])
Sunday, November 21, 2004
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•Atiku
Photo: Sun News Publishing |
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If Vice President Atiku Abubakar banks on incumbency powers
to clinch the blessings of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)
to realize his speculated presidential bid come 2007, he had
better perished the thought.
Rather, he will fight out all alone at the party’s national
convention scheduled for next year, according to Chief Bode
George, PDP’s National Vice Chairman, South-west.
“The ticket of our party for 2007 will keenly contested
by those who are interested,” he said.
This apparently puts paid to expectations that President Olusegun
Obasanjo may deploy his clout to veto the party’s ticket
in Atiku’s favour next year.
Chief George dropped the bombshell while fielding questions
from The Sun board of editors last week while on a courtesy
visit to the management of The Sun at its corporate headquarters,
Apapa, Lagos even as he denied any links with former military
president, General Ibrahim Babangida over 2007. George was
a military governor in the old Ondo State under Babangida
the 80s.
His words: “General Ibrahim Babangida has not reached
out to me. It has been very long time that we saw.
In our zone (South-West), we have decided it is not yet time
for 2007 politics. An extended caucus meeting is coming up
on November 27 in Osun State.
We rotate it from state to state every quarter. It will include
the President, governors, members of the National Assembly,
state assembly and local government chairmen to discuss South-West
issue. Anybody coming to poach would be dealt with. We have
no presidential aspirants from the zone. We will go out collectively
to bargain. It is Turn-by-Turn-Nigeria Limited. So, General
Babangida or nobody has approached me.”
Explaining why Atiku would not get automatic ticket, George
said: “It is about the constitution of the party. President
Obasanjo cannot re-write the constitution all by himself.
If it has been that when a president chooses his deputy, whoever
is his deputy takes over automatically. Then that will be
possible.
“But when there are many aspirants. Once the party says
it will go to the East or to the North, those aspirants will
now come out. They are still aspirants. The party will screen
them. That is the constitution of our party.
“Of course, out of sentiment, you may say ‘Ah!,
this man is your deputy, so help him’. But supposing
it does not go to the North, what happens? When it goes to
the North, well, you can say his name would be closest. But
because of the nature of the constitution of our party, everybody
must compete. You must abide by the rule and regulations.”
In the interview which lasted more than an hour, the South-west
leader of PDP spoke on the succession crisis many perceive
the nation may face come 2007, prospects of a president of
Igbo extraction and other national issues.
Grooming successor
“In America, once an incumbent, whether as governor
or as president says he is going for second term, nobody challenges
him within the party. That reduces party squabbles.
“We have to come to terms with the American system.
Our party’s last presidential primaries (in 2003) almost
caused us a lot of chaos.
“We said it in our party that any of our governors who
were doing well and wanted to go for another term should be
allowed to go. Why should we be fighting ourselves and solving
problems, before going to fight the enemies outside?”
Igbo president
“I can only stand alone. I speak only for myself on
this matter. It is a very topical issue. And one thing I know
as a matter of fact is that next year, either first quarter
or second quarter, we must sit down to tackle the matter.
The issue has been discussed before and would still be discussed.
In the party, we are proponents of Turn-By-Turn-Nigeria Limited.
“It will rotate definitely away from the South-West.
But it is when we sit down that we would know where it will
go next. All the arguments would be brought for discussion
and when we get to the bridge, we will cross it.
“I know a lot of discussion is on. You can’t be
a member of an organisation when you cannot aspire to be to
be head of that organization. If that be the case, then you
shouldn’t be part of it. So, Igbo presidency is a very
topical issue. In the next 40 years, I do not see a Yoruba
man coming out to say ‘I want to become president.’
It is rotational. That is the way the constitution of our
party is. That is the only political party that is national
enough. All the others are tribal parties.”
OBJ’s Third term agenda
“Obasanjo is the most transparent president that has
ever ruled this country. What is it that you want to give
him that he is still looking for? Now he is one Nigerian out
of about 150 million of us who, by providence, is ruling this
country for the third time.
“You can quote me, he is leaving by 2007. Whoever emerges,
Baba is heading to his farm. He will be 70 years plus at that
time. I find it very offensive sometimes when people talk
about Obasanjo doing third term. He is running for another
term, to do what? Even if there is a constitutional amendment
to take effect, he won’t do it. If the new constitution
comes, how can it be back dated to help the man 2007? No,
no.
“I am telling you he will head home. Quote me. I am
telling you by the name of the Almighty God that I serve,
that all those jokers (those flying the third term kite) will
not have their way. I don’t want to curse. If I curse
them, you will see what will happen to them. I call them absolutely
irresponsible Nigerians. Because they know the kind of character
this man has. To stay there for what? Right now, if he catches
two to three hours sleep in a day, he is lucky.
“Presently, he has five responsibilities on his head
and what else do you want? He is chairman, Commonwealth of
Nations, president of the AU, president of NEPAD, president
of G77 and he is still President of Nigeria. He had been head
of this country when this country was very wealthy. What did
he do with the money? Look at all the infrastructure constructed
during that period. So, what name would he want to give himself?
One man out of 150 million people. Haba! Baba is heading home.
“When he told you in 1979 that he was going, it was
not fashionable at that to relinquish power willingly. Yet,
he left. He had a lot of choice to stay on at that time. Why
would he want to change course now when he is already heading
to 70?”
OBJ not afraid of life after power
“When Obasanjo was learning in 1979, you remember the
election? You remember all the noise from the South West?
About 12 2/3 of 19 states and all that stories? He still went
back to his farm. He became a world renowned leader, he was
going round. You see, when you live on the path of the truth,
you will not be afraid. He has done it before. He lived for
20 years delievering speeches and when they could not cope
with him, they sent him to jail. When he was released from
jail, people went to him to come back.
“When he was in England after his release, I was in
England then and I went to see him. He told me, ‘Bode,
do you know some people are asking me to come to and do politics?’
I said they must be mad. But when I got home and saw what
was on ground, I had cause to change my mind and join those
asking him to give it a shot.
“Later when he came, he said, Bode, ‘these people
are still harassing me.’ I said, ‘Sir, I believe
they mean well.’ He said, ‘If you have joined
them then you too are also crazy.’ That is how I decided
to work for him. I am not saying this man is faultless. But
at least, in terms of being determined to turn things around,
where others would be afraid to take decision, he would take
it. And that is the leader we need for this time.
“So, a feeble-minded can not be leader in this country.
When there are tough decisions to be taken, it is not a joke.
You see Nigeria is not a normal country. It is an artificial
creation by the British for their own economic benefit. But
now, we have found that there is still a sense in having us
together. Apart from our mere size, there is no section of
this country that does not have positive development. And
now to manage them, to be fair in the distribution of the
resources is the peculiar problem. I am not talking now because
I am a politician or not.
“When he was in the saddle in 1979, that was the time
he built the refineries in Warri, Port-Harcourt and Kaduna.
There were two refineries in Port-Harcourt. What happened
to them? The management is neither here nor there. Suddenly,
the total consumption of the country today is more than the
capacity of these refineries. So we are bound to import.”
How we defeated AD in 2003
“They (former AD governors) underrated us. They said
‘These military guys, what do they know? They are not
even educated. They are just drop-outs and all that.’
But we are all Nigerians. We all went to schools. We had education
to high levels that were humanly possible. I could have ended
up being in other profession.
So, they underrated us. And they knew us. Some of those guys,
we were in school together.
“They were saying, ‘Don’t worry about these
soldiers. What do they want to do? They say they want to capture
us, we will be waiting for them.’ They used the word
capture to deride us. But we knew what the game is like.
I am glad I have been in the service. The service provided
you in-depth training. And there is no way you can go for
any activity, without doing serious appreciation of what you
want to do.
“Political game is also a very serious game. If you
want to win elections, you need to study, you need to strategise,
you need to know the weak points of your opponent. What are
the logistics available to you. It is just like going to war.
“Initially, they said, ‘Oh, this is our area.
This is our fortress you can’t come here.’ I am
also of Awolowo School. I mean, Ebenezer Babatope and all
those guys who were the real Awoists, we were once together.
I was a very active student politician in this country. We
have been together for long. And most of the things they did,
we also did as students. We did it at the University of Lagos.
“So, if I didn’t go into the military, apparently
I would have ended up like Ebino (Chief Ebenezer Babatope)
and those other guys. I was a national student leader in this
country too. We knew what Papa Awolowo stood for. We knew
his achievements and we compared them with those who were
then chief executives in the South-West.
“Get back to history and check the records. No government
in this country, except this one that has released so much
funds to local governments and state governments. No government
that has ever given them so much allocation. Ask them, forget
about the internally generated revenue, what have they done
with the funds from the Federation Account?
“We were not seeing the evidences. So much had been
given and there is no feed back. Nothing! And you see, the
beauty of the South West, is that South West has the first
Nigerian engineer, the first Nigerian doctor the first Nigerian
lawyer, the first Nigeria politician, the first Nigerian journalist,
the first African Bishop. So, you can’t fool them. They
can be emotionally charged. And if you are emotionally charged
with them, you will lose your focus.
“They first told us that we were not defending Yoruba,
that we were going to work for Hausa. They said PDP was a
Hausa party. If you have strong Yourba politicians in the
PDP like Onabanjos, Awolowos, Akintolas and Lanlehins of this
world, how can you convince people that PDP is based on the
old Northern People Congress (NPC)?”
How we lost Lagos State
“You ask how I won other five states in the South-West
and lost my own home-base in Lagos? Well, we really worked
hard to defeat Bola Tinubu in Lagos. But, some of those who
were with us in our planning were leaking our strategies to
him. I wouldn’t want to mention names now. But when
I am going to write my memoirs, I will. Quite a sizeable number
of the people who were in AD and who are now with us were
receiving the information and sending it over.
“Of course, Tinubu was scared stiff. But the PDP people,
our people supported him. The top echelon who knew the total
and complete strategies are those who sold out. In my former
calling, I know what to do to those who sell secret information
to enemies. You know the way they are treated. “But
this is democracy. But we have learnt our lessons. We can’t
be beaten twice in this game.
Though we have not driven them away from the party. What we
have done now is that we have re-engineered the structure
to eliminate them. In politics, people think you can just
lie here and lie there. That is why we never left where we
are. Loyalty is like pregnancy. You can’t be half pregnant.
You can’t be half loyal. You can either be loyal or
you are not. If you don’t believe in a cause, you just
back out.
“That is how we lost Lagos.”
Governors worse than military
“Some of our governors are worse than military governors.
I was once a military governor. When you are taking decision,
you watch your rear, watch Abuja and watch your commander.
But these days, constitution allows executive management of
everything from federal, the state and local government. So
much has been pumped out. And every level has its own functions.
“Let us educate our people, ask your governor to do
something. Ask your local government chairman to do something.
If you hear the amount they are now being given, some people
initially were shouting ‘That it is not true.’
But go to the website [email protected]. You will see how
much is released to every tier, every month. You wonder what
the hell on earth is going on. We have told our PDP governors
that we are going to monitor them. If they don’t perform,
they are in trouble.
“In the South-West, this is the first time in 52 years
that we would have governments that are in the same party
with the government in the center. And we are begging our
people that they should not fail us there because I would
have to relocate if they fail.”
Obasanjo/Anineh/George cabal in PDP
“You must be giving me a clout which I don’t have.
“The party working committee is made up of my colleagues
from their zones. Vice chairmen, publicity secretary of the
party and all others. Chief Tony Anineh is not a member of
the Working Committee. The NEC is the highest body that calls
for convention. So, how can you say three people run PDP?
When I talk, I talk only on my zone. The national chairman
would have to know all the details. There is no truth that
only me, Chief Anenih and Baba are running this mighty party.
“I mind my business. And I hold it with passion , because
I know what would happen to us if our governors don’t
perform. We told the people that there was an alternative.
They listened and voted. When you listen to people saying
they cheated them, I say, in Yorubaland? You know what they
do in Yorubaland if you cheat them politically. You remember
the ‘Weti e’ in 1963-64 in the old Western Region?
“But in 2003, we convinced them, ‘Let us go to
the centre.’ They have gone there. They are watching.
And everyday I beg our governors ‘Don’t disgrace
us. You must perform.’ That is my primary assignment.
Party chairmanship
“I do not look at crystal ball. I cannot predict what
can happen. But if the opportunity comes to take a shot at
it, if I still tell my wife and she says she can still tolerate
me in politics, because you need a strong wife to take care
of you when you come back with bruises, then so be it.
“Politics is a different professional calling. Your
friends would abuse you. They expect you to have the key to
everything. If you say no, you have to follow the procedure,
they won’t want to listen. And that is why they are
abusing Baba (Obasanjo). No more free launch.”
Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA)
“As the chairman of the board and I was not an executive
chairman. In order words, I came there maximum of about six
times a year to attend meetings. You cannot be held responsible
for anything the management did. And the records are there.
The reports of enquiry would be published some day.
“Even at that time, it was the people of the season
for politics. People would naturally gravitate towards you
to say help me here, help me there. I don’t do it, I
am not the MD. Ask them there. Now what happened in NPA.
All that happened in the NPA at that time, I was chairman
of the board, who blew off the lid.
“It is not right to say that NPA was the clearing house
for political generals. The Minister of Transport then, Chief
Ojo Maduekwe is still alive. I am saying it publicly what
we quarelled upon was this. You cannot do the job of a minister
and do the job of the board chariman. Let us respect ourselves0.
We are politicians. If there is something coming to you from
the management we must come to report to you. That is the
way I was brought up. That was just the quarel we had. You
cannot subjugate the board. The Federal Government that decided
that parastatals must have boards, let us respect that. Of
course, as a minister you can make a demand, but do it through
the normal channel.
“A typical example, they would call a board meeting
through the managing director without telling the chairman.
The regulation is clear. On no occasion should the minister
meet the managing director without the chairman being there.
Then it means you violated the regulation. At the end, we
settled it and we are now friends.
“Of course, if a Yoruba man is appointed managing director,
a Yoruba man can no longer be the chairman of the board. This
balancing act we are doing in this country is the fairest
so far. And that is why we were removed. You can ask the minister.
It is Turn by Turn Nigeria Limited.”
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