Hon. Apollos Akever Aga, is the new Vice Chairman, North/central of the Social Democracy Party (SDP). In this interview with BODE OLAGOKE, he speaks on how the ruling APC in Benue manipulated the recent local government election in the state, 2019 polls, among other issues
How did you emerge the zonal vice chairman, North Central of your party?
I am very happy for my emergence as the SDP North-central Vice Chairman. It is an ambition that I have been nursing for sometime because we normally organise parties in Benue state at that level and when you organise like that, later some people will come and hijack it and the hijacking takes place mostly in Abuja. For example, we brought ACN, it was hijacked and that was done in Benue and Abuja.
You can imagine someone who was not at all in the party, emerged as a gubernatorial candidate of APC in Benue. So, myself and Engr. John Enemere, who is currently the chairman of SDP in Benue state were still entertaining fears on who should manage the national affairs so that we will not be sold again and as it pleases God we lost someone who was the North Central vice chairman in the person of Pastor Peter Ezebe, may his soul rest in peace and the idea of filling someone into that position came and then the Benue exco decided to send me in having known me very well and having proved several time as someone of integrity, they decided to send me here.
It is a great opportunity for SDP, because a lot of people will turn up not only in Benue, people who have known us for straightforwardness will all come into this party and we are now assuring the people particular of Benue, that there will be a level playing ground in this party because the chairman is a no nonsense person, he is not corrupt, he has his own integrity and now that God has brought me and kept me in this Abuja I think a combination of two of us will help Benue.
How do you see governance in North-central, especially Benue, where you come from, are people getting the dividends of democracy they voted for?
In my own opinion, Benue people are not being treated well in terms of governance, because Benue state is a civil service state, there are no companies, no other commercial ventures to maintain a living for the people therefore, the people are depending on salaries and you know we the African families have extended families and so many people are depending on the salaries of the civil servant in Benue.
Take for example, one man may be catering for more than 100 people; burials, medical problems and all these things are put on one person and this people are no longer earning salaries, even the local woman selling food can’t sell because money isn’t coming into Benue. The people who are the carriers of monies are the civil servants and they are not been paid, even the town Makurdi is completely dried up, beer parlours are dead, there is nowhere commercial activities are going on in the state.
So, at the national level what is the plan of SDP, how are you people planning ahead of 2019?
Well, the SDP is organising like I have come in from the North Central, within a week or two, I will start a tour of these states; Plateau, Nassarawa, Benue, Niger, Abuja, Kogi and Kwara. We will make sure the structures are well organised and in a political party if the structures are well organised people will come to contest elections, so our priority now is organising the party.
Your party is calling on the National Assembly to scrap State Independent National Commission (SIEC) across the country, when you relate it to what happened in Benue state in the recent local government elections, can you share your experience with us?
The way the government or governors are handling local election affairs, they will kill democracy, because they will now ask people to contest election in different parties, but it is only the party in power that would be declared. Like in Benue, people were asked to contest elections, INEC fee for bio data form for chairman was 25,000 naira and the bio data form for Councillor was 10,000 naira and then the nomination form for chairman from INEC is 250,000 naira and then for Councillor was 150,000 naira and then people are compelled to pay taxes into Internal Revenue of Benue, ranging from 100,000 to 150,000 to 200, 000 naira plus.
So after doing all these things, remember people who are in opposition have families and there is no way they can get contract, there is no way they can get an income from the government and these levies are put on the heads of people and having done all these things the election materials will not be taken to the respective places and election will be concluded and the result will be manipulated and announced in favour of the party in power, that is destroying democracy and it is not fair at all. I think our party wouldn’t end up there, the SDP will go ahead asking for a refund of the money for nomination forms because as far as we are concerned we didn’t see any election done.
The APC government both in Benue state and the federal level have been there for two years now, how would you score them and if SDP was in power what would it have done differently?
The government is in place for the masses, for the welfare of the people and if people are not been paid salaries, they are killing the people. At month end sometimes they will say people should come for screening and people will die during screening, many having been screened die on their way back home. So, I don’t see any change and particularly in Benue I don’t see any change and even at the national level. I give Buhari credit because he is fighting corruption, when you are fighting corruption you are a minority in the majority; majority of Nigerians are corrupt and corruption has taken roots into people and almost every individual that has passed through power or that is still in power, so if you are fighting corruption they will fight you.
Sir, there has been this insinuation that some other opposition parties might form alliance in 2019 to wrestle power from APC, will your party be part of this alliance?
The party isn’t a one man business; the party has national leaders and if such a situation comes the national leaders will convene a meeting and they will discuss within themselves and see what is the best line of action.
In my own opinion, Benue people are not being treated well in terms of governance
