Hon. Friday Sani Makama is the Chief whip of Kogi State House of Assembly and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leader of Igalamela / Odolu local government area of Kogi state. In this interview with OYIBO SALIHU, Makama dwelled on the chances of his party winning the governorship election in the state and how the APC candidate would be sent into political oblivion after the election. Excerpt:
Do you see PDP beating APC in the governorship election coming up on November 21st?
It is an indisputable fact that Kogi state is for the People Democratic Party (PDP). I am saying it without mincing words. I am not a conservative, I am a pure progressive who always support what is right and always on the side of the truth. As far as I am concern there is no APC in Kogi state.
The All Progressive Congress does not have the structure that can be described as a party on ground in the state. When a party has a political structure that cut across the local government areas, wards and polling unit, such party can be said to be on ground and can win election.
PDP is the only party in Kogi state that poses that quality and strength, that is why I am optimistic and comfortable to conclude that Kogi state is a PDP strong hold any time, any day.
Don’t you think that what happened during the presidential election where APC defeated PDP can repeat itself?
It is not true that APC thrive in any way to win election in Kogi state. In the last presidential, national and state assembly election it was Buhari tsunami that enable some candidate of APC won elections even though most of them are wrong candidate, but in my local government, Igalamela/Odolu we did not feel the impact of the Tsunami until after two days of election we started hearing that in some local government in the state APC won election as a result of Buhari influence.
The area where I represent had four words which is Odolu axis and the axis determines the election of Igalamela/Odolu. It is also a tradition that the people of Ajaka the headquarters of the local government and Igalamela town have never identified themselves with any government in power. It is not as if they hate Captain Idris Wada the governor of the state , but any government in power because of the kind of people at the headquarter do not support government in power .
When we were working for Prince Abubakar Audu for his second term in 2003, they were working for Alhaji Ibrahim Idris to become governor of the state, and as soon as Idris won the election they abandon him for the party that lost the election. That is the kind of local government I am representing.
What is the secret behind the large turn out of PDP supporters at the zonal rally of the party in Kabba?
The rally in Kabba was not a surprise to me at all. The way and manner people came out in their large number to declare their support for Captain Wada is a clear testimony that Kogi state is a PDP state. The multitude of people that attended the rally was an indication that the party cut across every part of the state.
Can this large turn translate into votes for PDP?
There is no way a party in Kogi state can win election by magic. I have told our political elites that Captain Wada have done a lot for the people that warrant his re-election. I want to make it clear that politics in terms of winning elections can be likening to computer principle that says garbage in , garbage out meaning that what you put into a political party in terms of effort and funding determine the out come and the success of the party.
The western senatorial district of the state for long has been a strong hold of PDP. In 2011 PDP defeated the then ACN candidate who is now the flag bearer of APC, we will definitely defeat him once again to prove to him that he had expired in Kogi politics. PDP have been defeating Audu since 2003 and this 2015 we will floor him to the extent that he will never contest for any election again in the state.
As an elder statesman, he supposed to have produced two governors by now, instead of doing that he is still in the struggle to make himself a governor. I am assuring him that this 2015 governorship election will be his last outing having been defeated and put to shame at the end of the election.
What will you do to ensure that voters are not deceived to vote against their conscious?
Gone are the days when politicians deceived electorate to vote against their conscious, but today they recognised and identified with leaders who gave them food for four years. Now it is extremely difficult for someone to come out in a day with the intention of taking over a political structure built for many years by another politician.
We knew some politicians of Kogi origin who will stay in Abuja, Kaduna, Kano and even Lagos, they will not come home except during elections. They will always come home to deceive the people in getting their votes. That era is gone. We are in the new era where as a politician what you have done for the people will speak for you during election.
I am a second timer in Kogi state House of Assembly. I have won election twice and I was the only person in the house who won election three times, but had two tenure. I won my first election in 2011, but in 2015 I met a higher conspiracy.
Through the effort of my people I won the election. The third election was the re-run conducted for me through the instrumentality of those that believed that I can never win the election, but by the special grace of God almighty I did not only win , I disgraced them .
While my opponents were busy procuring ammunition for the young one to create mayhem in the local government, I was busy providing water and other basic needs for my people. So to win election you must showcase your strength through the goodies you have provided for your people and the gain of democracy. Captain Wada has already put a structure down to win the forthcoming election in Kogi state.
There is a rumour that soldier may be deployed to provide security during election, what is your reaction to that?
I am also aware that the federal myth may upturn the victory of the governorship election in Kogi state for APC candidate, but I am not sure that President Buhari will allow that to happen. Even when PDP was controlling the power at the centre that factor could not work in favour of the PDP at the presidential election.
I can say it over and over that when former President Goodluck Jonathan was at the helm of affairs of the country, during his election he deployed military men into Kogi state, but that could not help PDP to win the presidential election, instead it worked against us because the military work against the interest of PDP as a result of the change mantra of the APC during the election.
It is evidently clear that since deployment of soldiers could not help PDP if APC apply the same it will also fail. Already the people are in the know that Prince Abubakar Audu who is the candidate of APC in the election is not in the good book of President Buhari. So if there is any body who can bring into the state an unknown soldiers for the election to truncate the legitimate mandate of the people, that person will be Senator Ahmed Tinubu
That was the reason he imported a running mate from Lagos state who does not know any thing about Kogi politics. Mr James Faleke was brought into the state so that by the time Audu is charged for the alleged 11 billion naira fraud, he can make Faleke the governor of the state. We shall resist it and we will never allow that to happen.
Any unknown soldiers or policemen who are not officially deployed to the state for the election will be resisted by the people and will treat them as Tinubu security agent working for the interest of the man.
