As the Kogi gubernatorial election approaches, politicians, party supporters and loyalists have commenced door-to-door campaign for their candidates. In this interview, OYIBO SALIHU interacted with Adamu Manager of Teamwork Group, who spoke extensively on why Prince Abubakar Audu, candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), is still the preferred candidate of the group and what the Kogi people will gain if Audu is given another mandate to govern the state. Excerpts:
What does Teamwork stand for?
Teamwork Group is a non profit making and non partisan mass vanguard movement with members drawn from the academia, business and non business Professionals, market
women and students. Our vision is Partnering for democracy and good governance.
If you are non partisan organization, why the support for Audu?
Our support for Audu arose from the need to have someone that can truly lead and transform the fortunes of Kogi state in massive infrastructure development, self-reliant agro-economy, working health care services, well funded education system, just to mention a few.
This search took us to all the LGAs of Kogi state to obtain first hand information on work done and projects on going by the PDP administration in the state for the past twelve years. Our findings are not only disappointing but utterly unbelievable that twelve years in the saddle, PDP administration left the state in squalor as though a conquered territory.
This is the point where most of our members started comparing the performance of Prince AbubakarAudu’s four years term to that of PDP twelve wasted years. Naturally, the people need a change from the present misrule to a party and a candidate that promises hope.
Therefore, as a group committed to good governance, we reach out to the Prince to come back to the rescue of the state given his past stewardship.
What about the question of his arrogance?
There is nowhere in African where dubious and over ambitious politicians will not scandalise personality of their opponents just to win support of the gullible ones. All the noise about arrogance is simply the handiwork of mischief makers in a campaign of calumny against the person of Audu because they believed that under normal decent campaign regime they will loose elections woefully but thank God they now know better. Its so bad in Nigeria that, am sure, if Jesus Christ and Prophet Mohammed were to be Nigerians, politicians would dare their spiritual prowess and being, run down their character just to win election. Audu is only a man of principle but with good measure of humours.
He made three unsuccessful attempts is that not a sign of rejection by the people?
Certainly no. What happened in those elections were clear cases of electoral fraud and manipulation and we are sure that has been put to rest by the Jega electoral reforms. Massive rigging using federal might and all sorts of dirty tactics beyond human contemplation of a decent contender like the Prince cannot be a testimonial of acceptance or rejection.
So you are predicting victory for Audu this time around?
Oh yes, Oh yes. Except that as humans, we cannot predict 100%, but from what is on ground, Audu remains the candidate to beat. Firstly, the present day voting system will prevent all forms of rigging. Permanent voters’ card that must be accepted by card readers means ballot box snatching and stuffing is gone for good.
Secondly, Voters in Kogi have awaken to the realization that their PDP leaders and government at all levels for the past twelve years, short-changed and enslaved them politically and so no more promises and stories. With our political education work across the rural and suburban areas, they now understand the difference between work done in four years and what twelve years is able to do. More so, with huge number of the unemployed youths and its attendant poverty and crime imposed by PDP administration, there is growing cult followership and support among Kogi electorates for change party, APC and their candidate, Prince Abubakar Audu. They have reasons to support the candidate they know symbolizes hope and change.
What do you think he will do differently this time around?
The prince of the Niger is a tested hand and a statesman. In the coming government, things will be done differently in view of current global best practice in approach and style and we are sure he will align with the evolving democratic dynamics all over the world. Encouraging participative governance, building capacity of Human Resource to ensure quality manpower, balanced allocation of development projects and democracy dividends, employment creation and empowerment, agro business development and war against hunger. These are some of the issues that the Prince himself continues to dwell on.
Don’t you think age is against him?
Good governance simply means efficient management of resources to ensure infrastructure and human development. Other functions of governance are encompassed in these two. The only thing that guarantees them are intelligence and hard work and not age. These apostles of age thing should not be taken seriously. Taking a look at this checklist we have the likes of Julius Nyerere of Tanzania, Abdol Diofu of Senegal, Mobutu Seseseko of Zaire, Nelson Mandella of South Africa have done well even as older people. Even what Baba Buhari is doing. Think of Sam Mbakwe of old Imo state, Abubakar Goni of old Bornu state, Ambros Ali of the Bendel state. What these noble men have done for their people still stand tall today so much so that hardly will the so called young leaders ever attain that feat.
Are the corruption charges against him not going to be an impediment to his ambition?
Like i said earlier, there is hardly any Nigerian that once raising his or her hand up for elective office or a prospective contender, that opponents wouldn’t go all length to call and paint him or her corrupt. Opponents simply go to Oluwole factory to chunk out figures of how much has been stolen and all the rest of them. Thank God Nigerians and Nigerian judiciary are smart enough to deduce mere treachery allegations from cogent petitions of fraud.
Moreso, remember that the man Prince Abubakar went through party screening and came out clean. So it will be unthinkable that the same man could have blemish in his records of past official stewardship in the state.
Much more, anybody that have dossier of his past achievements in Kogi, at a time when Federal allocation to the state and Internally Generated Revenue could be describe as paltry sum compared to what has been the state’s earnings for the past twelve years, cannot, in fair judgement, ascribe fraud cum corruption to a man who manifestly displayed financial discipline in such manner.
So let us face campaign of issues, let our report cards speak for us, let’s leave libels and campaign of calumny aside and face Kogi people with facts and figures of our achievements. We have to tell our good people why we did that and what went wrong that made some failed woefully with all the resources at their disposal.