Abdullahi Samari Abubakar is the Caretaker Committee Chairman All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kwara state. In this interview with BODE OLAGOKE, he speaks on the recent allegation made by the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, that he sponsored the election of Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrasaq in 2019
Excerpts:
Your first reaction to the allegation made by the minister, Lai Mohammed, that he sponsored your governor’s election
My reaction is that I was not happy because I see the two of them as members of the same family, the APC. Whatever may have been the situation, it ought not to have gone to the public. Let me say one thing, I think the governor was pushed too much. If not, he would not have said anything. That much I know. I wouldn’t know whether he sponsored the governor’s election. But what I want to say is that it may not be true. Because the governor to the best of my knowledge did a lot for himself. And he even opened that the party which he as a member refused to follow him to most campaign places during the election in Kwara. And probably this was the directive given by the Minister himself. So if he is now claiming that he sponsored the governor’s electioning campaign, and yet you didn’t follow this man to at least 80 to 90% places he campaigned, then I think it will be wrong for such a person to claim that he sponsored our governor’s campaign.
Do you think allegation from the minister deserves to be sanctioned?
Like I said earlier, I still see the minister as a member of our party. Because he has not formally told us that he is moving out of the party which I doubt if he will go. He is a Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria where the APC as a ruling party is running the administration. So I would not think he would want to move out. But from those utterances he made, the party, APC as a structure has guidelines on the issue. If we feel that what he said publicly amounts to disrespect or causing acrimony within the party, honestly, we are going to make sure the rules of the party are applied against him and any other person.
Do you mean suspend the minister from the party or expell him?
Well, there are guidelines like I told you. If the offence is commensurate to suspending him, or any other, definitely the rule of the party is going to apply because nobody is too big to be sanctioned. We want to have sanity in the party.
How soon are we expecting this?
I tell you, very soon.
Will the sanction take place at the national level or at the Kwara chapter?
Well, there are steps according to the party. It has to start from the particular ward of that fellow, then come down to the local government, then to the state. So, whatever decision is taken at the ward to local government, then to state, it will then be forwarded to the national level for ratification.
What is the update with the party’s registration, can you say the party is still one family like it was in 2019?
Hopefully, that is what we are trying to do. We are reaching out to most stakeholders in our state. We are talking to them. And we are hopeful that at the end of the day, we will go back as a family and probably produce result that will be better than 2019. You have to also remember that there are other people in the party. What is happening has nothing to do with the promotion of the party rather it is the individual interest that you see people portraying publicly. And where individual’s interest supersede the the collective interest of the state, obviously you will find this pocket of complaints and that is what is happening. Those who probably wants to be governor, those who want certain positions and they think that it may not be easy for them to defeat the incumbent governor when they go into the primary, they will have to get reasons they want to advance so that they can buy favour from the public. What is happening is nothing more than that.
Don’t you think the Lai Mohammed’s camp has taken victory and the national secretariat has listened to them by restarting party registration exercise in Kwara?
That may not be true. There are certain facts that some of you dont know. When the appeal committee came to Kwara, we met with them. There was this allegation that some people were not allowed to register. But mind you that was wrong. If you come in then, the rooms were open. It was just that some people were discouraging others not to come out and register for whatever reason we may not know. Let me tell you categorically that Alhaji Lai Muhammed as a minister registered. Quote me anywhere. I can show the date he registered.
Did he (Lai) do it in the secret because I didn’t see it in the media?
He registered at his ward at Oro Kwara state. You can confirm that from me. The extension of registration is not a new thing. It is not that Alhaji Lai group or camp has won anything. Remember that I also authorized a document that APC national secretariat should extend the registration in Kwara state for at least one week, because a lot of people came into the party. And, we just have to allow them as members of the party whereby they will have the equal right to take part in whatever is going on during the congresses. I authored a paper signed under the leadership of the governor who is the leader of the party in Kwara state, that is Governor AbdulRahman urging the national secretariat to please extend the registration exercise for at least a week in Kwara. If they are now extending it to two weeks, it is not a glory to anyone who want to claim because we requested for that, and I think the national only acted in that recognition of our letter.
Is the O’toge movement in Kwara is coming to an end?
Well, those are assumptions. It may not be that way. You see, what people don’t know is that some people are just too greedy over things. I came into APC initially as a member before this other people came in. Ordinarily, I should belong to a particular tendency that the Alhaji Lai is claiming, those of us who are ACN to APC, this tendency that appears to be tearing the party. I said appear because that is not the obvious reason why things are happening like that. I said earlier on that the reason why you are having this story is because of an ambition and leadership. Probably some people are not comfortable with the governor being the leader of the party. And remember that few days ago in Zamfara state when the governor decamped to APC, the national chairman of the party said it openly and categorically that the man is the leader of the party. So why should Governor AbdulRahman Razak who has been there since not accorded that respect or given that respect? I think it is unfair. He is a simple man. He is quiet. He doesn’t want trouble and that is what is happening. I know this cannot be tolerated in certain states. Even our neighbouring states wont accept it.
Are you not worried that so many members of APC have teamed up to form the third force ahead of 2023 elections in Kwara?
Naturally, in a family, if one of your member is not cooperating, you will be worried because you want to make peace. If it is true that that number they claim moved out of APC in Kwara, well one will be worried. But I want to assure you that it’s not true. You will also remember that those who claimed to have moved out had denied it. And what is third force? It is the hope of joining another party. What do they think they are going to meet there? But, I want to assure you that it may not last. We are talking to them and we are hoping that a lot of them will come back.
At the national level, the party is gaining more members. Governors are defecting, PDP party chieftains are coming. What do you think this portends for the party and democracy in Nigeria?
Very good one. That means at the end of the day APC is going to be everywhere. And that is why we are not so much disturbed in what is happening in Kwara state because a reasonable and sensible politician will know where the pendulum is swinging to. So, ideally you should try and stomach then endure what is happening so that you can sit down together and iron out your differences. So, what is happening today in APC, we thank God. That means President Buhari is performing. That means our governors are performing. People are appreciating the programmes of APC. That is why you have the inflows of people to the APC.
Don’t you think this development may lead to one party system in the country?
It may not. We want an enviable opposition. Those that will put us right, critical and constructive opposition. So it may not end up in one party system.
Don’t you fear implosion if the interest of defecting members are not met in the APC?
It is obvious that as individuals, we do have our interests, at least, but you have to downplay your interest to allow the superior one to play. But as far as you understand what you want. You see, obviously, when you are talking of presidency, it is only one man that will be President. You know when a traditional ruler dies, about ten to fifteen people will come out to replace him but at the end of the day, it is only one man that will be but others will have to cooperate with that person who has been chosen. It is the will of God. So it is the same thing that is going to happen in APC. Yes, we have our interest, we want elective positions but at the end of the day, if you work within the constitution of our party, and people emerge, if others who do not emerge are true members of the party, and are committed loyalists of the party, definitely, we shall talk to them and they will have to remain and cooperate.
