Yekini Nabena is a former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and currently, Secretary Media and Publicity Committee of the National Gubernatorial Campaign Council in Bayelsa. In this interview with BODE OLAGOKE, he speaks on the chances of former governor Timipre Sylva, and sundry matters.
The PDP recently said they were not afraid about the defections to APC because APC appears not to be on ground in your state. What is your take?
To me, it is not a problem. Even before now, they didn’t believe we are going to move to this extent. But they became afraid when they observed that we have started taking their key people.
As I talk to you, in the PDP camp, there is confusion in every Local Government Area in the state. We don’t want to behave like them because their own PDP people have said they can’t. That is why we brought these people out there to the national television for people to see. Defecting is not the problem. We have seen a lot of people defect here and there. But at the end of the day, there is no result.. But this time around, we have a different approach; that is our own secret. As far as I am concerned, the people of Bayelsa have seen that the governor has done nothing. I don’t blame the governor for saying truth. The governor was not prepared. I once heard him telling his people, ‘I said I want to be a Senator because I didn’t tell them I want to be a governor. Then Governor Dickson brought me out.’
That is to tell you that you cannot give what you don’t have. If you look at the state, there is blackout. The governor is enjoying light from local content. NDDC is giving them gas from turbine light. Even in the state itself, there is no light. How will you develop the state? So, governor has said it himself that he didn’t beg anybody to vote for him. So he is doing his best even though it is not enough. For now, I don’t need to say much but I believe when the result start coming out, the result will speak for itself.
With this defection, what are the chances of APC come November 11?
We have done it before. We will still do it again. We have heard them saying by the side that they know what to do. You know they always collect it from the court. But this time around, it won’t work that way. They said even though APC wins it, they will collect it from the court.
How is the party managing post primary crisis so that it will go into the election as one, united political family?
The same thing I have been telling other people is what I am going to tell you. The post primary election in 2019, made Heineken to work for the PDP. No matter what he is doing now as a Minister, he worked for the PDP. But at the end of the day, we still won the election in Bayelsa state. If you want to work for the party, work for it. But if you want to blackmail people, because you didn’t get what you want. You see, your time will come. The way you treat people is the way they are going to treat you. In 2019, he was the DG of the campaign. He didn’t bring one result from Ekeremor his local government. This time, even though the President wants to tell him to work as a Minister, we are not begging. We are only begging him to win his ward, not even the entire local government. Because he cannot deliver his LGA. So, David Lyon, people worked for him. Those people that worked for him, are they not the same people that are from Southern Ijaw that produced the deputy governorship candidate? So those people will still support their own. Because as it stands, Southern Ijaw which is the biggest Local Government Area doesn’t even have anybody even in this government. So if they are having a deputy governor, are they not better off? So, we don’t want to talk much about these things. We have done it before in 2016 and we are going to do it again. Despite their plans yet we are brothers. They have boasted that they are going to collect it from the court, so we will wait. Just like what they are doing now. Even at the national level, they want to take it from the court. But God will not allow them to do that. To tell you how desperate Atiku has been even in the United States. Their desperation in court is too much. When Jonathan lost, he didn’t make his defeat an issue. Let everybody wait and see how the country goes. The country is beautiful and it is for all of us. It is not for one person. If the country is good today, it will not be for only Tinubu and his people. It will not also be for Atiku’s family. Atiku is doing business in Nigeria and his businesses will also grow. The country comes first before the personal interest of anybody. Two things I am going to say is that the security people should put their eyes more on the governor. The governor has money and he is planning for ammunition gathering. The problem of ammunition gathering is the after effect. After using it for election, you cannot take it from the boys. And you cannot sustain the boys anymore. They will come after you. We are all seeing what is happening in the South East. The security system in the country should focus their searchlights on Bayelsa state because the present governor has started doing arms gathering in the eight LGAs. Like i said, it is not about election but after election, how are they going to get these guns back? It is very important.
Are you not worried that the people you did it together in 2019 are not with you ?
Some of these people that you are making reference to failed even in their units. It is not running to Abuja that is the problem. Lyon was given a house of Assembly candidate. Even a house of Assembly member, House of Representatives and a Senator in the senatorial district, they all failed in the election. Even those who contested the election that are grumbling today all failed. What do they feel they can do?
That your party lost House of Assembly and senatorial seat, don’t you think it’s indicative of rejection of Lyon and APC?
If you are not on ground, it is people that will work for you. You cannot deliver yourself. People will come together. People worked for Lyon. You know why? In 2019, the people were tired of PDP in the state. They needed somebody that is new. Even at that point any good candidate that APC brought then would have won the election. If Lyon say okay he is the King, let him go to another party and show that he is on ground. He was given candidate from state House of Assembly to House of Representatives and to Senate. He could not deliver them. The closest to him is state House of Assembly. He could not deliver him. So what are you telling people? It is not running to Abuja to spend money. Let the people in Abuja always converse with people on ground. Some of them you are taking about that contested for election all failed.
Are you satisfied with the commitment of national leaders of APC so far?
For now, some people might not like you for no reason. You don’t expect everybody to like you, especially, if you have been in government before. Some people might have asked you for a favour that you may not have addressed. They may also have their grudges and all that. But, for now, I believe that APC at the national level is committed. Why am I saying this? Today, PDP stronghold is the South South. You cannot go in for election without resources. That is why they have this problems with Nyesom Wike. How can I be funding you then you will be dictating to me? That was what happened. So if the APC also break into the South South, I think it will be a balanced game. And I don’t think PDP will have that power.
You said PDP is boasting that even if you win at the polling booth, they will collect the mandate at the Court. Have you done your due diligence, this time to ensure that candidates presented genuine certificate?
You know when the Supreme Court speaks, you cannot go anywhere. Sometimes the courts talk out of technicalities. You see, the last one they were talking about names. Former President Muhammadu Buhari has how many names? Even when Supreme Court ruled. But now another Supreme Court. We are at the mercy of Supreme Court. Today, it can say go and do another election. Are you going to fight it? They will come up with their technicalities based on where their interest lies on. And if you look at the judgement we have been seeing from the tribunal, they are all funny kind of judgement. But they say who are we to blame the judiciary? So that is where we are.
What are your expectations from INEC and security agencies on this election ?
First and foremost, the security system should be focused in Bayelsa state. And INEC should come out plain this time around. Is it BVAS or we just do whatever we want to do while INEC takes it from there. There is no clear direction. So you can do whatsoever you want to do then INEC can come back and do what they like. They are telling us INEC said they don’t have power to transmit. INEC must have a clear direction so that voters will know this is the system. So that everybody can protect his or her votes. Not that somebody that will go to Government House and write this things for INEC. So tell us, are you going to transmit the result from polling units? Or what are you going do? Are you going to use BVAS? Tell us from day one. Let there be a guideline and an understanding that this is it. Not the one court will say INEC can come up with anything they want. Politics is the biggest business in the world.
INEC is complaining that people in Bayelsa and Imo are not coming to collect their PVCs. Why is it so?
Since INEC made that announcements, we have mobilised our people from the units. They are the only ones to collect it. It is sad. As an opposition in the state, we have seen a lot. The Government House will go there and collect all the PVCs. So the people that the PVCs belong to won’t see it to collect. They will tell them when they get there that they cannot collect it. Your PVC will be in the hands of the opposition. Now, i will go to INEC in my local government to ask our people to collect PVCs after they have been captured. You want to collect it after you did everything. They will say it is not ready. But INEC in Abuja will say PVCs are lying in the LGA. But on the day of election you will see them using your own PVC to swap the card reader. . All the petitions that we have written to INEC, how many have they taken seriously? We have a lot of problems that need to be resolved from INEC. I am telling you that the presiding officer cancelled the election from the unit. It is just to tell you that we have seen such situations. PDP man will just write a report and presiding officer will say no there was no election. And they will cancel it. And even the places you are winning, that is how they will be cancelling it. These are things they need to reverse. When you are going for an election, you know exactly what you are going in for. Like a blind man into a battle.
Are you confident that if election is conducted in a free and fair atmosphere, without security threats, Sylva will win?
Yes. We are going to win. The PDP people won’t tell you the truth. In their campaign council, if you look at it, you will find out that their bigwigs like the Senator Dickson is not there. They will not tell you. Because the governor too has abused the Senator who is from the same senatorial district with him. Like I said before, my Senator from my senatorial district made the mistake of bringing somebody like that doesn’t have to. He is sad that the projects that he was doing have been abandoned by Diri and he is doing his own. So what you are seeing in Bayelsa is just couple of unfinished projects here and there.
