Presidential candidate of the Fresh Democratic Party, Rev. Chris Okotie, in this interview with MUDIAGA AFFE, assesses the Peoples Democratic Party- led Federal Government and preparations for the forthcoming elections. Excerpts:
In most democracies, it is a difficult task to defeat an incumbent president. How prepared are you to defeat President Goodluck Jonathan in the coming presidential poll?
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| Presidential candidate of the Fresh Democratic Party, Rev. Chris Okotie |
But Jonathan emerged the winner of the PDP’s presidential primaries and reconciliation with his opponents is ongoing. So, where will the implosion come from?
Within every democratic setting there are institutions enshrined in the constitution that guarantee joint participation, an all embracing philosophy for the people so that democracy will take natural progression. That was why within the PDP, there was a zoning agreement that was enshrined in their constitution. When a political party circumvents its own constitution arbitrarily based on some personal agenda, it erodes the authenticity of their pursuit of democracy. In a federal system for instance, you have centrifugal and centripetal forces which combine in such a way to guarantee the security of the weaker units so that federalism is strong and their place within that union is established. Within an executive, you have Legislature, Executive and Judiciary. In the PDP, what happened during the primary was a circumvention of the constitution. It was done with such impunity that it creates a situation of fear in the hearts of people like me. This is because, if a political party can circumvent its own constitution, it shows that it is the beginning of autocracy and totalitarianism. With this kind of circumvention, the ruling party can excise a whole part of this country through an executive fiat. There had been a debate on workability of relocating those of us from the South-South. The PDP has the power to do it with what it has done now so blatantly. My take on this is this: If our democracy is to be guaranteed, then the North must respond and all progressives in Nigeria too.
How do you want them to respond?
You see, what the PDP has done is that it has demonstrated an unprecedented show of power and masquerading under the guise of geo-political equation by saying it is the South-South. So, the sentiment of the South-South beclouds the reality of what they have done. I come from the South-South and I know it has nothing to do with the region but purely a PDP affair. They have done it irrespective of what the North thinks, irrespective of what the progressives and other Nigerians think. That is why I am saying that if democracy is going to have any form of longevity, the North must respond. The North has two options. The first refers to diametrical opposition- that means they will get someone from the South-South to run against Jonathan. This is because if they do not frustrate the PDP, the North will become totally irrelevant in the politics of the nation. The second option is disruptive persuasion- this idea is based on the Hegelian concept of chaos. Karl Max, in his laws of dialectical materialism came up with thesis, anti-thesis and synthesis. The situation that the PDP has created now is the thesis. The North and other progressives must engender another situation that is opposed to this (anti-thesis). Then they will harmonise both and arrive at the third situation (synthesis). They must do this so that the PDP will no longer think of trivialising the importance of the North and other parts of the country. Because it is politics, you will now negotiate, not Jonathan, but a neutral person who will now become president. If Goodluck Jonathan becomes president of this nation, I can assure you that our democracy is gone.
But, with the way things are going, don’t you think Jonathan is on his way to becoming the president in the April elections?
I do not think so. I know they have made their permutations and calculations, but they are those kind of shenanigan calculations and because PDP has bitten more that it can chew, I believe that the situation is going to turn around. Nigeria is greater than a political party and a group of political juggernauts. I believe that Nigeria has not been as polarised as we are today. The emergence of Jonathan as the candidate of the PDP has polarised our nation and balkanised the country like never before. This is the first time in the political evolution of our nation that we are on the brink of fragmentation because the PDP would not be guided by rules and regulations. Now if you look at it with common sense, the PDP has enslaved this nation for over 10 years, what will be the criteria for its re-election? No stable power supply, universities are in a state of squalor, there is violence on our streets, insecurity, economic disequilibrium, and so on. So, on what platform are they asking for re-election, if not that they know that their only survival is rigging.
Since 2003, you have been saying you have a divine call to rule this country. Do you still hear that divine voice?
Definitely that call is still there. If not, why do you think I am still around? If I was seeking a political career, I would have done otherwise. I would have joined the political party that would have provided that base for me. I would have fraternised with people, who believe in godfatherism, and establish myself on point where I can build on my career to where I should be now. But I have refused to join the bandwagon. I have set myself in diametrical opposition to the status quo. I have demonstrated that I believe in a vision for Nigeria and that this philosophy is encapsulated in the ideology of our political party. So, it shows you that this tenacity can only be predicated on my desire to obey the mandate.
There are security challenges like bombings and assassinations in different parts of the country. How do you react to all this?
This is a characteristic of the PDP and this is what they have always done. If you recall, in 2003 when we were ready to go to the poll, they made sure the universities were closed. They engender a temporary state of emergency and while the confusion is going on, they rig themselves into power. I believe that this government has shown itself to be incapable. In Biology, there is a phenomenon that is called the ‘circadian rhythm’, it occurs every 24 hours, what we are seeing is a circadian rhythm of political ineptitude demonstrated by the PDP. It is a consistent demonstration of their inability to govern. The PDP’s only common denominator is to annex wealth and that is why you see the confusion within the party.
What vision do you have for Nigeria?
I believe that the time has come us to motivate the development of our people to the level of strategy and therefore we must concentrate on human capital development. That is the key to Nigerian growth because we must shift emphasis from things to people. If investments that have been made in the oil sector have been put into the lives of the Nigerian people, I believe that you would see a quantum leap. But because the government of the day is not interested in the Nigerian people, they have these development programmes that are mere attractions without any meaning to the lives of the people. We will concentrate on the Nigerian people-that is why in our slogan, the people come first. Education is vital. We must redesign the curriculum and build new schools, train teachers and motivate our students. There is a suggestion that the National Youth Service Corps scheme should be used as a finishing school because of the deplorable state of the higher institutions. The people that are enlightened can become economically viable. The hospitals are just mortuaries. The whole structure is moribund, it must be addressed. The transport, housing, pension scheme would be revamped. We shall focus on things that will enhance the lives of the people within the short term because the power issue is vital, but it is a long-term projection. We are not going to be involved in carrying out so many programmes at once so as not to make the mistake of late President Umaru Yar’Adua, who went into multiple tangent syndrome. We will concentrate on things of immediate needs before addressing the long-term projects.