BY CHARLES KUMOLU

On becoming Shagari’s running mate:

“Shagari drew me aside and said he wanted to tell me himself and that he would like us to work together once the NEC approves. He said he wants to work with me, but he said I should still keep it to myself. I thanked him right there at the border. But again, something very interesting happened. As we were returning to our state, some people who were still interested in the job still went with him to Benue State and all along with the campaign until he came back to Lagos.”

On Chief M.K.O Abiola, June 12

“Abiola shall be the President of Nigeria and there shall be Vice-Presidents from the different geo-political zones.’’

Corruption

‘’I am not a judge so I cannot tell you who is or who is not corrupt, that can only be proven by courts, but perception is a lot of problem in any society and if there is a perception that a minister is corrupt even if he is not, it is better that you don’t leave that perception because it would corrupt the whole system if that perception is allowed to hold.’’

Obasanjo, PDP
‘’Obasanjo was in Yola Prison, he had no idea how we formed the party and what it was formed for, but they foisted him on us as a President and leader of the party, and they converted the party into his personal fiefdom, and that is where the party’s destruction started.’’

On Buhari coup

‘’I was Vice-President for four years and three months and under our zoning system in the NPN. Chances were high that in 1987 that I might have been the candidate of the party for the presidency. Umaru Dikko gave a press interview in London after the coup of December 31, 1983 that all the talk about corruption was just hogwash that the coup took place because they wanted to stop me from being president in 1987 and that they didn’t want to wait until it was too close that it would be too obvious.’’

Six geopolitical zones

‘’So, you had a struggle within each region between the majority and the minority. So, I decided to cure these two problems that we must have parity of regions between the Old North and the Old South and that was why I decided to have parity of geopolitical zones between the North and the South. The North was divided into Northwest, Northeast and North-Central and the South was divided into Southeast, Southwest, and South-South. The other person who contributed to it was my friend, Bisi Onabanjo. Two of us discussed this in prison.’’

On System of government

‘’I am not advocating for a parliamentary system. I am ok with the presidential system, but it doesn’t have to have two chambers with full-time legislators assigned with a lot of staff, having staff at home and staff in Abuja.’’

Nigeria’s unity:

‘’In fact, it is inconsistent, because if it is Nigeria, then it is one. You cannot be divided and be Nigeria. It is a hypothetical question, because if you want to be big and respected, then we have to be one, but we have to be one by equity and justice and reasonable freedom and autonomy for all the members of the society; there cannot be first class and second class citizens.’’

On Prison experience
‘’Very difficult. The first time I got to Kirikiri, I was in a cell. At about 5:00 p.m., they would lock up the cell door, and so, I would be there from that time until the next morning. If you had to go to the toilet, the bucket was there, you eat, you sleep, you defecate there and the next morning when they open the gate you would come out and shower.’’