Prologue:  The political behemoths, the All Progressives Congress and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in the opinion of a legion of pundits, are the only platforms with vast spread and membership to win the 2019 general elections, particularly, the Presidency. Given this generally held belief, spokespersons of both parties, have in recent times, spoken highly of their chances at the polls while accusing each other of betraying the Nigerian cause.

Recently, Senior Special Adviser to President Muhammadu Buhari on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu defended the ongoing fight against corruption, citing the number of pending cases in courts; a claim spokesperson of the largest opposition party, Kola Ologbondiyan dismissed by a wave of the hand. For Ologbondiyan, Buhari’s anti-corruption crusade is selective, arguing that Nigerians are now wiser and would make informed choice come 2019. They both spoke on the Channels Television breakfast show, Sunrise Daily which was monitored by this reporter.

However, erstwhile National Publicity Secretary of the PDP and chieftain of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Professor Ahmed Rufai Alkali told this medium that his new party is set to offer Nigerians a new taste of democratic dividends if only they would trust the party to make the difference in the next general elections. In the words of the Professor of Political Science, Nigerians are now tired of the old order, having seen the nation struggling to make a headway developmentally, despite a near two decade of unbroken democratic governance. Is this a mere boast, considering the proximity to the elections? Professor Alkali thinks otherwise, insisting the party is poised to take the political space by storm, much to the surprise of Nigerians, home and in the Diaspora. Excerpts!

Is there a relationship between the Social Democratic Party (SDP) of the present and that of the military era?

Alkali:  Well, as you rightly observed, there was an SDP in the 1990s which was part of the transition that led to elections in 1993. At that time, the SDP was able to make a huge impact in getting many of its members elected into the National Assembly and subsequently, the SDP Presidential candidate, Chief M.K.O. Abiola of blessed memory, won. I believe after that episode, the SDP, like most other political parties, rested. But about four, five years ago, Chief Olu Falae and other leaders of the SDP felt it was time to revive it because of its history; two, because of the brand; three, because of the successes it achieved at that very difficult time and the kind of ideological position of the party. Therefore, Chief Falae who is right now the national chairman of the party worked very hard through all the legal processes and revived the party. Though it did not have much showing in 2015, but in a number of states, where its candidates stood for elections, they were able to make some impact.

Recently, some people expressed concern about the status of the PDP and APC and looking at some other political parties already on ground and those that were registered recently, it appeared that people were saying that the SDP has a long history and made an impact on Nigerian psychology should be brought back. For us, long before the Supreme Court judgment on the PDP leadership tussle, there were many people who were thinking that it would be very difficult for the Supreme Court to pass judgment in favour of the PDP that was chaired by Ahmed Mohammed Makarfi and that in the event that the verdict did not favour the mainstream, people must prepare a fallback position on the way out.

Some of our leaders and elders engaged with most of the political parties at the background, discussing with them and negotiating with them including but not limited to All Progressive Grand Alliance, Labour Party, Accord Party, Peoples Redemption Party and others. So, the feeling was that, yes, in the event that the Supreme Court gave the judgment to the faction that did not belong to the mainstream, others will move to the SDP. But as God would have it, the judgment from the Supreme Court became historic and handed over the party back to the people. So, for that reason at that time, it was felt that there was no need to move to another party.

But again, some of our leaders were saying let’s again see what happens if as we move to the convention, whether we had learnt our lessons and whether it is possible that those people who stood firm and fought hard to rescue the party, would play a role for the party. But I think we have seen what happened at the convention and it has become part of Nigeria’s history. I don’t want to belabour the point. I believe that from then on, we felt again that we must revisit our Plan B and really go back to the drawing board and see how we could move forward. That’s why our leaders and elders reopened the conversation; in fact, it was not closed, with the leadership of the SDP.   Finally, on the 1st of March, 2018, a memorandum of understanding (MOU) was signed between key leaders of our former party and we agreed to merge and form a formidable force and on March 8, there was a presentation of the interim executives of the SDP under the leadership of Chief Falae and other hardworking, dedicated members for the various positions.

Professor Rufai Ahmed Alkali

What informed your decision to leave PDP?

Let’s put it this way. First and foremost, most of us who are professionals in our various callings decided to join politics even at early stages in our careers. We did so because of our love for this country. We believe in Nigeria, we believe in the unity of Nigeria, we believe in the progress of Nigeria, we believe in the future of Nigeria and we believe no matter what we do outside, if we are not part of the process, we will not be able to contribute meaningfully to the advancement of our people. We are concerned about the future of our people because if you noticed, in the 50s, and 60s, there were prominent Nigerians who stood up to fight against colonial masters and they stood up because they believed that there was the need to stand up at that time to liberate our people. Some of us in our university days, used to criticize them that they were not progressives or radical enough. We even sometimes claimed that the independence given to us was given on a platter of gold. But we also know that many people made very huge sacrifices during that period of transition to independence.

I don’t want to go back to what happened before the (PDP) elective convention. For me, I had already made a promise and I have fulfilled it. I said am not going to run away but I will walk away. I will not run away because I know that when a ship hits an iceberg, that is the most convenient time for many people to just run away. But do I know how the water works? Do I know what is inside that water? Do I know how far that ship is from the harbour? What is the guarantee that I can get any life saver? So, I thought it was better to either sink with the ship or wait until we are able to re-float the ship and then, move on. So, you know, staying with a sinking ship is always a dangerous thing. Having looked at all the trajectories, all the issues, after wide consultations, I think the advice of all the people who have followed me, who have supported me at every level, my time is up in the PDP. Fortunately, the slogan of SDP is “Progress.” Therefore, I think I am moving forward.

You appeared to not have shared a healthy relationship with the governor of your state, Gombe, Ibrahim Dankwambo, ever since you indicated interest in governorship. What role does that have in your exit from PDP?

The reality is that I am a system’s man and if I’m part of the system, I operate as a member of the system. I respect the authority and of course, if you noticed over the past years, you hardly found me engaging in unnecessary controversy. Not because I could not make noise but I found that making noise did not serve any purpose. So, I can tell you with all sense of responsibility that nobody will ever tell you that I personally, have any problem with my governor. The only way you can know whether somebody has a problem with his governor is one, have I ever been engaged in unnecessary criticism, condemnation in the media? Or have I engaged in organizing groups and associations or have I allowed people around me to use any opportunity under my purview to say bad things against the government or the governor? Or have I been given any responsibility that I refused to perform? Even now as a member of the SDP, if he calls me as my governor, I can go because he’s my governor until the time he hands over in 2019. But that’s being as a governor. But I have no problem with him. But that does not mean people will not create problems between people. So, I have no personal problems with him. Indeed, I have shown evidence that I can work under any circumstances to support him.

My own concern is the progress of our state. As a young student, I had the rare privilege of participating in the creation of Gombe state. As a young student, we were the people who launched the Kano chapter of the Movement for Gombe state. We even wrote long essays which were published in the newspapers fighting for the state. And when we got the state, I also had the privilege of serving as a pioneer commissioner. And subsequently, after the 2003 election, I went back. So, I have been very consistent that I have no problem working with the governor. But the decision to leave the PDP is a personal one. I believe I have done my own; I have contributed to the progress of the party. I think at this stage, I need to also step forward.

Despite Bode George’s anger and disappointment over the outcome of the PDP national convention, he chose to remain in the party. Is that too much a sacrifice for you to have made too?

May be if you know what I have gone through, what I have seen or what I have heard over the past few years, you will understand the situation even better. we have never ever shied away from sacrificing for our country, sacrificing for our party and sacrificing for our people. I believe like I said, after what has happened over the past two or three years, after consulting widely, I took my time to consult those close to me, those not close to me, some of my leaders, elders, friends, associates and I think we have come to a conclusion that we have made our own contribution to PDP and like I told you, it’s time to move forward.

Nationwide, there is the problem of youths, problem of women and problem of despondency creeping into the system. If somebody cannot liberate himself, how can he liberate others? Somebody who cannot protect himself, how can he protect others? I think the SDP is providing an opportunity for us to also see what we can do. Fortunately, if you look at the manifesto of the party, not many people know that it’s truly a social democratic party because what it offers Nigerians is something that if it comes to pass, will be very good for us. So, I believe in our own rural setting where we are trying to empower our people, where we want to change the narrative where the despondency syndrome is creeping in, we have to look for options. And I believe we are working hard at rebuilding the party.

Will the SDP be willing to work with the coalition against the PDP and APC in 2019?

During the inauguration of the interim executives of the SDP, our chairman, Olu Falae, did state the party is in consultation with various groups and other political parties to extend its base. But of course, you know these are tactical issues and not issues that can just be discussed and elaborated on anyhow. What’s important is that no political party is static. Even if you are big, you want to become bigger. Certainly, if you think you are small, if you know what you are doing, you’re organized, you cannot call yourself small. What’s important is the goodwill of our people that matters most because it is the people that make the party. It’s not the party that makes the people. Therefore, with this process of consolidating SDP,   I am surprised myself by the kind of goodwill, the kind of people who have been coming forward, people who are calling me and saying, ‘Alkali, if you are there, we are there.’ So, it encourages me because I was thinking when I move, I was going to move alone. But when I moved, people said let’s do it together. For the future of our state, you have to work hard to bring glory back to the state. So, in simple terms, at the national level, it’s expanding and at our level too, we are also moving. I believe in the near future, the true picture will come out. I know that SDP is not the only political party apart from the ruling or the main opposition. There are others but their approach, method and style are completely different. This is a serious business and I believe that we have to do something for our country because we must go beyond sitting down and lamenting.

Even though the SDP is an old name, there is the suggestion that it may not be able to achieve enough mileage by 2019.  What’s the objective of the SDP for 2019?

I don’t know why you say the time is short. It’s not short. Why I say the time is not short is that it is the spirit, it is in the mind, the commitment, the dedication that you want to make a difference. And if you want to make a difference, you do it systematically.   The approach is that it is going to be an open platform, it is going to be where everybody has a say. It’s an opportunity to follow due process. It is an opportunity where nobody imposes his views over others. One of the things that breed anger and frustration is alienation. No matter   how much you are committed to a project, idea or a cause, if you notice some alienation, you will begin to find out that you have no value in that project. So, that is why by opening this democratic space, people are coming and it’s not a question of counting our fingers, how many people have come, how many have not come. No, that’s not our concern. It’s going to be systematic. By the time it comes out, you will see the impact. So, the tempo is going to rise very high. We are going to move very fast and we should be able to make a difference in our own style, in our own way, in our means of doing things. I don’t think it’s worthwhile making noise, shouting all over the place. The most important thing is that Nigerians are looking for something like this and we should encourage it. There are so many political parties but some of them have been there on ground for many years. You hardly hear about them. We are making a big push in a short period of time that will surprise you. It is the commitment of our people and determination that will make the difference.

Ologbodiyan Vs Shehu

When two veteran journalists square up in a game tasking their intellect to the limit, a bumper harvest awaits the audience. This was the situation a few days ago when the two fellows met to defend and protect their respective territories. For Kola, the security challenges in the land and its ‘poor’ handling by the Commander-in Chief is enough to show the gangling retired soldier turned politician the exit door at the expiration of his first tenure in 2019.

His words: “The federal government has not taken any strategic measures to engage the asymmetric war situation that we have in the country today. They are just sitting down and saying oh, let’s bring up the excuse and sell that to the people and if it doesn’t stick, let’s look for another.

On the fight against corruption, the PDP publicity scribe was even less diplomatic, as he urged Vice President Yemi Osinbajo to keep his peace if he cannot substantiate the figure he constantly bandies about these days.

“The Vice President is going about the places banding figures that he cannot substantiate. We established all the anti corruption agencies that are fighting corruption in Nigeria today and we are not against the real trials, but political or media trials of members of our party who are alleged to have been involved in corruption,” he noted even as he lampooned the Buhari administration for its fixation on members of the PDP.

“Some of our members are invited to come and explain how they built their houses, not that monies were found on them and not that they were working with government. How do you explain this?” Ologbondiyan asked, adding the “Vice President cannot continue this way. If he has an allegation, he is a professor of law and our law provides that one is presumed innocent until convicted in a court of law.

He further said the PDP would never defend corruption or corrupt elements but insisted the rule of law should be respected while prosecution of graft-related cases lasts.   While urging President Buhari to exterminate corruption root and branch, the PDP image maker noted that close associates of the first citizen had credibility burden on their shoulders owing to graft-related conduct in the past.

“Under the nose of Mr. President and under the villa today, we have Nigerians who looted their states and used the money to elect the President into office. We have a case of a governor whose properties were seized under our government over corruption allegation. He has been rescued out of the court processes and all properties returned to him. What do you say about that,” he asked, looking the Presidential aide in the eyes.

Buhari, not providing cover for party members – Shehu

Responding, Shehu said those accusing the President of shielding alleged corrupt members of the APC are being economical with the truth. According to him, Buhari “is a President who will never provide cover for corrupt people even family members. He will never overrule the courts because he doesn’t have the power to do so.

He urged Nigerians to remember that the in the history of the country, a highly-ranked government official was sanctioned and removed from office by the President Buhari administration on allegations of graft; a reference to immediate past Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir David Lawal.

The verdict

At the end, it was neither a question of who spoke better than the other nor rattled the other to submission. It is a matter of who convinced Nigerians the most and which of the parties is likely to get the nod of the electorate in the months ahead. PDP has tendered an apology to Nigerians and APC insists the President needs additional four years to consolidate. The SDP says it is the new bride, the political virgin with the innocence needed to give the nation and her citizens a new beginning. These pages pledge a continuous dialogue with the political class, including stalwarts of all registered political parties in the weeks ahead. Stay with us!