*Atiku plans to short-change the North

By Chioma Gabriel, Deputy Editor
Senator Mohammed Abba Aji is the Presidential Adviser on National Assembly Matters  and a core coordinator of the Jonathan Presidential election. In this interview, he speaks on the PDP presidential primaries and the 2011 general elections saying Atiku has plans to short-change the North.
Excerpts:

What can you make of the state of insecurity in the country as the elections approach?

This is clearly a security question and I’m not in a position to say what the establishment is doing about it but I’m sure they are doing something about it. But I don’t know exactly but if you are reading the papers, you’d be reading of government efforts in tackling the problems and that is why I said I’m sure something is being done.

Year 2011 is here, and we are faced with a situation whereby Nigerians may be too scared to come out to engage in political activities like voters registration, political rallies due to fear of bomb explosions. What do you say to that?

This is a very important point being that I have heard such fears expressed  and now that we have entered 2011, I will advise Nigerians not to have fears. They should come out and perform their civic responsibilities and register. And as you said, we need to feel safe to come and register and we need a safe environment for the registration exercise. So, I quite agree with Professor Jega that the security agencies have to increase their efforts and alleviate the fears of the electorate so that they would come out for the registration exercise and other political activities. Yes, there is need for the security agencies to assure Nigerians.

Zoning is consistent with PDP, yet PDP is not applying it.

There was a court ruling and the court ruling said yes, there is zoning, but it is up- to PDP to zone it and right now, PDP has zoned presidency to the South-South. What IBB told PDP is to respect zoning. We respect zoning and so, we have zoned the presidency to the South-South.

And Jonathan will only spend another four years and when it comes to the North, the North will spend another eight years. So, as I said earlier, Atiku’s ambition is aimed at short-changing the North.

He knows it is the turn of the North now to have eight years beginning with late President Yar’Adua.

Yar’Adua did not finish one term in office. And we all agreed that Jonathan should conclude Yar’Adua’s term including his second term in office. Jonathan inherited Yar’Adua’s unfinished term in office including his right to a second term in office and that is  what he is about to do. Yar’Adua was entitled to it and that is what Jonathan is about to do on 2011. Thereafter, it will come  back to the North.

Don’t you see all these happenings truncating democracy. Even in your party PDP, there’s been mass exodus whereby some big names in the party left for other parties; like Saraki, Shagaya, Ladoja and others.

Yes. And if you notice, many people are also coming into the PDP. So, at a time like this, it is normal to see people changing political parties and going into alliances and so on. Some of these movements are related to their personal political ambition and since we have 62 political parties, it is very easy and that is not good for democracy. But as politicians are leaving PDP for other parties, politicians from other parties are also coming into PDP. I’m sure you are aware that Ali Ndume, the opposition leader in the House of Representatives has joined PDP. A lot of other politicians have left their parties for PDP. Ali Ndume will contest senatorial election on the platform of PDP.

But when people like Shagaya, Saraki, leave PDP, that is a minus.

You know PDP is a very large party and it’s good and healthy for people to make choices elsewhere. The more the choices, the more democratic.

It seems kPDP is trying to shortchange Atiku because some have gone to court to stop the waiver granted him. Is PDP afraid of Atiku?

There is no need for anybody to go to court over Atiku’s ambition because, we are very confident that when we get to Eagles Square, Atiku will be defeated. The party has granted him waiver and we don’t have to destroy that because we are very confident that he will be defeated and  I know that it is very easy for Jonathan to get 70 per cent of the delegates votes at the primaries. That is very easy.

The North has more states, more local governments and will have more delegates. Atiku’s status as the consensus candidate of the North makes that a plus.

No. That is not possible. Atiku was endorsed by a handful of people headed by Ciroma who have no such  mandate. But all the PDP governors are solidly behind Jonathan. This consensus is the imagination of Ciroma and his co-travelers. I am in Maiduguri now and I know what I am saying. Those that ‘endorsed’ Atiku don’t count. They are not even delegates, but Jonathan is being supported by those that matter, like the governors who will be at the venue of the PDP primaries as delegates.

And outside the Northern governors, there are also governors from  the South who will support Jonathan. Do you know that all the coordinators of Jonathan are delegates ? I don’t know where Ciroma will get his delegates to make good  his claim of consensus. It’s only the delegates that will decide and as far as I know, the delegates have already decided. Where will Atiku’s supporters come from?

The former Vice President  has Saraki’s support and Saraki  is the Chairman of the Governors’ Forum. IBB is a superman in politics. And he has his own supporters too.

Let me tell you, all the 28 governors of the PDP are supporting Jonathan. I was at the meeting of National Congress of the PDP; the Board of Trustees; the National Working Committee, and the 28 governors led by Bukola Saraki endorsed Jonathan. There was no single dissenting voice. It was Governor Saraki who presented the 28 governors position of support. Now, that is what we can call consensus. And there are the others: the National Caucus, the Board of Trustees, the Working Committee, 28 governors. We were all at the conference hall and we all endorsed Jonathan.

I remember Atiku reportedly accusing Jonathan of blackmailing the governors to support him so that they too will get endorsed for another term.

No. Jonathan was there and he didn’t even open his mouth. The National Assembly was led by the Senate President, David Mark.  Saraki led the governors, the Working Committee was led by the National Chairman. This  was discussed and it was agreed.

Are you saying that Saraki was not keeping to the consensus agreement?

Not on that day. He was the one that presented the governors support  for Jonathan. This is very true. I was there. So, what Ciroma did is just a joke because consensus will not work. It is already broken. The governors are the party leaders in their various states and all of them have agreed to endorse Jonathan. Many of them are even coordinating for Jonathan.

That was why I said the governors endorsed Jonathan so as to get automatic tickets for another term in office in return.

We need sense of belonging. We Nigerians need to support one another. Jonathan started as Vice President. Then, he became Acting President and then President. As the President, he is entitled to a second term. The President is the leader of the party and when the leader of the party is aspiring, the normal thing to do is to give him support. And that is what has been done.

Many perceive President Jonathan as a weak leader and blame that for all the explosions we are having, for all the crises in different parts of Nigeria. What will you say about that?

You know, anybody seeking election could be weakened by campaigns which can clash with governance especially if the person is already in power. Everywhere in the world, any incumbent President seeking re-election will need time off his busy schedules of governance to attend to his political campaigns. Jonathan need to  take time  off the normal process of governance. For instance, I am in Maiduguri now and not in my office in Abuja. It is the same thing with every incumbent seeking  re-election. It is not only President Jonathan and that does not amount to weakness as being perceived. The problems and the crisis in the country are being tackled by security forces. Nobody is keeping quiet and what we are seeing usually happens at times like this.

What do you have to say about INEC. Is it independent enough to be given a free hand to deliver?

INEC is made up of men and women of integrity and Jega has a track record of commitment and integrity. I am very sure he will deliver.

So, nobody will dictate the tunes for this INEC?

In fact, the constitution has given the INEC Chairman all the independence he needs. Nobody will dictate the tunes for him. And Jega is committed to this independence. Even when he was nominated, it was very clear he was not the kind of man to be pushed around. And  he has proven he cannot be manipulated and I’m sure nobody can try that.