By Chioma Gabriel, Deputy Editor
Mamman Abubakar Dan Musa was the Deputy Senate President  of the botched Third Republic and  also the  Second Republic Speaker of the old Kaduna State House of Assembly that presided over the impeachment of Balarabe Musa as governor and swearing of Lawal Kaita to replace him.

In this interview, he answers questions on the current political developments.

Excerpts:

There have been arguments on whether or not elections should be postponed from January to April  to give INEC more time to  prepare  for credible elections. What’s your position?

Well, I think whatever  INEC needs to discharge its constitutional responsibility which will lead to a free and fair elections should be done either by the President or the National Assembly.

There is nothing wrong with giving it all it takes to ensure that there is free and fair elections. You should also know that the President has told the world that he is for free and fair elections  and  if  INEC in their own wisdom thinks that N74 billion is what it needs to conduct a credible election, I think the government should provide the money.

We are in the month of August already. Voters register has not been reviewed. Do you think INEC will be ready by January for elections ?

If the government does not provide the money that INEC needs early enough, then, what ought to be done will not be done at the required time and  then, the promise of a free and fair election cannot hold. It is the responsibility of government to provide the money now,  so that INEC can meet its deadline, compile a new voters register early enough for the elections to hold by January. So, the onus is with the executive. If money is not on ground, you cannot blame postponement on INEC.

Would you say there is serious preparation for elections?

You know we are in a very unfortunate situation. You know the problems left behind by the former INEC chairman. We know very well that there were no preparations for election before Jega assumed office.

As the new INEC chairman is on board now and a new set of commissioners are appointed, he has said that if this money can be provided, they can still compile a new voters register within the time range. So, it is up to the government to say that they are ready with the fund.Whether the government wants to conduct the election in January or April depends on the availability of the required amount from government early enough.

The National Assembly has amended certain portions of the 1999 constitution and recently, the Senate President did say that the President’s assent is not required for this to take effect. What do you think?

I think since the National Assembly by precedent has done what is required of it by the Constitution, Presidential assent is still required before it becomes law. So, in my mind, the President has to assent to the amendment before it becomes law.

The argument on zoning is simmering. What is your take?

I am not a PDP  man but I think if there is a gentleman’s agreement in 1998/1999 which was renewed in 2002, it should be respected. Also, if the Constitution of   PDP makes room for zoning, it has to be respected. But if PDP feels that Jonathan should contest, there has to be a national convention where that section is amended so that it is removed from their Constitution before he can legally contest.

You said you are not a PDP man.

No, I’m not. I’m in CPC, Congress for Progressive Change. General Buhari is our leader.
Is the party on ground, will Buhari contest?

Definitely he will contest. He has been consolidating the home-front, touring the Northern states and after that, he will move on to other parts o the federation. So, he has been campaigning.

How well is he doing in that regards?

All I can tell you is that things have been happening. We have not been making noise but I can tell you that wherever Buahri goes, unprecedented crowd follows him. He has been campaigning, gaining ground and garnering support. By the time it becomes an open campaign, it will be a great success.

There have been speculations that  weak political parties should be de-registered by INEC. If that happens, will your party still be there?

Our party cannot be de-registered because we are on ground. It’s just that we have not yet participated in any election because the party was registered in December 2009. All the same, the supporters of the party are all over the country especially in the Northern parts of the country.

So, the CPC is not going to be one of the parties to be de-registered on any account. We have not contested elections yet and we have to do that for anybody to decide whether CPC is a strong or weak party. It is after we have contested election that you can determine whether CPC is a strong or a weak party.

But I can assure you that CPC is a party with a future, more especially in the Northern part of the country where the big PDP people are leaving the PDP for CPC.

We have a multitude of political parties, numbering over 50 and speculations are rife that eventually, we will run a two-p-arty state in Nigeria. What’s your opinion on that?

If Nigeria wants to operate a two-party system, it has to be by evolution, not by decree. There are many political parties, even in Israel and other countries. So, it’s up to the electorate to reject a party. It is not for the government to de-register a political party. After elections, political parties that made it in the elections will prosper and others will die a natural death. It is only the electorate through their votes that will determine which party stands and which party does not stand.

How strong is the CPC? Can you say it will make it in the elections?

We are very strong in many parts of the country especially the Northern states. We just need to wait for the elections to be conducted. I’m confident the party will make it and we will make electoral alliances with political parties in the South to gain victory in the elections.

So, you don’t believe in a two–party system?

If it is by evolution, yes. But is should not be by decree. If they want to do it by decree, it will not work. It cannot work.

What are your expectations now that elections are drawing closer?

We are optimistic. Even as I speak with you, I have just returned from assessment tour of each of the local governments in Katsina State. We are undertaking assessment tour of each of the local governments and we will finish by this weekend. We started from Katsina state and from here, we will proceed to other states in the North and then to the Southern states.

What are your expectations generally about the forthcoming elections?

My appeal to the new INEC chairman is to change the status quo of how elections are conducted in the country by trying to be fair and ensure that they don’t allow anybody rig any election. The Nigerian government should give the new INEC chief all he needs to enable him conduct a free and fair election.