Former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party and delegate to national conference, Chief Olabode George, said the wind of change blowing on the political turf in the South-West zone will soon blow away the All Progressives Party from the zone. In this interview, Assistant Editor, Nigerian Pilot Sunday, MIKE ODIAKOSE, reports that the retired naval officer is also angered by the claims of former Governor of Lagos State, Bola Ahmed Tinubu that he is leader of the Yoruba people. Excerpts:
Prior to the convocation of the conference in March some Nigerians called for a critical review of the 1999 Constitution saying that lots of issues in the constitutions should be corrected or expunged. As an elder statesman what section of the constitution would you want amended?
All the major issues are contained in our reports from the 20 committees set up by the conference, water resources , public service, agriculture etc these are policy areas, we are yet to come to the nitty-gritty of those not even fibers now, they would be the pillars that will hold this country together. We are yet to come to those discussions but I have read those reports and with a little bit of alterations here and there, patching up here and there. We are almost there. The devolution of power, everybody has said the centre is too strong. If you call it a federation, the federating states must have more powers. Let the centre be the stem while we will be the branches but the stem should not be too strong to suppress the people at the lower rank of the ranch. So for me I am happy the way it is going and I have no objection. When we come to those strategic, those contentious issues you will see, you will be here. We may shout at ourselves, we may do this
but that we would disband, I don’t think so.
The national conference is the brainchild of your party, PDP, how would you describe your experience so far?
You know initially there were many armchair critics who said there was no need for it, it would not succeed, why are we talking, it is political etc. But let me remain them that the first few constitutional conferences held before we got independence were handled by the British even up to 1956. In other words we were supervised by the British and then the military also supervised other conferences but this one is what I call homemade. It took the president also a lot of time to concede that there was need for us to talk as Nigerians. Also note that those who attended the 1954, 1956 constitutional conference some of them are here. So those who were also ministers at the first Republic under Tafawa Belewa’s government, some of them are here. Those who fought on either side of the war are here. Those who have also being military administrators, governors are also here. Both the old and younger generations are assembled here at this conference. So you can see the spread.
So when will we have that kind of opportunity again to congregate this kind of eminent Nigerians. For me this is the first time we are talking without any pressure put at the back of anybody. We are talking purely as Nigerians. Yes the debate could be heated, it is normal but we would agree to disagree. That first week that we found a solution, a mid course was the beginning of a good thing to our nation. So far, it is okay. You saw almost a contentious issue today about the issue of debate or not to debate. Somebody got up to say it is daring us against North/South dichotomy and I said hold your fire. Don’t bring North-South dichotomy, we have been enjoying robust discussions and debates that is the beauty of democracy. The majority might have their way but the minority will have their say. That is the tenet of democracy. I am satisfied that we are talking and it is better to talk than to go to war.
Are you comfortable with the number of political parties we have in the country because some people are calling for an increase number of political parties while others are insisting on two party- system What is your take on this?
America has one of the largest democracies in the world, do you know how many political party they have? Even if you want to have one little political party in your village so be it and if you want to come to the centre you will have to attach yourself to a bigger platform otherwise you are just going to be that little fish in your village but for me it okay. I don’t have any objection to a multiparty system because the more the merrier but let government not fund them because we have had the experience where when they say political parties would be given so, so much and everybody formed a political party just to collect the money from government. Go and fund yourself, it is democracy. A particular village can say we want to have our own party and that they don’t want to attach to anybody. They must be represented. If anybody wins election in that constituency well and good and if he gets to the central pool and without getting to anybody then you k now it is going to be like a tree without a forest.
Senate recently in the course of amending the Electoral Act asked the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to deregister none viable political parties. As a party chieftain how do you see this?
I don’t welcome that, as long as the government does not give kobo to the political parties, you can have your political party. So long as you can fund your party go ahead and operate it. I don’t agree with Senate decision, you don’t have to deregister them , if they do election one, two , three times and no kobo is coming from government, they would disband. It is a simple thing and that is the essence of democracy. Don’t start to tailor it and look at it as if it is another military contraction. No, No, free willing, as long as no kobo from the treasury is getting to them, I am okay.
Your colleagues are seriously advocating the entrenchment of fiscal federalism in the constitution. What is your take on this?
I think we need to tally a while on this issue, it has been debated and we said statuesque antae be maintained because if you open it up it could result into some other things. You see the way we have been managing ourselves. Maybe it could be applied in the future because that is what is in vogue in America-true fiscal federalism but that is in America. America is over 200 years old in democracy and even now it is not that everything is well there now because no generation can finish the job. As you progress things will improve. At least they agreed here that 13 percent offshore/ onshore whatever it is should remain for now maybe in the next few years things would improve. There is no perpetuity in anything.
As we draw close to 2015, the question is, what are the chances of PDP to regain the presidency in the face of the dominance of the South- West geopolitical zone by the All Progressives Congress, APC?
You know the South-West is highly sophisticated zone, nobody owns our minds- set. People would decide based on the performance of the party. I am so convinced that the next election, if you watch the temperature. You can see the rumbling starting from Lagos to Ekiti, from Osun and the entire South-West zone. They stole our mandate, we won the election, and the people decided this is the man they wanted. Justice Salami with his collaborators manipulated and they now turn themselves to be INEC. Cancelling votes where we won and adding and subtracting, that is not the job for a court. So it disgraced himself because he would remain a red letter there for us. Now our people have seen both side of the divide. They know what they are going to gain. That is the beauty of democracy. Four more years , we go back to the election, let them decide, that card they have, one man one vote, one woman one vote, one youth one vote. The government should guarantee justice and fairness on the day of election. Don’t take the power from the people. Nobody, Nobody. Who is Bola Tinibu to claim that he owns the South-West myth? Is it in terms of education, or civility or proper upbringing in what, who is he? Look at what he has done to my state. Looted the treasury to the bone and they are still stopping the Yoruba people. No sir, the only man that has impacted so much in their mindset was Baba Awolowo. You can see the rumbling because he is a dictator. He does not even understand democracy. He wants to sit in the comfort of his zone and decide who will be governor, speaker etc. No! Let the people decide. Those days are gone and I think his no dimities will be over very soon.
The opposition mega party is capitalising on the lingering insecurity in parts of the country to woo Nigerians to vote out PDP in the 2015 election. How far do you think this can succeed?
The current insecurity in the country is a national disaster and it has nothing to do with Jonathan. Let us reverse the role and give the opposition the leadership of the country. What would they have done? It is a collective responsibility. You know it is not a regular warfare. I am a retired soldier, this unusual war –insurgency. You may be walking side by side with those boys that are involved you may not know. One, they are Nigerians. You do not know who is there. Does the president wake up to command all the artillery and wipe out all the communities and people.