Alhaji Usman Alhaji is a chieftain of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in Kano State, who also contested the party’s gubernatorial primaries. In this interview with LEADERSHIP, he says the APC will still win the presidential election despite a shift in the date of t he election to March 28.
There are calls for the removal of INEC Chairman, Prof Attahiru Jega , what do you think?My reaction is that its the usual style of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), we have witnessed it for over the last 12 years! People like Edwin Clark who are elderstatesmen should be looking at the country’s unity as crucial and do whatever it takes to keep Nigeria one and united but unfortunately, he has zeroed himself as a tribal leader and it is not good for Nigeria. He should give direction passionately instead of turning himself into a war lord for the Federal Government. Such actions are doing more harm than good to the Federal govern and PDP. People see him as being biased, he is interested in ethnic gain. For me, the call for removal or resignation of the INEC chairman at this time is a treasonable statement.
Treason is something that brings about chaos, disintegration of a country, If you remove Jega today with few weeks to the election, who conducts the election. To my view such calls should be cautioned Jega is doing his best , it is unreasonable to ask for his removal at this time when we have only few weeks to the election. Jega said we have achieved 70% distribution of voters card so what will he gain in manipulating distribution of PVC?
Do you subscribe to the idea of Interim Government as been canvassed by some people?
First of all, the president has made it clear that there is no such idea and that nobody should talk about that. Senate president David Mark also stated that it has no position in the constitution, so what reason can anybody give in campaigning for interim national government,? We are not in a war or crisis unless if anybody is suggesting that PDP has failed and that they cannot lead the nation. Election dates have been slated, PVC’s have been distributed and Nigerians are yearning for change and that change is here and nobody can derail that process of change that Nigerians are hungry for. Interim national government is alien to our constitution and it is not an option.
In your view do you think that INEC acted right in shifting the election, citing the advice of the service chiefs?Let me say first that Jega made it clear before the council of states that he was ready and he was going to conduct elections. Prof Jega was. Arm twisted by the presidency. Mr president claimed that he was not consulted by INEC but is not possible for anybody to say that Jega was not arm twisted, he was more or less coerced to shift the polls.
Do you see the March 28 and April elections taking place?
Why I believe that there will be election is because the president has said that there will not be any further shift , He assured Nigerians and the world community that there will be election, He made it abundantly clear that the date for handing over is sacrosanct. I believe this election will take place and Nigerians will decide and determine their future. Talking about the shift it was unnecessary. The shift was engineered by the PDP and it has boomeranged. This shift has provided the opportunity to double the defeat PDP will get. Nigerians are now more determined that the change they desire comes through. The APC is now more prepared and are making sure their votes counts, The victory APC will have on the new date will double what it would have gotten earlier.
The APC rally in Rivers State was disrupted by unknown gunmen; as a chieftain of the party do you suspect anybody?The Inspector General of Police (IGP) has ordered for a thorough investigation of the incident and it is very important that the outcome of the investigation be made known and those found guilty should be punished. You cannot just push away a very serious incident where life was lost and several injured. It is important for the peace of the nation, I have never seen any party that disrupted its rally , that rally was never disrupted by the APC, you cannot disrupt your programme. Investigation so far reveal that the opposition did it. That rally was organised under the watch of the security agencies. It was an insult to the president and PDP itself. We are saying that let the investigation be properly done and results not swept under the carpet.
There are insinuations that PDP may reclaim Kano in the forth coming elections, is it true?
All the names that you have mentioned had left the APC fold when the local government elections in Kano state took place and APC won in all the 44 local government areas and 444 council wards which means PDP has no councillor or local government chairman. PDP will not get 10 per cent votes.
When the two presidential candidates visited Kano the difference was clear between day and night. Today no single picture or bill board of president Jonathan in Kano state .The truth of the matter is that Kano PDP has suffered a lot, Kano people are politically sophisticated and they are ready to change the situation the PDP government has put them into . I promised you that PDP will not get up to 10%of votes in Kano.
What is your take on Obasanjo- Jonathan face off, do you think the APC will benefit from it?
Obsanjo is the first executive president under the Peoples Democratic Party and chairman of board of trustees. He is somebody respected internationally. Nobody does anything wrong to himself and family. For me PDP should be worried because if a father forsakes his own children then those children are ware wards. I know that Obj matters, deep inside, PDP are not happy and are devastated. Let us see whether it will not affect the PDP.
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