Senator Dahiru Awaisu Kuta, the Senator representing Niger state East Senatorial districts at the upper legislative chamber has sensationally declared that he has what it takes to lead the Senate, reminding his colleagues that it was why he showed interest in the seat even when David Mark was elected to the exalted position.

But for the avoidance of doubt, Kuta in this exclusive interview said the Senate Presidency was not vacant for now, as Mark, in his own opinion, is doing a good job. He also spoke on the crisis in the PDP, why he want Atiku back in the party,his relationship with IBB and former governor Kure, how he took the PDP to Niger state and other issues. Excerpts

Who is Kuta?
I am Senator and a comrade Dahiru Awaisu Kuta, I represent Niger East senatorial district of Niger State and I am here as a senator of the Federal republic of Nigeria. I started my political career about 27 years ago; I was able to go to the House of Assembly in 1983, House of Representatives in 1992 and now the Senate. If you look at it politically, in legislation I rose through the ranks to be where I am today. I was the pioneer deputy director of administration of the PDP at the national headquarters in Abuja. I set up the administrative machinery of the party at the national headquarters and from there I was moved back to Niger State where I served as the SSG and I came back to Abuja about three years later as a member of the National Political Reform Conference. I went back to Niger again as a coordinator of 2005/2006 population census. You may also want to know, I am a graduate of Ahmadu Bello University and University of Ife, and I was in administration office before venturing into politics. I spent just six years in administration before going into politics. I studied History in A.B.U and Public Administration in the University of Ife.

Talking politics, as the pioneer Administrative Secretary of the PDP, looking back today, how do you feel at the way PDP is being run, are you satisfied?
When we started the party in 1998, it was fully supported by notable Nigerians, but after we had left, it appeared that now things have fallen apart. And may be one of the reasons is because the party was becoming bigger than we left it and therefore, there are now various interests. This may be responsible for the noticeable cracks here and there in the party. But all the same the differences have not been much between the time we set up the party and now. The only big difference now is that those people who are the pioneer members of the party have been swept aside moment we came on board, those people were abandoned, many of them were frustrated out of the party, I think it is only now that the party is realizing that they need everybody and that is why some of them are being wooed back to the party like Abubakar Rimi and the likes. I know the contribution Atiku made right from the beginning before we were able to get our first Secretariat. my only problem just like I have said earlier is that many of those who dared the military in order to form a very big party like the PDP have been forgotten.

But those who left for example, were also accused of trying to cause trouble within the party, how do you react to this?
That is not true; they wanted to remain in the party. Abubakar Rimi for example had continued to be vibrant and he was always ready to call things by their names, he says things the way they are.

What about Atiku who was accused of fighting the then President Obasanjo?
Atiku I must say, deserve a lot of respect because I know the contribution Atiku made to the take off of the party, he made a lot of contributions and I will not want to say much about his relationship with the former President because when you looked at the issues, especially on the investigation relating to corruptly enriching oneself, I cannot say Atiku was wrong for doing what he did because I have seen that while Atiku was been accused on one side, on the other side Obasanjo too was also been accused.

Would you want Atiku back in the PDP?
Atiku’s approach to politics is just like that of late Yar’Adua. He is down to earth, he is committed, he has a large heart, he is one of the people that we should lure back to the party, frankly speaking, he is a good politician and it is not good for us to miss him

Back to the Senate, how would you react to last weekend’s nullification of the election of your Senate President?
Well, I think the judges have tried to be thorough and I think it was a courageous judgment but that is not to say that the Senate President does not have the opportunity to go further than where we are presently. And I appeal to the Senate President to ensure that he goes to the appeal court as far as this matter is concerned.
At the inception of this present Senate, you were one of those who eyed the Senate presidency. But looking at your credentials then, especially if they talk about ranking, people say you were not qualify, but you are usually quick to say you’re also a ranking Senator because you were in the House of Representatives before coming to the Senate. But talking seriously, do you think you had what it takes to pioneer the Senate then?

You see, when I was coming in, the thinking was that let me try my hand on this Senate Presidency, but when I came here, I realized that we required somebody who has gone through this experience in the Senate before, somebody who is ranking, but that is not to say too, that impositions would be made at will. In a democracy, it is very important that when there are things (contest) of this nature, people should be allowed to make their choice and that is one of the reasons why there were oppositions to David Mark’s candidature. I am sure he took it (opposition) in good faith because this is democracy where other people should be allowed to aspire to the highest position. And now that he has won the contest, it is very important that we now see him as the Senate President and because people were allowed to challenge his nomination, the leadership has more credibility.

Now talking about whether I had what it takes to pioneer the Senate then, well, I don’t know what you mean; I have experience in party formation, experience in party leadership and just like you said, I was in the House of Representatives and I was the chairman House committee on Rules and Business and I feel that was at least enough for me to pioneer the affairs of the Senate, particularly when you remember that we have 80 percent of us who are there, and not ranking Senators. I think with my little experience, it doesn’t take more than one to five months for you to gather more experience to lead the Senate.
I know that we have a Senate President now, but if opportunity comes calling again tomorrow, will you show interest in the seat?
I think we better wait for tomorrow, I don’t want to say anything about that. All I know is that the Senate President is doing very well and I pray and I will continue to pray that he wins at the Appeal court.

One other thing that has being dear to your heart since you came into the Senate is the HYPADEC Bill. How does that immediately affect positively, the lives of the people in Niger State?
I remain ever grateful to the Senate leadership, the Senate President and the entire Senators for the wonderful support they had given us towards the actualization of the Hydroelectric Power Producing Area Development Commission (HYPADEC). I am from Niger State and the three dams are in Niger State and incidentally each of the dam is located in each of the Senatorial district of Niger State. I have one in my constituency, which is Shiroro Dam that is producing about 600 megawatts but down stream of the dam is the problem my communities are facing. This is because once water is released from this dam, it overflows its bank and go into the places and destroy our crops and houses and schools, including other social amenities. So we feel that because we have given this land so that Nigeria will have electricity it is important that these people who have given up their lands are given some support to cushion the effect of the negative impact of the operational activities of these dams and we feel that the moment the commission is on board, it will be able to establish some machinery of administration that will provide social amenities to the people who are living down stream of this dam.

When President Yar’Adua submitted the 2008 budget, the Senate did promised that it would pass the budget in a record time so as to avoid the mistakes of the past and to ensure that both Houses pass the same thing. But unfortunately the budget has been sent back to you with the President accusing you people of jerking up the budget of the National Assembly by at least 78 percent. Don’t you think you guys are selfish to have done that?
You just picked one aspect of the observations by the President of this country, there were eight observations, and one of them is about the increase in our budget by 78 percent. But you have forgotten that there are areas where the increase has been done by about 900 percent. The President is not comfortable with that, there are so many areas where the President is saying why this ministry should get this, why this parastatal should get this amount of money, that of the Senate or the National Assembly was just one item out of it. He is suggesting that we should make the increase 20 percent instead of 78. we quickly set up another committee to reconsider the issue, we have so many problems before us in the Senate and the National Assembly that even the 78 percent you are talking about is not even enough for us. It is not just that we are selfish, it is not about our salary, there are other things that are very important that will enhance the workings of the National assembly.

Like what?
Like oversight function, we do not have to go and be borrowing money here and there in order to go and oversee the project that is supposed to be under our care. Unfortunately people don’t understand; people just feel that it is salary, it is not. We are just thinking of how to get enough money, so as not to bother any sector anywhere, any time we are going for oversight functions, we will go there without tears and this is one of the things why this thing has been jacked up to 78 percent and nothing more than that. In those days it was responsibility so to say unofficially of some of these areas where there is supposed to be oversight function of the Senate to take care of the accommodation of the Senators, but now, we say no, it should not be like that, the Senate and House must be responsible for all their movement to wherever they are going for oversight function and that is why we feel that it is important that we have enough money to be able to perform credibly and to also be more active than before without bothering any parastatal anywhere when we are going for oversight functions

Looking at politics in Nigeria, why do you think successors end up fighting their predecessors?
You see the problem is usually associated with god-fatherism in politics. But I have never believed in godfathers. I have always travelled alone. I have always been in the position and I have always won my elections,(. Our people that I feel are my elders that I can take advice from, I go to them to solicit support, but for me to say that this is my godfather, I have never had one. The problem you have and that is very important, people who feel that they must have godfathers before they can become anything, later turned out to find out that they have made mistakes because the moment you say this is your godfather, it is not this small gods that will take you there, it is the almighty God that will take you there. You don’t realize that until after you have gotten there and the godfather will come and say I made you, it is then you remembered that it is not him that made you, it is God the almighty.

But ironically when you were running for the Senate Presidency then, we hear the big man from Minna- IBB was your godfather, who was urging you to carry on. How do you relate that with your claim?
No, he is not my godfather, he is an elder brother to me, he was one of those that was taught by my father, himself and others who were pupils of my father, we grew up to see them as our elder brothers even when he was in military. He is more than a mentor to me; he is in fact my elder brother. Whether he likes it or not, he has to do it for me as a brother not because he wants to be my godfather. He is my brother, himself, Abdulsalami, Nasko and many others were actually tutored by my father, so we grow up to see them as our elder brothers.

Earlier you said you have always been in the opposition parties, how did you find yourself in the ruling party in 1998?
We brought the NPP to Niger State in 1983 and I went to House of Assembly, I went and brought the SDP in 1992, I became the only person who went to the House of Representatives on the platform of the SDP from Niger State. We had 19 members of the House of Representatives, the remaining 18 were NRC, the ruling party in Niger State then, opposition, even though it was the ruling party then at the national level. The issue when we went to SPP, I was the National Director of administration, the party was formed by Solomon Lar, Jakande, Jim Nwobodo, Abubakar Rimi, Sule Lamido and others. But because late Abacha was afraid of that party, he refused to register us, instead he registered other parties, we went ahead like that until 1997, 1998, when I was opportune to be one of the smallest voice in the G34 group and the moment we metamorphosed into a party, we went to Jos and brought that party to Niger State. many people ran away from that party then in my State, they refused to join because they say any party I brought was eventually going to be in the opposition, but Senator Idris Kuta and Senator Nuhu Aliyu and many others gave me a lot of support to go to Jos and bring the party (PDP), by the time we brought the party and the way they were hearing the news all over the country that this party was going to go places, then people began to join.

In other states where we have people like you bringing party, they turn out calling the shots, but you’re not calling the shots today in Niger State, what is the problem?
We had a lot of problems after forming the party; I came back here (Abuja) as assistant director of administration. Later the governor of Niger State because two others and I brought him by the grace of God to be the governor of Niger State, so, he thought I should come and assist him to form the government. I came in as Sectary to the government of the State. We worked closely to the extent that he was confiding in me because I knew what I was doing.
But later people started coming in between us and we quarreled and I resigned. Later I was prevailed upon by the people that matter in the State, to rescind my decision, I came back, 30 days later, the governor showed me the way out saying he was no longer comfortable with me in the administration, so I was very happy because actually I was no longer happy with him too. But I did not also want to remain in the cooler, because if I had done that I would not have been here today. What I did was to go to one of the smallest party. I went to Kaduna, I met Balarabe Musa, brought PRP to Niger State and I became the first chairman of the party in the State and I contested election against the then Senator Idris Kuta from Niger (in2003), I knew then that I won that election but it was over turned. I did not stopped and I continued with the PRP and the government of the day and the people of Niger State saw that I was a material that should not be abandoned, people started talking to me that I should come back to PDP.

Still on governorship, you attempted contesting for governorship in 2003, why did you not contest in 1999 when you were the one who even brought the party then?
We just felt that zone C that was supposed to be given four years as governor got only two years- 1990 to 1992 and we felt that they should be given another chance, so Engr. Mustapha Bello who is now the executive secretary of National Investment Promotion Council was our governorship candidate and I was the party chairman (under PRP), and you know our party is the party of the people, it was not proper for me to be contesting with our supporters who have this ambition to become the governor of the State and like I told you, my zone is B but that position was supposed to be for the people in zone C that is one of the reasons why I did not contest. And because I was in zone B and I was a strong person in the Zone and could pull people together, that is why I attempted to go to the Senate then.

Having attempted governorship in 2007, do you still have your eye on Niger State governorship?
No, I don’t. What the governor then did was what agitated our minds. To him, there was nobody from my tribe that was qualified enough to be the governor of Niger State and I did not see that as an insult but as a challenge and that was why I became one of those, contesting. myself, the former Chief Whip of the House of Reps., Bawa Bwari and the then deputy governor of Niger State stuck out our necks and say we were going to contest and we knew that our people know our credibility and we knew that we are competent and qualify to handle the affairs of the State and that was why I came in, not that I was interested in governorship,

How is your relationship with Kure like today?
Very well, he is one of those people I respect, he is somebody who felt that it was not proper the way we parted ways in the first place and we should be one the way we were before. I knew Kure since he was a kid and his father and my father were classmates in school. There is a lot of respect between us and Kure as always seen me as an elder brother and he has always respected me.

How would you want to be remembered at the end of your tenure as a Senator from Niger State?
You have said it already, my prayer is that the members of the Senate should continue to support the bill on HYPADEC, if we can get it in Niger State, it will create the sense of belonging in our people.