Kenny Ashaka

Second Republic governor of old Kaduna State, Alhaji Abdukadir Balarabe Musa has dismissed President Muhammadu Buhari’s speech on June 12 Democracy Day celebration as uninspiring, unconvincing, pointing out that it was just mere understatement of the reality in every aspect.

He also kicked against his “Next Level” agenda, saying that it is a deception. He also took a swipe at former President Olusegun Obasanjo over his numerous attacks on the present administration, advising him to keep his mouth shut. Excerpts:

One controversial topic in the front burner in Nigeria today is the issue of the report submitted recently by the European Union Election Observation Mission, EU, EOM. According to the EU observers, the overall elections were marked by series of operational and transparency shortcomings, security problems and low voter turnout. However, there was the positive side when they said the elections were competitive in the sense that parties were able to campaign and civil society enhanced accountability. But while the ruling party, the APC opposed this view, the main opposition party, the PDP says the report is in tandem with what happened during the polls. What is your view?

First of all, anybody who says the election monitors’ verdict is not true is just avoiding to tell the truth. Those of them who are not avoiding the truth are being too careful not to heat the polity. The verdict of the EU observers is an understatement of the reality. The election was characterised by massive malpractices so much so that the simplest way to explain everything is to say that the election was a money contest. Those most powerful persons used money for their objectives; they pre-paid. Virtually, everyone who was declared winner emerged winner because he spent more than his or her competitors. That is the reality on the ground and so many people are avoiding the truth.

Did you observe the elections?

I did. Let me give you one example. As notorious as I am in this area, at my voting point here when I went to vote at 2:00 p.m, I was told the election had closed. When was election supposed to close? I was very furious that I couldn’t restrain myself. I had to ask them arrogantly. I am sorry to say arrogantly. So, I asked them do you know who you are dealing with? You know I didn’t have to go to that extent and…

But they should know you?

I was so angry…how would they know me when all of them that were conducting the elections were 30 years and below. So, I had to be so angry that I was arrogant. It is not my nature, but I asked them who they were dealing with. When they didn’t say anything I asked them if they knew who they were dealing with. It was then they came to their attention. They said sir, but the election has closed. I said who told you the election could be closed by 2:00 p.m? I didn’t tell them when elections could be opened or closed according to INEC; but I told them whoever turns up when the election was still going on and was on the line should be allowed to vote. Do you know what happened? When two of them came…they were within the ages of 50 and above, they said let him vote after all his participation in the exercise will give credibility to the election. Look at how stupid they are. It was then that the small boys began to listen to me. So, I went and there was no Card Reader available for authentication. So, I just went and was given the ballot paper and I voted. But what is the purpose of the Card Reader? It is to crosscheck, something to authenticate if you are really the owner of the voters card in your possession. I asked them where is the Card Reader, they said there was none. Now, did the election observers experience this? Voters all over experienced similar behaviour and they said so. Did the observers not observe actual vote buying or was the media telling lies. So, the EU observers’ verdict is an understatement. The observers are foreigners and they had to be careful because they do not want to be accused of interfering with the faith of the country. In the case of the Nigerian observers they are also afraid they would be accused of heating the polity and things like that. So, everybody who could tell the truth had to keep quiet or tell lies because they are afraid of the consequences of instability.

That leads me on to what Obasanjo said recently. You know Obasanjo believes that you cannot talk of development without first of all looking at the security situation in the country. What would you say?

In the first place, is Obasanjo worth responding to? Yes, he is worth listening to. You can listen to a fool and be educated in other ways, but why should Obasanjo be believed. Yes, you have to listen to him I quite agree because even a mad man shouting had to be listened to; so you can find out why the mad man is shouting. But in the case of Obasanjo was he not president of this country? Was the situation not present throughout the time he was president, both as military and civilian? He had the opportunity to correct these things what has he corrected? Obasanjo is such a person that should just keep quiet and not make Nigerians fools and not fool himself. He should just keep quiet.

Would it be right to ignore the message even if the messenger is not worth listening to?

That is what I am saying. Just take the message and what is the message? What impression is he giving to those who should know; those who are politically conscious and aware particularly those who participated in the administration of this country? The worst judgment of Obasanjo’s attitude is that he is an agent provocateur for an imperialist waste.

Those are strong words

Yes, they are strong words, but I have to say the truth. I am not saying that I am right, but people should examine what I am saying whether it is right or wrong. I said that is the worst judgment.

But do you believe Obasanjo’s message is correct?

Yes, he is correct. It is just like a mad man saying ah! Look at this man beating children and you saw children being beaten. It doesn’t matter whether it is a mad man who drew your attention, but the mad man next time can do the same thing or he may have done that already. That is Obasanjo. So, the worst judgment, which I want to deliver now and it is up to you or Obasanjo to take me on is that: is Obasanjo by virtue of the positions he held in the country and by virtue of the fact that he was responsible for correcting what went wrong during his time and he didn’t do it and he made things even worse what you can say is that this man is probably an agent provocateur for western imperialism and the purpose was to help imperialism bring about instability in Nigeria so that Nigeria cannot achieve what it ought to have achieved. Who can serve imperialism better than a person like that?

Let us look at the security situation in the country. Right now every Nigerian is concerned and I am sure you are too because…

(Cuts in) Yes, every Nigerian is concerned. The president now should be held responsible much more than his predecessors because in the first place he promised to do something about it. Secondly, he is expected to correct what is wrong and he has not done so. The thing is going on and he doesn’t do anything.

Some people will say you are wrong by saying the president is not doing anything?

When you see the situation not changing on daily basis what other judgment can you give? Is the life of any Nigerian safe today including himself because of the insecurity? I read about the confessions of a kidnapper, a young man of about 20 years. He was saying why he was involved in kidnapping. He said he was interested in making N100 million for himself and if he makes it through kidnapping he would abandon kidnapping. He went further to explain how he can get N100 million quickly. He said the day he kidnaps President Buhari he would get that money and get out of kidnapping. It was reported in the papers. How far can you go to see the insecurity in the country? This is a young boy of 20 years who was caught in the act saying that his ultimate objective is to get N100 million by kidnapping the president. He was arrested for being involved in kidnapping. Didn’t Buhari hear about this? If he didn’t hear it didn’t his security men inform him about this? This is what your grandson said.

Flowing from this issue of insecurity and the promise of a “next level”, what are your thoughts?

This “Next Level” thing is deception. Did you see the “Next Level” on the occasion of Democracy Day when the president combined the swearing in statement and Democracy Day? You would expect to hear the meaning of “Next Level”, did you hear anything like that?

But the president spoke all the same?

That speech was uninspiring, unconvincing, just understatement of the reality in every aspect. First of all, don’t rely on me, rely on what you yourself said, you the media. You yourself said even a mad man should be listened to. Let me see if I can remember what I was going to tell you…you know I am 83 years old so there are many things that can make me not to keep the trend of my thoughts. What did you ask me?

I asked you about the level of insecurity and the “Next Level”, whether you are sure there is any hope?

What I wanted to tell you is this: this Nigeria, even the most responsible, most politically  and socially conscious, most aware, most patriotic in terms of record of performance can’t avoid certain judgment based on regional, ethnic and religious factors. For instance, I am talking to you now, you can’t afford not being influenced by the state where you come from in Nigeria today by the ethnic, religious group or North/South division you come from. You can’t afford not being influenced by it. It is a reality. It is a state of the nation. But you can reduce the influence more than others. Now, take the Daily Trust. You can say if the Nigerian newspapers can be identified by the region where they circulate more Daily Trust will normally be identified with the North. Have you read some of the comments the newspaper has agreed upon? Have you read the comments of Daily Trust of last Sunday? Do you want me to let you know? Let me read what they said (getting up to get the newspaper)

You can just give a summary of what they said

No, no, no, no. I will not summarise it. But if you force me to summarise it…I want to educate you even more. The sum total of the comment of Daily Trust of last Sunday was that the North or the whole of Nigeria has no hope on Buhari and APC making any difference during the second term.

And you believed that?

Let me finish. They gave their reasons. But what I am telling you…

(Cuts in) But do you agree with their comment?

I do one hundred per cent because it coincides with what I kept. In fact, when I read it I told the journalists that came that I am suspending comments on June 12 and other issues until June 13 by which time I would have heard the weighty statement of the president on June 12, which combines with that of his swearing-in on the 29th May. After June 13th, I told the journalists that in the first place it was disappointing that a statement which will explain, give us hope and keep us properly informed about the state of the nation and the “Next Level”, we haven’t seen or heard it. Instead we got understatements, repetition and things like that. In fact, did you hear anything about the cabinet and key appointments in institutions? Did you hear anything about the negative state of the nation which we didn’t hear before? No. Did you hear anything that will inspire us or to hope that things will be better? No.

Some of you queued behind the president when the idea of celebrating June 12 was proposed?

Exactly.

But it is like the euphoria is dying. What is happening? Where did he get it wrong?

First of all, fundamentally, he got it wrong because he was unable to institute a commission of enquiry to find out those responsible for the annulment of the June 12 election, how did they do it? What are the consequences because Babangida who annulled the election had told us that there should have been a coup; that some powers in the military forced him to annul the election.  And remember this annulment is a treasonable felony. This man who wants to correct this act of treasonable felony has been unable to do it. Secondly, you the media and the rest of us are deceiving ourselves. In spite of all the talks of the president, did he come out categorically to say MKO Abiola won the election?

But he awarded him the title of GCFR, which is only given to presidents, even though posthumously?

No, we are talking about the law; what should be relied upon? I was imprisoned for six months by Babangida. Do you know why? He said I violated the transition programme in spite of the fact that the same Babangida gathered judgment as a result of the transition investigation and so on. That judgment said my detention was not justified because even the assets I owned there was nothing to investigate about. The judgment of Babangida and his government is that I was exempted from future ban on partisan politics on politicians. That was gazetted and that became a law. Yet, I was sentenced for six months because I violated the transition programme by participating in the formation of a political party other than the NRC and SDP. Why should that happen when he himself said I was exempted from future ban. When we went to court they said the president merely made a promise. What stops whatever Buhari now says being regarded later by the court as just a promise? Buhari ought to have told us that Abiola won the June 12 election and he ought to have gone further to cause an investigation into this. And material evidences are still there. Is Humphrey Nwosu still alive?

Yes he is. He has been speaking.

He said Abiola won the election. What I am saying is that what Buhari said about June 12 and Abiola are all not now relevant until Buhari comes out clearly to back it by law that Abiola actually won the June 12 election and Buhari can make this possible. Without doing this the mention of Abiola and June 12 by Buhari is just political. What he said he should back by the law. It is not enough to say Abiola won the June 12 election. He has to set up a commission of enquiry, which should be backed by law so that in future people can say Abiola really won. We are being deceived. Even you the media are taking part in this deception. The complex conspiracy against Abiola continues. In fact, all the actions of Buhari now can be reduced to a continuation of the conspiracy against Abiola.