Obinna Odogwu, Abakaliki
Former Deputy National Secretary of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Chief Jerry Obasi, has said that the recent removal of Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo and the constitution of a new economic team, Economic Advisory Council (EAC), which will be reporting directly to the President is not unconnected to the power play that will lead to the 2023 presidential election, which the Vice President was rumoured to be very interested in.
He said that some of the ordeals he is going through now may be part of the grand plot by the cabal at the presidency to ‘cut his tail’. In this interview with Daily Sun, Chief Obasi also aired his views on some other issues of national concern.
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo based on media reports is going through a lot of ordeals lately. Of all those ordeals, his removal by his principal, President Muhammadu Buhari, as the head of the economic team is seen by some people as an indirect passage of No Confidence Vote on him. The President went on to reconstitute another economic team that will be reporting directly to him. What’s your view on this?
Well, it is very clear that most of the things that have been achieved under the Buhari’s administration were achieved, courtesy of Osinbajo because Buhari is just a jackboot military apologist who became what he became by the dint of military involvements. For me, I feel that there is an implosion in the APC; there is a sense of confusion in the APC and all these could be as a result of the 2023 presidency which was rumoured very widely and very highly that Osinbajo is interested in; and that his godfather, Tinubu, is also interested. But the presidency at the instance of Buhari and the cabal also are not keenly interested in Tinubu and Osinbajo. So, may be they want to start cutting their tails as early as possible.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its presidential candidate in the 2019 general election, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, have proceeded to the Supreme Court to appeal the tribunal’s ruling in their case. What’s your view about that tribunal’s ruling?
Well, that judgement has been criticized by a very large spectrum of stakeholders outside of the fact that a handful of lawyers and a handful of some stakeholders who are of the All Progressives Congress (APC) are sweating to defend that judgment. We have to look at this entity called Nigeria if actually we are convinced and sincere about the mainstay of this place called Nigeria. But suffice to say you can create a scenario where you are going to put the country on the keg of gunpowder and eventually in the future, it could explode. You cannot be more catholic than Pope. You cannot also begin to invent things that were not deduced by a party in a matter. Almost all the things that were deduced by these judges at the court were not prayed by the APC. These things are clear. It is not all about me. I am saying this based on the 259 pages of judgement which they read before Nigerians and before the entire globe. So, we should be careful. You cannot continue to protect the fact that somebody did not bring his certificate and you want to, on the point of law, make it realistic; that it is the right thing to do. In Nigeria and everywhere in the world, you can only make an affidavit of means, based on what you are going to protect or defend; based on what is handy and obvious. You don’t make an affidavit of what is ghostly in nature; something you cannot find anywhere. You cannot also tell me that earlier before now, if Buhari knows that there is a tradition between Muhammadu and Mohammed, there should have been an affidavit to that effect; and certificate also to that effect whereby you will say, ‘I am giving this certificate but there is a little mistake based on this, hence the affidavit but none’. You now say that somebody now can become Nigeria’s president, governor, or win an office only just by mere affidavit without something to back it up. To me, that is the height of fraud. We can’t be said to be fighting corruption and we are on our own, sowing clothes and eating corruption. It is one issue but too many. But all the same, I am not a judge and I still believe in the judiciary and I also respect the judiciary. Because there are also landmark judgments that have been made by the judiciary here and there. But all I am saying is that we must not throw away the baby and the bathwater. We should be very careful because Nigeria is a project that must be protected. Look at the way Nigeria is going. Do we continue to deepen this confusion or to deepen this insecurity? If you integrate and impede the judiciary and bring the judiciary to nothing; where tomorrow, decisions of the judiciary are no more an issue; even when there have been judicial pronouncements, they have not been respected. But you cannot come as judiciary also to help in destroying yourself. To me, it is a self-inflict and I advise that there should be restraint. But all the same, I don’t want to make averment because, like I said earlier, I am not a judge. But Atiku and his team are headed to the Supreme Court. Like you may know, in the 2019 election, I supported Atiku completely with my structure in APGA as the leader of the authentic APGA. Outside of interest, this project called Nigeria must not be destroyed because of one man. One cannot be said to be a more serious issue than the project, Nigeria. That’s my view on that.
Many people were surprised at the victory of the candidate of the APC for Ezza South/Ikwo Federal Constituency, Chinedu Ogah, at the court. Many people felt that since the PDP is in total control of Ebonyi State, they may win at the tribunal. Were you also surprised?
First and foremost, I have to once again applaud the judiciary for making itself a bastion of our democracy and also for making itself the last hope of the common man; for making itself a body that must not be mutilated by interests or by inducements because I know that for inducements, the issue of that pronouncement at that National Assembly tribunal then would have been wished away. But you see, the tribunal looked deep in the evidences before them and from what the witnesses at the court averred, it was very clear that Chinedu Ogah won that election. And at the level of APGA, we congratulate him. So sad, as a political party, we fielded no candidate in the last election. For the persons who sought our friendship, we supported them here and there. What I am saying is this; that decision of the National Assembly tribunal in Ebonyi was a landmark judgement. It was a decision hailed by many. Even persons and personalities within the government in Ebonyi State hailed that decision. We live in the streets and we hear what the people say.
What has been the journey so far in APGA? A court in Delta State sacked Chief Victor Oye as the National Chairman of your party. From the information available to us, he is still being referred to as the National Chairman. Did he appeal that judgement?
It is unfortunate. At times, the media help in misleading the public. The media also help in creating certain confusion. I am happy also that some sections of the media have remained consistent and resolute in carrying out what is factual just as you are doing. First and foremost, an FCT High Court in Bwari gave a very explicit order and said ‘Don’t go ahead with national convention’ but in flagrant abuse of the courts, they went ahead with that National Convention in Awka as bad as it was. The court in Delta said ‘Don’t go ahead with that convention’; they also disrespected the courts and went ahead with that national convention. There are packs of orders here and there but they were disrespected by Oye only on the belief that he was being supported by Governor Obiano. But nobody becomes law upon himself. And again, the same court in Delta has also again nullified that convention but they still went ahead. But it’s very clear that the candidates fielded by Oye at the Kogi and Bayelsa guber elections, before the law are null and void. And before anybody who is a respecter of the law, it is null and void. To me, it is null and void and just a wild goose chase on them. But you see, APGA as a party, in the face of all this, is at a crossroads. But we are waiting for them to table a discussion from where there will be a viral, valid national convention that will be accepted by all including the law courts. That is where we are now and in that election, you know, we are seriously in that election to occupy that seat as National Chairman based on popular outcry of the teaming members of APGA who are saying that we should come and lead.
Based on what you just said, can one then say that APGA has no leader as it stands?
It is more porous than you may think. APGA is in dilemma. APGA is at a crossroads. It is in a state of confusion and anarchy. APGA is in a state of crass lawlessness and intervention is urgently needed to bring the party to its bearing because what we have today is just a gory image of what the founding fathers of APGA including my humble self actually founded APGA for.
How do you want the journey to reconciliation and repositioning of APGA to start from here?
First and foremost, the decisions of the court must be respected. Secondly, Oye took some wrong steps in the name of National Chairman and in the name of election. Those steps should be retraced and the right things should be done. Even though the court has sacked him, Oye should on his own respect those court decisions and honourably step aside. Then Obiano, as a leader of the party, should play the role of a leader and not to play the role of an interested party.