By Desmond Mgbo
Aminu Ibrahim Ringim is one- time Commissioner for Agriculture in Jigawa State, and a former Chief of Staff to Governor Sule Lamido and Governor Ibrahim Saminu Turaki. In this interview, he offered insights into his decision to defect from the PDP to the NNPP while assuring that the new party will assume power in Jigawa State Government House in 2023.
For so long, you were a prominent face in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Jigawa State. You were their two – time governorship flag bearer and you had it all going for you in the party until recently. What exactly happened? Why did you choose to leave your party for NNPP?
Wherever you are in life, I think the most important thing is that you look for justice and fair play. You look out for justice and if there is no justice, then there is no way you can remain or endure in such a political setting. For me, there was no justice in the PDP in Jigawa State, not even the semblance of it. I was never in the APC. But those who also emerged or defected from the APC to other parties restate the fact that there is also no justice there. Everybody in Jigawa can tell you what transpired in the PDP in the state, how the party was run and how it was taken away from the people. How it was given wholly to the former governor and how they are running the party up till today. So these are the issues that made me leave the PDP in the state for a new party where I think that those unfavorable factors, those unacceptable political disposition in the PDP are absent.
You defected to the new party, NNPP…….
I did not just move or defect as you said. If you have to rightly describe my action, you will note that I was one of the founding fathers of the NNPP in Nigeria. How? I was there from the beginning. The first time, we started by putting up what we called “ Friends of Kwankwaso”. Thereafter, we were meeting for some times – meeting long before we went public. We met severally, hiding somewhere in Maitama in Abuja and after some five months or so, we decided to put up what we called The National Movement (TNM). After the TNM , discussions were held at various levels and we got into what we call the NNPP today. I was one of the founding fathers and we started it together and gave birth to it together.
Looking at the time between now and the forthcoming 2023 elections, are you guys not constrained by time? I mean is there enough time for you to mobilize, campaign and get the deserving voting population to make impact in the state with your new party?
This kind of situation plays out in roughly all facets of human endeavour. Time is never enough. Look at somebody who earns N1,000 and somebody who earns N30,000; they go to the same market. I think that we would go to the same market with the rest of the parties; we would go to the same market with the PDP and we would go to the same market with the All Progressives Congress (APC).The PDP has been in existence for the last 24 years and I can tell you that all of us put in all that we have into the PDP, making it a very successful brand in the state. But the pervading injustice, yes that injustice has taken away everything that we have put in, in the PDP and has given it to someone else, given it to someone who has not been patriotic, to someone who has not been faithful to the party, to someone who has his two legs in two different parties, one in the PDP and the other in APC. Yes, that injustice that runs in the blood of Jigawa PDP has taken away everything that we have committed for the progress of the party. We have now moved to a different party in a bid to escape from that injustice that would always come out and say that the PDP in the state belongs to him and his family alone. Well, you can see that we have been able to put up the structure of the NNPP in Jigawa State in only two months, starting from the ward level, local government level up to the state level and the national level. We did that in only two months and we have moved over to the stage of mobilization and campaigns. It has been interesting. Honestly, if you go to Jigawa State and see how our new party has transformed to an institution of great political reputation, you will be amazed. By the grace of God, we would be ready to take on any other political party in the state when we get to the elections…..we can upstage any other political party in Jigawa State on election day.
Do you think you can upstage the APC in the state, given the incumbency factor, the Buhari factor and Badaru’s record of achievements?
I think you are the best person to answer the question. You are the journalist and you are the one that is taking records of political developments. I really do not want to talk about names and personalities. Go and ask the APC and PDP in Jigawa State what the NNPP is all about? Go and ask the man on the street about his present political preference, ask everybody: What is NNPP in the state? Who is Aminu Ringim and what are the things that he and his friends are doing in Jigawa State? It is not about me alone. No! It is not me alone. It is about this formidable political team that has their eyes on results and on the 2023 elections.
Like who are those in this team that you are talking proudly about?
So many of us, really so many of us, ranging from so many Senators, House of Representatives members, many members of the state assembly, former Commissioners and former Special Advisers, former party Chairman from the ANPP, from the PDP and so we are making all the relevant efforts and I am optimistic that we would make it in the state by the end of the day.
When you were reeling out the ranks of “former this and former that”, I got this impression that all of you were mostly a crowd of aggrieved politicians from different parties. Am I wrong?
You may need to answer me too. How was the APC formed in 2014? How was it formed? Were there not aggrieved politicians from different parties? Anyway, whether they were aggrieved or not is not the issue at stake, the important thing is that they came together and are bonded together to take away the power from the incumbent and so for us, the background of being a “former this or that” is not a disadvantage. It is even an advantage to us. We are going to take away power come 2023. You are free to call us by whatever title or prefix that would please you, but all we are saying is that we are indigenes of Jigawa State and we have the people of the state by our side. Many of us have been in politics since the late 70s and have been in government for so long. We have been running the activities of government with several governments in the state and we are now in NNPP and we are going to take over by God’s grace.
In brief, what is unique about NNPP in Jigawa State? What new things are you bringing to the table that would be different from the governments of Saminu Turaki, Lamido and Badaru if elected to power?
If you say that you are looking for something different, certainly something different is coming. But my only concern is that you are talking to someone who has worked with these governors. I have worked with Saminu Turaki, I have worked with Sule Lamido and I worked with Badaru when we were in the ANPP. I know him, I know all of them, I know what they can do and I know their tactics. So I know all of them and I know where their weaknesses are and I can assure you that when we come to power, we would improve on their individual weaknesses and turn it to our strength for the benefit of our people.
With all due respect to former Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, his critics complain that he is unjust to them, that he is not a man of justice and does not have a level playing style; that he is domineering. How are you, his associates coping, with him in this regard?
I think this is an example of a one- sided story and I will rather warn you to beware of one-sided narratives. Kwankwaso is not that type of person. Kwankwaso is a very good person, he has been a very nice person; he has been improving the lives of everywhere he goes. Look at how the lives of the people in Kano State were improved during his tenure in government. Look at how the youth of the state were when he took over and look at how he left them in far better condition. If somebody holds a personal view that he did not get justice under Kwankwaso, honestly, that is his own view and opinion. But my own view is that Kwankwaso is okay and I will go with him and I think that we are going to make it.
If we look at the administration in Jigawa State, how would you rate the performance of the governor of the state, Abubakar Badaru?
To be honest with you, I don’t want to personalise the assessment. So, I will be more comfortable rating the performance of APC as a government, than rating an individual. When I say Badaru, it means that I am personalising the government. But let me ask you, are you happy with the way things are going in the country? Are you, yourself, happy with the administration of APC in Nigeria? Ask yourself. Ask any common man in Nigeria. Is he happy? Ask him if he is happy? Look at the standard of living of Nigerians and you will cry for your country. Look at how difficult things are, look at how the economy was ruined. Look at how our infrastructure was ruined and look at how insecurity has messed us up, look at the relationship between government and the people, look at the relationship between structures of the government. Let me tell you, the standard of APC government, either in Nigeria as a whole or in Jigawa State is not something to celebrate. So, I am assuring you that we are going to bring in something positive in Jigawa State and they know me and they know I can. Even those in power know that I can make it.
Are you suggesting that they are panicking over the emergence of the NNPP as a political party?
I don’t want to say that they are panicking but they all know that NNPP is there to rule and to take over power and we are there to work for the people and I assure you that we would work very hard for the people of the state and for Nigerians.