By Sunday Ani

The National Coordinator, APC Supporters Network, an independent registered support group, canvassing votes for the ruling party in the coming 2023 general elections, Abdulhameed Momoh has said that a vote for the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu and his running mate, Kashim Shettima, is a vote for competency.

In this interview, Momoh, a quantity surveyor spoke on the APC’s sterling performances in the areas of security, economy and infrastructure development among others and called on Nigerians to rally round the APC candidates in 2023 elections.

Nigeria is divided along ethnic and religious lines, making it imperative for all political parties to choose their candidates along these considerations starting from the governorship to the presidential election. The APC appears to have taken a different route because its presidential and vice presidential candidates are both Muslims. Some people have said the election is already lost because of this singular move, do you agree with that submission?

Perhaps, you are right. Perhaps, you are wrong. It’s actually neither here nor there. Things are not usually the way they seem. I agree that religion and ethnicity are commodities we trade with in Nigeria as enshrined in the constitution and even in our cultures. I also agree that we should be sensitive to these sensibilities; I agree totally. However, I want you to be objective; between competence and these two issues, which one would you choose? Some may say competence while some would say the two can go together. Good, but you know if we all say religion and ethnicity first, that means merit is sacrificed because of our primordial sentiment. Don’t let us mix competence and religion together; they are totally different. That you are a Muslim or a Christian isn’t a certificate to heaven; it’s purely your deeds that would take you to heaven. Good and upright people may not necessarily be religious. And being religious and pious is not a yardstick to being nice. If you are religious, you are. If you are good and upright, you are.

Meanwhile, politics is a game of numbers. It’s about how many votes you can amass at a given time. If we have this at the back of our minds, maybe this controversy will be less. The late Chief Obafemi Awolowo in the 1979 presidential elections had a Christian-Christian ticket. Late Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola in 1993 had the same faith ticket. I am more concerned about developments based on performance. The APC presidential candidate, Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu is an extremely liberal minded person when it comes to religion. Remember that his wife, Senator Remi, is a Christian. Not only that, she is also a pastor. Those who are criticising the APC ticket, most of the time, are arm-chair critics. The real people, in the interior, irrespective of party affiliation, understand, and more importantly, are less bothered about which religion you belong to. Religion or tribe won’t bring developments, only performance will. It’s development that the people will vote for. So, it’s high time we tilted our minds towards competence and forget about primordial sentiments. Yes, it may take time before we come to this realization, but we will get there ultimately.

Do you see the factors making the opposition parties stronger especially in the areas where the APC is unpopular and not ruling?

Yes of course, but it behooves us to work very hard against that and convince people about the profile of our candidates that the ticket isn’t religious bigotry. Neither of them can be termed an extremist when it’s about religion. Tinubu is a Muslim, but majority of his cabinet members as Lagos Governor, were Christians, and indeed, from other tribes and states. Shettima on the other hand, is another person whose views on religion are known. It is in the public domain. You need to meet Shettima to know that he is not different from Tinubu when it comes to religion. Did you hear or read what the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Borno State Chapter said about Shettima? I think that statement suffices on Shettima.

Related News

The Osun Governorship Election appears to be an eye opener that the APC isn’t invisible after all. The party lost the election because of internal crisis. Going forward, what is the party doing to reconcile all interests ahead of the 2023 elections?

We are not unaware of this observation. Politics of course, is about interest, primarily. We know we caused the loss. We know there were factions and disaffection within the party. We are not blaming anybody but ourselves. Given what Governor Oyetola did, there was no way we would have lost the election, no way. We lost the election, not because of lack of performance but essentially because various interests worked at cross purposes. While this interest worked for the interest of the party, another worked against it. This, for me, is because we couldn’t bring all the interests together and iron out the differences successfully. But, we are working on it. Very soon, all this will be over.

The insecurity in the country has assumed a frightening dimension such that the nation’s seat of power is no longer safe. Do you think the APC government truly did enough to reduce the insecurity in the last seven years?

Well, the truth must be told, we have not done enough in the area of security. Insecurity was the main reason our party was voted into office. Our presidential candidate, then General Muhammadu Buhari, being a retired general, was seen by a lot of people, including the opposition, as somebody that would tackle the insecurity. I agree to that extent that we didn’t do well. That said, would you mind to also know the factors responsible for this low performance? Arms and ammunition necessary to fight and prosecute the war against insurgency are not sold off the shelf; it has to be ordered. The manufacturer works based on orders; order takes time before it is delivered. Also, remember that the United States of America, at a time even refused to sell to Nigeria this ammunition. There was an embargo on Nigeria about arms sales, remember? There was the COVID-19 induced recession, which also affected the world economy, including Nigeria. The activities of the insurgents have been reduced to the barest minimum, if we must be objective. The kidnapping issue, I think, is a product of the heat the insurgents are getting from our military. I think very soon, all this insecurity issue would be a thing of the past because I am aware of the enormous efforts the military is putting to ensure that, for instance, the Abuja-Kaduna is cleared for smooth passage. It is something that can be verified. How many people have complained about kidnapping on the Abuja-Kaduna road of recent? So, please let us rally round our military and all the security agencies to help us get rid of this menace in our society.

Buhari, until now, was seen as the messiah who will solve many of the country’s problems. Many Nigerians are regretting voting the APC and likely to vote against the party now; what’s your take?

That isn’t totally true. Yes, there would be pockets of disenchantment here and there, it is expected. Besides, the government isn’t claiming righteousness on some of the problems of the country. Government is a continuum. There is no single administration that can solve a societal problem in one election circle. Party A does its own and goes. Party B comes; tries its best, and leaves for another person and party to try theirs. It is not true that people are voting against the APC. Let me say this; whoever will vote for you, will vote for you, whether you are good or bad. Those that won’t vote for you, no matter how nice or religious you may be, will not vote for you. It’s our duty to bring those who may have different views from ours to our side and explain better why we need them on our side.

Do you think the APC has done enough to continue in office beyond 2023?

Frankly, there is no administration, since 1999, that has done more for this country, infrastructure wise, than the Buhari administration; this is verifiable. The Ministry of Works and Housing under Babatunde Fashola has done more roads than all the administrations since 1999 combined. Let us put sentiment aside. The power issue isn’t the same since 2015. No administration has helped the farmers the way the APC government has done. The anchor borrowers’ scheme is a good example. There might be one or two controversies surrounding it; that is expected in anything with public interest. The military is more equipped than before. Presently, our Air-force is rated the best in West Africa. As stated earlier, no administration in any government can start and finish all projects within its life circle, never. Given the circumstance in which the Buhari administration came in, and given the available resources, this government has done well.