From Gyang Bere
Former Nigeria’s Ambassador to Switzerland, Yahaya Kwande, is a key political player in Northern Nigeria. He has been around in politics since the era of the late Sir Ahmadu Bello, the Sardauna of Sokoto.
In this interview with Sunday Sun, he advised Nigerians to beg former Vice President and presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, to come and lead the country out of the woods the current leadership has plunged it into. Excerpts:
You have been silent over the unfolding political happenings in the country, how will you describe the political tempo ahead of the February 16 presidential election?
This is the time for me to talk to you and I want you to put it properly for me because I don’t like the idea of you going to put a sentence that will misquote me. I have been in it politically, even at age 16, I was already into politics and today, I am approaching 90 years. I was in the Nigerian Peoples Congress (NPC), but after that I went into proper civil service, after which I started proper politicking with Shehu Yar’Adua, that was the time that I became a full fledged politician. Then after Shehu Shagari appointed me Nigeria’s Ambassador to Switzerland; I moved to SDP and other political parties. The reason I am telling you this is that to me, there is nothing like APC and PDP, even the others you will find out that they are the same people, the same philosophy. The only thing is that the leadeship has been faulty, I am a die-hard supporter of two or three people. First, I was a young politician with Sardauna, but with Shagari, I was participating and then when we got into PDP, I really participated. We left it, and went into another organisation and later came back to the organisation. My experience is such that I have always been losing people and meeting them again at a later stage. To me, Nigerian politics still have no synergy, we have not actually got it right yet and because of that, we have been losing two things. Number one; Nigerian politics has no ideology, nor do we have leadeship and because of that, we have been having problems. People have to study the situation, otherwise you will fight a friend today, only to meet him three days at a place you are going because he is also going there, then you will find it so difficult. People are just following personalities of the same ideology, divided into two or three or six camps; as we now have in Nigera 90 political parties. Look at the people who are the actors and you will see who is your man, like a woman will choose a handsome boyfriend and it is definitely very unfortunate because we should by now reach a political arena and state at which the objective is to help Nigeria, I don’t see the people of Nigeria trying to help Nigeria, we seem to got it all wrong and I hope the new ones that are entering into politics will help Nigeria.
Your close associate, Atiku Abubakar, the Waziri of Adamawa, is contesting for the presidency with President Muhammadu Buhari,what do you think of him, can he spring a surprise?
I don’t think you will even get much out of me, if you are going to centre my opinion on an individual because that means you have already answered yourself, you said your friend. What do you think and what do you expect me to talk of my friend, negative or positive?
As somebody you…?
I know them all. You think I don’t know them, I Know all of them.
You said Nigerian politics lacks ideology, are you satified with the current leadership in Nigeria today coupled with manner the country has been run in the last three and half years?
Well, we will only repeat what we have been saying years after years, I have told you that we are the same politicians, no ideology. In the First Republic, you could distinctly say the Northern People Congress (NPC) was leading towards conservativism and the UPN or the NCNC were leading towards Progressivism, you could see it because they talked about it, but given the elements of the Second Republic, you could see the division between the NPN and the NPP with UPN, you could see the ideology in them, you either belonged to this or you belonged to that, but after these two, could you now tell me there is a difference, except, of course, in the ability of leadeship, the difference between Atiku and Buhari, the men in the two political parties? Then I will ask you to educate me, take away the ability to lead, take away the ability to identify actors in your roles. For example, if you appoint a Minister of Health, I don’t think you expect the Minister of Health to begin to use injection on you, no, but his responsibility will be to be able to identify who will inject well, the credit will go to him that is why you have this difference in leadeship and some people will be so careless and all they know is that they are the rulers with sirens all over the place. I am trying to tell you that the problem of Nigeria is leadeship, leadeship in the sense of capability and capacity to handle the problem of Nigeria.
There seems to be new innovation in Nigerian politics now; somebody is offering himself to be the President of Nigeria, but he is saying that he will not go out to campaign, that he will be in the office trying to solve Nigeria’s problems while appointing his associates to go and campaign for him, is that right?
Well, I have said it. I said our problem is leadership, the capacity to rule, it is up to you as a voter to now differentiate from somebody who go to ask for your vote and somebody who is confident that you will be the one to come and ask him whether he will like you to vote for him because he is so superior, that is the difference. Even those who also go to ask for your vote, what are they saying? I wish you were the one answering the questions, I would have asked what have you heard of recent that is different from what you heard in 2015? Supply water, electricity, your health, transportation? How many times have you heard this that somebody will come today and boast for it. Have you heard something different, what is difference of what the politicians told the people of Nigeria in 2015 and what they are saying now?
You talked about leadeship failure, what do you think can be done to solve the problem, change the leadership in power now?
This is why you are now bringing me out, there is now a moment for you to sit down in the house and analyse those who are asking for votes,wanting to rule. Take for example, the two gentlemen, Atiku and Bubari. Buhari contested and failed several times, he now got it. Atiku is contesting and has contested several times, I will ask why are they contesting, why are they so dogmatic in wanting to be president? Now, we have seen the side of Buhari, he has now got it. As a close friend to Atiku and a political associate, I have always thought knowing him, knowing his comfort in life, I asked what is this man wanting in that stage, but I gave myself an answer at a later stage, particularly now that Nigerians should know those who are willing to help. Look at their antecedent and look at the position at which they are and you are still fighting to get to position of service. In the developed world, you will like to know what this man is trying to offer, examine him then there is a possibility that you will get an answer. Because if somebody is so desperate of power, desperate for service, what is he desperate of? This is the only thing that will differentiate those who are now fighting for this position.
You said you are in a political dilemma, can you tell us why you are in dilemma?
I have solved that problem myself. I have been with my friend and political associate, the Waziri Adamawa for a long time, I believe in him and I believe in his ability and leadership to such an extent of my political affiliation. I have always gone with him automatically. We started it together and up till today I believe in him, we moved from party to party. We were in PDP together, I don’t think he usually asked me to come let’s go, no. He moved to APC from PDP because I believed in his ability and capacity, I don’t have to announced it, I just followed him. Then he moved back to PDP I just followed him back, but I was a bit worried, so I had to ask why are we moving? Then a reason was given to me which I believe it. They say Yahaya, we are in APC…and I came here, people know how I struggled, they say APC was Hausa, APC was Fulani, APC was for Muslims, but because I moved with Atiku to APC, I was getting worried. How long are we going to be moving, then I courageously asked why and I was told that I was elected here as a member of Board of Trustees, Atiku was also a member of Board of Trustees, go and look at our constitution of APC, the leadeship of APC at the board of trustees was to be former President of Nigeria that is a member of the APC or former Vice President of Nigeria that is in the APC, but then, there wasn’t a former president, so automatically the former vice president was Atiku and he was to be the chairman of the Board of Trustees.
As I am telling you today, three and half years, he has not been inaugurated just because they did not like him to be the chairman of that humble organisation, up till today, he has not been inaugurated, the man said if I cannot be trusted with a committee, am I going to be trusted with Nigeria? So, he said why do you stay where you are not liked? They created a name which was not in the Constitution, up till now it is not in the Constitution, National Leader which they gave to Tinubu, leader of what? Leader of the Board of Trustees, or leader of what? And up till now it is being sang in the ears of everybody in Nigeria, that Tinubu is the leader, but this automatic appointment which was in the Constitution was not played, that was why he worked out into the PDP, and I remained behind.
I am telling you about my dilemma because I know how our home leaderships were helped to be where they are, I thought they were thinking to also follow as I have followed. That was why I was in dilemma, at that time I was the chairman of my tribe’s association and I love my tribe very well, I love my culture and tradition, but I didn’t want to lose the leadership that we have with Lalong, so looking at Lalong, looking at my situation, looking at my long time association with my friend, I was in dilemma, but I have solved it.
How?
I have now decided to retire from partisan politics, I have made it known. But because I have retired from partisan politics, it does not stop me from as an elder stateman, I have been in it all for years, to express my views. If I am expressing my views, I will do it honestly from the bottom of my heart for whoever asked for it.
There are speculations that you were at the National Secretariat of APC recently to relinquish your position as the BoT member of the party, how true is that?
Well, you can ask them whether that is true. I have not been to Abuja.
We learnt that you have dropped your membership of the APC, that you have written to the party?
Where? Well, I am now telling you that, I thought you are now to tell the people that I am not, that is why you are here.
Are you saying that you have renounced your membership of APC or PDP and you are playing the role of a stateman?
I said I am now retiring from partisan politics.
What can Atiku make out of the last presidential primaries of PDP where so many top politicians contested and are now supporting his presidential aspiration?
Believe me, it is the best thing I have seen of recent, believe me when they were in to cast their votes nobody would have told you who was going to win because they were all very serious, but thank God Nigerian voters are now independent of their godfathers because that was what happened there. People assess the situation, assess that political party and assess the opposition and who was to lead them to success. I think that was what happened that Atiku emerged. By the pattern of voting you will know that everyone of them went in with the hope of winning.
There are these current narratives that APC is a party for the poor, is a party for the masses while PDP is a party for the rich and the elite, from your experience while in PDP and APC, do you think these narratives are true?]
I will answer you only when you give me five names of rich men from APC, then I will give younfive names from PDP; if you give me that of PDP, I will give you that of APC, who is who in Nigeria that is so rich that is beyond a government.
Atiku is coming to Jos soon, how are Plateau people planning to welcome him?
I thought I told you I am now retired from partisan politics, I am not in the know. I don’t know whether people will come or people will not come, but on that day we will count them. And when you count that what will you be comparing the number with, to know it was successful? The gathering of Nigerians, do you think that those that gathered in Kano for a visiting politician and given after two days, other people gathered and you think you can take an eye and count those that gathered in between them and know that these are people that gather yesterday and these are the people that came today, will you be able to identify and know who succeeded?
How is your son, Governor Simon Lalong taken your retirement from partisan politics on the Plateau?
He is a relative, we are very friendly, but he is young. You can compare by depth of political knowledge with his, he may be very educated, a lawyer, but believe me sincerely, he is doing his things. I told him that day I went to receive Atiku Abubakar, he shouldn’t have been angry with me. If what I told you is right and you can inquire from them, the person I went to meet I brought with political friendship, so it is not for him or even his chairman, Latep Dabang to be angry because of that visitor. I thought they were friends, Atiku loves him, I am telling you because when Atiku was ill and was in hospital in Germany, the first person that visited him was Lalong, not only him alone, but with the executives of his party and his government to show friendship, to show love, but to me, though they are in different camps, it should not bring enemity among them. I was so free, knowing that I was on the soft ground that was why I was courageous enough to go and bring Atiku and sat by his side and still courageously say in front of Atiku that I was APC. Some of you that were there heard me, but as it is now, the problem is going to be what happened if I were Lalong, I will play it friendly because you don’t know who will emerge as president of this country. You may have Atiku to be the president of this country and him being the governor of Plateau State, is he going to start a new friendship? As an elder person and in Islamic religion, it is said don’t be too hard on somebody, don’t hate somebody badly. So, play it middle so that you will be able to approach the person that was your enemy. That is what I thought Lalong should do.
Governor Lalong said there is no other presidential candidate that is accepted in Plateau than Buhari, that the president is going to win Plateau, what is your view on his statement?
If you were him what will you say? He should say he will be defeated? You will say that the president that will come is a better person and that Plateau is for him? Wait and hear what the PDP presidential candidate will also come and say so that people can compare with what Lalong has said.
The retired Generals in Nigeria appear to be in the forefront of political activities in Nigeria and the deciding factor; in 2015, Obasanjo, IBB, TY Danjuma and others abandoned former President Goodluck Jonathan and he lost election, this same Generals have now turned against their own President Buhari, are we now expecting the same electoral outcome like that of 2015 for Buhari to lose the election?
I understand you, if you look at the situation in Nigeria you will find that we are still under military influence, even our constitution because examine it carefully, the military is not only participating in our politics, but participating in our traditional titles, look at them.
The Sultan of Sokoto, an ex-service man, Gwandu is an ex-service man, look at it, business-wise. If you talk about the richest people today, if you count one you will get ex-military man, we have not finished with them yet and that is why they are still playing influence on our politics in Nigeria. Unfortunately, it is politics of money. I was in a place where I was asked, you have supported your friend Atiku all the time, what does he want? I said we have reached a stage, the man I know, the Atiku I know, that people should have been coming to beg him to come and lead this country. I am close to him and I know his vision, he has been talking about Dubai. Look at Dubai, it was just one single human being that turned it within 20 years into the centre of activities in the world and Atiku Abubakar has that ability. So, if he has that ability and people are supporting him all over. People should come and beg Atiku to lead this nation because ‘you have been in for eight years as vice president, you have don’t this, we know you are not coming for this and that.’ This is what he is passing on now in the campaigns, I hope people will accept it for better.