Friday, March 29, 2024

Nigerians‘ll decide who succeeds Buhari – Ucheaga – The Sun Nigeria

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By Dickson Okafor

The Secretary, Police Equipment Foundation (PEF) and chieftain of the defunct National Centre Party of Nigeria (NCPN), Mr Johnny Ucheaga, has said that Nigerians would not allow incompetent person to succeed President Muhammadu Buhari in 2023.

According to him, they would only decide to vote for a competent candidate irrespective of his political party affiliation as the next president.   

The legal practitioner and political strategist predicted that the result of the 2023 presidential election would astonish many and would restore the confidence of Nigerians in the nation’s democracy.

 

Criticism has continued to trail the Muslim-Muslim ticket of the APC hence there is fear that Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu/Senator Kashim Shettima if elected will further create religious crisis in the country, what is your view? 

It will be hypocritical for me to criticize Muslim-Muslim ticket. When we voted for the late Chief M.K.O. Abiola and Alhaji Babagana Kingibe in the presidential election in 1993, we didn’t care if it was a Muslim-Muslim ticket. Some of the people criticizing Muslim-Muslim ticket today did not criticize it then. But today, they have option not to vote for Muslim-Muslim ticket. They can vote for Christian-Muslim ticket. Don’t forget that everybody has his strong and weak points. But in case of Tinubu he is not a religious fanatic because his wife, Senator Oluremi Tinubu is a pastor in the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG). Tinubu is strong enough to convert his wife to become a Muslim, but he never did so. She knew he was a Muslim, but married him. It is remarkable that Tinubu left her in her religion. To me, everybody has his own verdict and I know Tinubu very well. He is not a religious bigot hence I don’t have problem about him. In politics, some people choose running mates because he has a choice to choose someone who can help him win election in certain constituencies. He can choose a Christian from a minority population or a Muslim from a majority population. Therefore, Tinubu wants to garner votes and his handlers encouraged him to choose a fellow Muslim as running mate. That does not mean he is going to Islamise Nigeria if elected president. As I speak, Tinubu is doing everything to assure Christians that he does not mean bad. 

Recently, top PDP members in Anambra State accused the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, of not consulting them before he left the party.  Isn’t that a sign that Peter Obi is not the collective choice of Ndigbo? 

We faced similar opposition against former President Olusegun Obasanjo in 1999 during his first term contest when the Southwest said they were not properly consulted by leaders of PDP before they settled for Obasanjo as the presidential candidate of the party. And they decided to vote for Chief Olu Falae of Alliance for Democracy (AD). In the case of Peter Obi, I believe his handlers are still making consultation with some Southeast leaders and politicians in the five geo-political zones in the country. I understand that there is certain team that is mandated to reach out to other people and groups across Nigeria. There is one Omoba, my very good friend, Dr Doyin Okupe, he is in that team. He knows what I’m talking about. I was an instrument to his conversion with Obasanjo administration on advice that earned him appointment in the government. So, he knows what I’m talking about because he has experienced it. Okupe was the Publicity Secretary of the defunct National Party of Nigeria (NPN). He is a medical doctor, but he is more of a medical politician because he eats and breathes politics. Therefore, he knows what to do as a chieftain of Labour Party. The main problem I have with that team is when I look at those who constitute the team, I don’t see who has fought and won elections among them. On the insinuation that youths seem to prefer Peter to Atiku and Tinubu because he is younger did not give him political advantages over these his seniors and may not make him win next year presidential election. But as it stands now Nigerians, not only the youths, won’t allow incompetent person to succeed President Buhari in 2023. 

It has been alleged that LP unlike other political parties hasn’t national spread,  what are Peter Obi’s chances of defeating these other popular candidates?

All he needs is strong and tested-caliber of people to work with because he is not vying for ambassador to Vatican, but he is vying to rule a huge circular country, Nigeria. So, he should look for people who have been in the game whether they judge them right or wrong. There are times when those who don’t see anything good in you come up with good advice because no matter how bad a bush is there are people who go in there and come out alive. For equity and justice, Igbo deserve to produce the next president of Nigeria and that is why youths are behind him. I was there when Labour Party was formed, when I was carrying my papers to form National Centre Party of Nigeria (NCPN). Then Dan Nwanyanwu was carrying papers to register Labour Party and we know who paid for the registration. Today, Dan Nwanyanwu’s Labour Party is now two political parties called Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) and Labour Party. Those are low hanging fruits if you ask me. Why can’t LP merge again with ZLP? The government that is in Anambra State, the home state of Peter Obi is the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) and APGA has a presidential candidate. Why can’t LP merge with APGA? That is why if you leave a river and you don’t close the area that is leaking it becomes a stream. Peter Obi had been in a minority party in Anambra State before. When he talked about how many times he was impeached as governor that was because he was not controlling the state House of Assembly. When he joined LP I did not see it as anything special, but within three months he has grown to his credit and most Nigerians see him as an alternative. In fact, people who I respect have bought into his candidacy and I’m happy for him. But he should not be aloof. 

Looking at the platforms through which these candidates emerged, it is clear that Nigeria is back to politics of tribe, religion and ethnicity with Bola Tinubu from Southwest, Atiku Abubakar from the North and Peter Obi from Southeast as presidential candidates of the three main political parties?

You are limiting the contest to these three persons. Are they the only persons in the race? We have other candidates who have sprung up and are in the 2023 presidential race. However, like I told you, Peter Obi was not a candidate of my analysis three months ago, but now he is a serious contender for the presidency.  Apart from Obi, the other main candidates have governors, Senators, House of Representatives and state House of Assembly members even chairmen of local government areas and councilors in their political parties. Each of the candidates is running on their reputations and not on tribe, religion and ethnicity. What I know is that only the presidential candidate that is credible and competent irrespective of political party will succeed President Muhammadu Buhari in 2023. Nigerians are no more interested in the geo-political zones or tribe the candidates are from, but what they are concerned about is the antecedents of the candidates. Those are very strong issues that will determine who will emerge next president of Nigeria. In the present political structure there is no hanging boot, not in admirers or people who will not vote on day of elections. 

Do you see any of the candidates as being capable of taming insecurity if elected president in 2023?   

I heard the Vice Presidential candidate of APC, Sen. Kashim Shettima said that his candidate would stem insecurity issue within six months if elected. Insecurity or terrorism is not a problem of West Africa, it is a problem that has been imported from the Middle East. The fight between the Shiite Muslims and the other Islamic groups is the cause of insecurity not only in Nigeria, but in West Africa. They still consider or regard Niger, Chad, Nigeria, Mali, Burkina Faso, Northern Ghana, and Northern Cameroon as their places. They don’t regard them as countries hence they believe these are their people and their areas of influence. The fight that is in Syria, in Afghanistan, in Iran and in Libya is the same thing. As people who share in the same historical patrimony, some of our territories fell into territories where terrorists used to hold sway before the coming of the Europeans and that are what we are seeing today. So, the present and past governments made promises how they would bring down the moon and for everybody to come and see, but in all it is mere talk and talk is cheap. I’m hopeful that the person the electorate will vote for will silence insecurity.

What impact will the naira redesign have on the nation’s economy?    

If we go into history you will know that the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, implements government policies because he is not elected, but appointed. This is not the first time Naira has been redesigned under Buhari administration. The naira was redesigned when President Buhari was military Head of State in 1984. So, if he decides to redesign the naira for the second time while in Government House, it shouldn’t be a surprise to me. It may not be the decision of Emefiele alone to redesign the naira because President Buhari told Nigerians that he was aware of it. On its impact on Nigeria’s economy, a lot of our money that are supposed to be in circulation is not in circulation because they are hidden by some prominent Nigerians. And I understand that since three weeks the news of the naira redesign was announced by the CBN governor, over N636 billion has been deposited in the banks across the country. And you are asking me what you know. As I speak, the rate of dollar and other foreign currencies have started to drop as naira has started gaining value internationally. Why won’t they drop? We are being taken seriously globally now because of this single act.  However, our economy will improve if people see that we are doing what we need to do. Also, there is a hint from somewhere, true or not that America will ban deposit of dollar that is beyond certain years in their banks. So, why would you hold the dollar for a very long time as they are holding naira?

Do you have confidence in INEC conducting free, fair and credible general elections in 2023 just as they did in Anambra, Ekiti, Osun states governorship election? 

I don’t have the gift of prophecy, but I know that everybody knows the importance of the forthcoming general elections. I am a legal practitioner for 37 years standing at the bar and political strategist. I have the good fortune of working early in life with a partner and a good friend, Dr Kenny Martins through him I got introduced to who-is-who in the country including one of the fathers of the nation, former President Olusegun Obasanjo who accepted me as a member of his household and accepted me in the front role view of evolution of Nigeria’s leadership both in democracy and mentorship. A palm wine tapper does not say all he saw while on top of a palm tree otherwise people will begin to avoid him. However, to answer your question, we are developing democratically. Unlike in some Africa countries where their leaders are unable to handover, but Nigeria has shown since 1999 that it is possible to hand over power from one democratically elected government to another. Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe, the former president of Nigeria said: “Show the light so that others will follow”. Former President Olusegun Obasanjo had shown the light against all temptations for him not to handover. I can tell you that he faced pressure from within and outside the country not to handover, but he resisted the pressure and handed over to the late Umaru Musa Yar’Adua in 2007 and former President Goodluck Jonathan also handover to President Buhari. So, nobody has a reason not to go if his tenure expires and it is expected that President Buhari will also handover next year. And nobody will want a transition government. Certainly, the Chairman of INEC, Prof Mahmood Yakubu will indeed replicate what they did in Anambra, Ekiti and Osun states in next year general elections. 

With the agitation by IPOB for the release of Nnamdi Kanu who has been discharged by the court, but still being held, why is he still detained?

I am a lawyer of 37 years and cannot by the tenet of my profession comment on a case that is still in the court.

Two of your kinsmen, Uche Oga, the former Minister of State for Mines and governorship candidate of  APC and Dr Gregory Ibe, the founder of Gregory University and governorship candidate of APGA are in the Abia State governorship race, invariably the votes of Abia North will be split between both?

They are not just my kinsmen, they are my brothers. Prof Gregory Ibe’s mother is my elder sister and Dr Uche Oga’s late father was my uncle. I’m not only in the thick of it, it’s a double horny. I do not see it as a division among them because they are illustrious sons of Uturu and Abia North. I don’t see anything that will prevent any of them from emerging as the next governor of Abia State. They have performed wonderfully well in leadership in Abia and in Nigeria. I pray day and night for them. You cannot light a candle and put it under the table so said God Almighty in the Bible. So, if you light two candles why will you want to extinguished one?  The people have a choice between my two brothers. For the same reason the Southeast says it should be their turn to produce the next president of Nigeria, so is the people of Abia North Senatorial zone are saying it is our turn to produce the next governor of Abia State. There are moral issues there because the people have resolved to follow Abia Charter of Equity. The Chairman of Board of Trustees of PDP who is my brother, Sen. Adolph Wabara has said that it is the turn of Abia North to produce the governor. In fact, that was one of the reasons for his departure from our governor for which he was removed as Chairman of the Board of Abia State University. So, as it stands now those who are authentically in the race are those from Abia North. Those contending with them are usurpers.

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