Olisa Metuh, National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in a chat with OBIORA IFOH talks about the chances of his party at the forthcoming March 28 poll, his opinion of the All Progressives Congress, APC, unrealistic campaign promises among others. Excerpts:
Having gone around the country campaigning for
President Goodluck Jonathan, ahead of the March 28 presidential poll, how would you rate the chance of your candidate?
Having gone round, we are proud and happy with the fact that Nigerians are happy that the President has done well. The President is running on a track record of impressive performance, amidst the security challenges, the distractions it springs up and the huge cost incurred in waging a war against insurgency. He has made meaningful impact on all sectors of the Nigerian economy. He also engineered the improvement and stabilisation of the economy, leading to transformation. He has also created jobs for the young people in the agricultural sector, renovated the airports and given them a new look, as well as brought about a revival of the railway system, making them operational and sound again, conveying goods and people across the nation.
Education-wise, he has established 14 federal universities nation-wide, 9 of which are in the North, the almajiri schools in the North testify to the fact that we have improved the standard of education in this country.
As for health, we have developed our health system such that we are able to handle emergencies. The Ebola issue and the way it was handled is a very good example.
In all aspects of our lives, we have seen the improvements and it is clear that the president has done tremendously well. What distinguish him from other people are his democratic credentials and the fact that he is humble, accommodating, forgiving and sincere in guaranteeing free, fair and credible elections, as well as the security of lives and properties. This is wonderful and the people of Nigeria have accepted it.
Having seen the great acceptance which the president has received from across the country, we are very sure that, come March 28, we will have a resounding victory.
The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has been in power for the past 15 years. What does the party still hopes to do differently?
We want to consolidate on the things we have been doing. The task of transforming the country is one which will never be done with. We have tremendous improvement and, we believe that, with the PDP in government, by 2020 a lot of things will change in this country.
How would you react to the promise by All Progressives Congress, APC, presidential candidate, Muhammadu Buhari, that, if elected, he will suppress the insurgency which the PDP-led government has not been able to for more than three years?
We do not think that he said this. I’ll take you back to what he said during an interview on cable television. He said to restore “security in the country’ll take more than five years to address and bring things back to normalcy.” That was what he said. He can flip-flop all he wants, but we are sure that Nigerians can attest that we have been making sufficient progress in tackling the security challenges, with the re-armament which has occurred. Do not forget that when this security issue set into play, the president decided to wage war against Boko Haram, opposition parties screamed that he was killing innocent people with the insurgents. The President listened, as usual, to the hues and cries of those people and decided to embrace dialogue. He offered cease-fire they refused, he offered amnesty they refused, he offered dialogue and they refused again. When he decided on waging a full war on them, he discovered that the military was too poorly equipped to wage modern warfare. He requested for funds to wage the war, but the opposition told their legislators not to vote in favour of the President’s request. For five, six months, there were debates about its approval. In the end, PDP lawmakers fought its approval. Now, despite the obstacles set up by certain foreign companies, the nation has acquired the equipment and, today, the military has been completely re-armed and have become effective in the war against insurgency.
Now, if that is what the candidate of the APC is implying, then he need not bother; all the bases have been covered. He should’ve applied for security adviser or something, but if that is what he has his eyes fixed on, there’ll be no job for him to do in that respect by the time we finish the election and swearing-in.
You once described the APC as a party of one-weekone- lie. What did you mean by that?
What I meant was that the APC dishes out lies every time. They tell a different lie each time they open their mouths to speak. Worse, they conjure stories and weave them in deceptive circles by issuing facts that are non-existent.
Again, you’ll see that their promises to Nigerians have always been unrealistic and false. Consider the promise to pay N5000 to unemployed Nigerians. If you calculate paying N5000 to 25 million jobless Nigerians, that amounts to N125 billion and in 12 months, that amounts to N1.5 trillion per annum. Where will they get that kind of money from, seeing as our revenue is dwindling, the oil price is going down and our economy is at dire straits presently? They also promised to provide free education, free meals and free uniforms. That is a lie. How can they afford it?
They lied about free medical care, creation of 740,000 jobs in each local government, PVCs and every other thing they said. They even mismanaged the trip which their presidential candidate embarked on abroad, as if there is something they have to hide. By that, they have increased the interest of Nigerians in unearthing whatever is wrong.
Are you aware that, most of the leaders of the APC, like Rotimi Amaechi, Rabiu Kwankwaso and Bukola Saraki were, until recently, in the PDP?
That is why we do not attack them. We will never forget yesterday, we will never forget that we were once brothers who once sat together, we believe that they were misled because they thought they must have had some differences. We are aware that, as they crossed over, they have been influenced by the evil doctrine of the APC, which is a wrong course.
We have decided not to attack them, because of the contributions they have made to our party and, although they have forgotten the contributions which the PDP made to their lives – elevating them to national prominence and giving them a platform on which to air their views – we will forgive them for they do not know what they are doing.
What do you say to rumours making the rounds that some of your elected governors are poised to go behind the scenes to?
None, absolutely. I am not aware of any. However, I am aware that one or two governors of the APC are currently discussing with our people on how to work for the President; that, I am very much aware of. The idea is three but I am saying two.
What gives you the confidence that President Jonathan may be able to dwarf the soaring popularity of the opposition party’s candidate?
My confidence is based on his complete acceptance and the fact that Nigerians have shown that they love him and like what he is doing.My confidence is based on the fact that, despite our imperfections, the opposition is not an alternative for Nigerians. The opposition has no credible policy or programmes to offer Nigerians. We know that, going by the track record of the President and the love which Nigerians have shown him, that we will have no issues come March 28.
The void created by unemployment is yet to be filled. What is the government, led by your party, doing about reviving most of the moribund textile industries?
You’ll be surprised to discover that this is a global trend and that Nigeria is not doing too badly. Many developed economies, especially in Europe, are declining, both infrastructure- wise and in many other aspects. Over here, we are upgrading and doing a lot, so, I think we have done well.
We have created jobs in most sectors, you have the You- Win, the Graduate Internship Scheme, GiS, the SURE-P and many others and, without mincing words, I think that Nigerians are very happy about what we have and are doing.
If you look at it, we have an enabling environment for businesses to thrive. The small-scale businesses are thriving with the help of government and the large-scale one are growing into mega businesses, as a result of the policies of the PDP government. These policies are deliberate, geared towards indoctrinating them with the transformation idea of the government and the transfer of wealth from government to private hands.
What is the position of the ruling party in the crises going on in Niger State, where the state legislature is planning to remove the deputy governor and in Ebonyi, where the state legislature has been directed to impeach the governor?
Are those crises? How is it that when Imo governor, Rochas Okorocha decides to remove his deputy there was no crises. When it is done in the South-West, it is no crisis; but when democracy is doing its thing in Niger and Ebonyi, you label it a crisis.
In Ebonyi, a governor elected on the platform of the PDP is planning to move his cabinet to another party and the state legislature will have none of it; you call that crisis? How? That is democracy at work.
You cannot do what you want with government funds and you can’t betray a party at will. No way. You are accountable to the people and the state legislature; so, if there are wrongs found in the doings of the Ebonyi State governor or the deputy governor of Niger, the state legislature has the democratic right to pursue what is laid down in the constitution.
What are the chances of the PDP in the South-West?
We have seen that the people of the South-west have long been under bondage and are looking towards the PDP for freedom. Sadly, this bondage is self-influenced and self-imposed, at the same time. We have an acclaimed leader of the South-West who worked assiduously to rob the region of the position of the Speaker of the republic, as a result of his own political ambition. That is selfish.
We have a leader in the South-West who introduced multiple-taxation on the people, all for his own benefit and dream of his personal empire.
Finally, we have an array of credible gubernatorial candidates all over the South-West and the people are happy with that. We have visited the region several times and we get a lot of ‘thank you’.