Former Nigerian speaker encourages opposition to join government

Former Speaker of House of Representatives, Alhaji Umar Ghali Na’Abba  opened up on why he resigned from the Action Congress (AC) and his resolve to go back to his old fold, the Peoples Democratic Partry (PDP), a party he and other political bigwigs left amid serious controversy over membership revalidation exercise. Journalists in Kano also took him on other Sundry issues,IBRAHIM GARBA,was there.   Excerpts:   Alhaji Abubakar Rimi gave the removal of chief Olusegun Obasanjo as the PDP board of Trustees chairman as precondition  for his return to the party, what is your own bargaining point?   Well, that is the opinion of Alhaji Abubakar Rimi, it is not my opinion. And the party is embarking on reconciliation and when you are making reconciliation, you don’t attach certain conditions. As such, it is reconciliation that is being talked after, let us all meet in the party including Obasanjo himself; let us meet together and decide what is the way forward. If Obasanjo truly desires reconciliation, we will see it while we are members of the party; if he does not want reconciliation, we will also see it. But it will be presumptuous of me  to assume that nobody wants to have a rethink and do what is necessary. Unless I am inside, I cannot hold opinion that nobody wants reconciliation. So, my opinion is that we should meet in the party whether it is the BOT, whether it is in the NEC, whether it is at any level and the see who and who don’t want reconciliation.   We would like to know why you decided to go back to your former party the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)?   Yes, I think it is time to put to rest the speculation that I left the Action Congress (AC) for my former party, the PDP I decided, having considered very carefully the going on in the polity, to resign my membership in the AC to go back to my former party, the People Democratic Party (PDP) and my reasons are quite clear you will recall that some of us left PDP to form the Action Congress, and the reason was simply because we are determined to see that (Olusegun) Obasanjo left office in 2007, secondly, the AC wanted a situation where by the presidency returned to the North which was promise made within the PDP, to ensure that there is internal democracy that the Action Congress was going to be a party with internal democracy. And fourth, of course, to ensure the presidential aspiration of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, the former vice president. And now, we have succeeded in achieving three of these objectives: Obasanjo has left; we fought successfully against the tenure elongation of the former president. Secondly, what every Nigerian wanted is power rotation, for the main time, that has been achieved. Thirdly, the former vice president also contested to become the president of this country in the platform of the AC. The fourth which is the most important could not be achieved because certain elements within the party (AC) subverted this principle of internal democracy and thereby making Action Congress to be like all other parties, and today, the Action Congress can no longer claim any moral superiority to the other political parties. And since this is the situation, and the majority of my colleagues and a lot of people who we share common objectives are still in the people democratic party, I thought I must come back to my party. And more importantly, the president, Alhaji Umar Musa Yar’Adua who has begun well must be supported. So, these are what informed my decision to come back to the PDP and continue with my political activities.       Alhaji Abubakar Rimi was said to have scuttled your governorship ambition under the AC, what actually happened then; and how is your relationship with Rimi presently? This is a matter that I have spoken about severally, a long time ago.   Like I said earlier, certain elements within the AC subverted internal democracy and of course, it happened also in Kano Ac; and I felt I was betrayed—not particularly bout my desire or interest to have contested to become governor of Kano state. It was never my ambition; anyway, rather, it was the ambition of the people of Kano state which certain people scuttled. And as far as I am concerned, it is not I they offended, they offended the people of Kano state. However, my relationship with Alhaji Mohammed Abubakar Rimi is a normal relationship, we maintain a normal relationship.   On August 8, you was made chairman of NEPU/PRP Revival Forum, what do you intend to achieve with the forum; and don’t you think your roles in the forum, a more radical organization, may affect your come back to PDP?   The NEPU/PRP  is a non partisan organization formed to revive the ideals of NEPU and I don’t see  how my membership of this organization can conflict   with my membership of PDP which is a political party . As a non-partisan organization, everybody who admires the ideologies of the old NEPU is free to join the organization regardless of party affiliation. So, I don’t see how it is going to conflict with my membership of the Peoples Democratic Party. NEPU/PRP is concerned with internal democracy among political parties. You understand that all the political parties do not seem to be practicing internal democracy today and that is why the polity is suffering. The organization is formed to bring about political integrity to bear on our political system. You are aware that the ideals of NEPU centre on the protection of the poor and the down-trodden.   You are moving back to the PDP, how do you intend to manage the power play in the state PDP where some powerful chieftains are holding sway; don’t you think you may be held up by the absence of internal democracy which you are running away from?   As far as internal democracy is concerned vis-a-avis   the Peoples Democratic Party in Kano , it is something that we are going to help to address, now that I have come back to the PDP. In the last few years when internal democracy was being subverted in the party, a lot of people defected; and some among us who left were also people who were subverting internal democracy, eventually, they became victims of the lack of it (internal democracy); but now, they most have learnt some lessons. Therefore, I feel that we must have to come together to revisit what is going on within the political party and to make people aware that once internal democracy is subverted in any political organization, people loose enthusiasm, people loose the spirit and when that happens, people become disinterested. And that is something that we have to fight so that democracy can flourish. Otherwise, all avenues to champion the cause of the down-trodden should have been foreclosed. In this case, the only option the down-trodden are left with is violence, which I am sure can not be welcomed by any country which strive to survive. So, the door must be open for every Nigerian to make something of himself. The failure to do that gives way to sycophancy, violence and what have you. Therefore, this is something that I and my other colleagues in the PDP will help to address   What is your position as regards to the power of the Economic and financial Crime Commission (EFCC) and what do you have to say on the way and manner it is carrying out its operations?   There is no doubt that the former president, (Olusegun) Obasanjo used this commission very well, sometimes successfully, some other times unsuccessfully. The powers of EFCC are spelt out within the laws and my opinion is that the law must be allowed to take its cause; there must be no interference from any person, vis-à-vis the workings of this commission. And I believe that the commission should continue to work, though in my opinion, EFCC is doing the work the ICPC is suppose to be doing. I was the speaker of the House of Representatives when the law that established the EFCC was passed. And the idea was that there are a lot of fraudsters in this country; and there have been so much 419 scams and the police were not able to deal with this situation – then an idea of a commission to go after these fraudsters was muted; and that was how the EFCC cane to be. However, the EFCC made an encroach into political corruption which I believe should be the preserve of the ICPC.   Recently, you met with president Umar Yar’Adua at the Aso Rock and you described your meeting with him as personal, but there are insinuation that your coming back to the PDP was part of the deal you struck with the president during the meeting, how would you react to this?   Well, I did not strike any deal with the president (Yar’Adua). If I had wanted to strike a deal with a president, I wouldn’t have struck so many deals with (Olusegun) Obasanjo, the former president. My support for president Umar Yar’Adua is strictly based on principle. And whether I am offered a position, or I am not offered a position, I will continue to support him to the extent that we upholds the rule of law and abide by the constitution; and do as much as possible things that will make Nigerians happy. This is my position. What position will appeal to me in this country, having served as the speaker of the House of Representatives, the number four citizen in this country, what appointment will make me go and strike a deal with anybody. So, no position can make me abandon principle. However, in whatever position I am asked to old, I am definitely ready to work because I want to help my country; and that is why I am in politics. Therefore, I did not visit president Yar’Adua to make any political deal with him, I visited him as a friend and also my president. I am aware that INEC (Independent National Electoral Commission) has pronounced him as the president of this country and I am aware that some parties are going to court to challenge his election; I am not a law court, therefore I have to pledge to him my loyalty and support and I will continue to support him.     It has been argued that your exit and that of other party bigwigs like Alhaji Abubakar Rimi and Musa Gwadabe from PDP impacted negatively on the party, particularly during the April 2007 elections, do you see your return as a blessing to Kano PDP?   I pray so , you know, a lot of things happened since I left the PDP. A lot of people who were in PDP left because of the issue of internal democracy, some of the who contested for position under the ANPP (All Nigerian Peoples Party) are today Local Government chairmen, some of them are members of the House of Representatives, some of them are councilors; they all moved from the PDP to the ANPP. After election in 1999, you will observe that the ratio of the strength between the PDP and the ANPP was 3:1. The PDP was stronger than the ANPP, but today, that situation has changed. I pray that those who left the PDP for ANPP would come back to the PDP and we will forge ahead