Deputy National Organising Secretary of the All Progressives Congress Nze Chidi Duru, shares his thoughts with ADEBAYO FOLORUNSHO-FRANCIS, about the economic hardship in the country, President Bola Tinubu’s reforms, and the political crisis rocking Kano and Rivers states, among other issues

What’s your assessment of President Bola Tinubu’s government after one year considering the legal fireworks he faced after his election victory and the current hardship?

Well, challenging times, one will say. I also recognise that there was a legal challenge after the presidential election. That is to be expected in the history of elections in Nigeria, whether at the local government, state, or federal level. It is always anticipated that the opposition party will seek recourse in the law court. So, that was factored in. It is a very strong possibility that the party that lost the election may seek justice in court.

Having said that, our party has always recognised the fact that the current challenging economic environment has not in any way got better. But we do recognise when Mr President took over, he asked Nigerians not to pity him. It is an office that he craved, worked hard for it, and offered himself to provide leadership to Nigeria.

It is that leadership Nigerians are looking forward to. So, the past year has been a learning curve and helping the government to come to a determination on what needs to be done to steer the ship of the state in the direction that will address the immediate needs of the Nigerian people, put food on the table, shelter over their head, and of course, provide security and protection for life and property in Nigeria.

I think that it’s been tough times. But we hope that as we get into the second year, the building blocks that have been put in place will begin to show traction in the directions that Nigerians will see.

Many are of the view that Nigerians are running out of patience. How much longer do they have to wait for the promised dividend of democracy?

I believe we’re saying the same thing, whether as a Nigerian citizen or as a member of a political party. We recognise the (economic) difficulty in the land and hope it won’t last. If anything, it would help to spur our leaders and the government in office, which incidentally is a party, to begin to work harder to ensure that they address the concerns of Nigerians. There is hunger in the land. That is not in dispute. There are difficulties and those difficulties are noticeable.

What Nigerians will like to see is that the government represents the interests in helping in a very holistic manner to address all of these challenges. Yes, the comfort zone that every government will always have within a few months or a maximum of one year in office, I think, has lapsed on May 29. After that, the citizens will start holding the government to task. We should be able to look at those issues and see how they can be addressed.

The party members and people in government are not different from Nigerians. We shop in the same market and stay in the same places as Nigerians who are not members of our party. In the end, what will give the party and Nigerians comfort to consider re-electing government into office will be if we meet the yearnings and aspirations of the average person on the street. It is a task that is before us and it is one that I’m confident that we should be able to discharge.

In the end, the people who will judge will be the Nigerian electorate. They will speak on how far we’ve performed based on the mandate given to us. What gives confidence is that Mr President is very much aware of the expectations of the person on the street. The minimum expectation will be that they need to be comfortable. They want a level playing field, food on the table and their issues to be addressed. Then, of course, more importantly, they need also to be proud of their country, Nigeria.

While the hardship continues, the opposition appears to be watching and taking notes. Are you not worried that the ongoing reforms of Mr President may be counter-productive?

If the opposition is playing their game, and I believe they are, they may spotlight where our government is not doing well. It will not be unexpected that they would like to exploit areas of weakness and may not want to address the areas of strength. Of course, that is the role of opposition and we welcome that. If anything else, it will help to put us more on our toes and show us where we need to do better and areas that we can continue to do well and improve on.

That, in my view, is why I always canvass that in any democracy, you need a very effective and efficient opposition in that environment to flourish because, at the end of the day, it is only the opposition that guarantees that governments in power are held accountable. Any government in power will only do those things that are pleasing to the general electorate because they are conscious of the fact that if you go for election and do not carry the masses along and do not do things that are in support or meet the expectations of the average person, you will lose the election.

So, that puts you on your toes to be aware, alert, and vigilant to do those things that meet the minimum requirements of citizens. That is very helpful. I do not see it as negative. I see it from an ethical perspective as a searchlight on our party and government to go back and take stock.

We need to listen to the opposition and see where they are headed. It helps us to improve our engagement with Nigeria. So, we are not in any way living in the cloud. We understand what is available. We understand what is at play and will do what is right to address those concerns.

What’s your position on the rumoured merger or alliance between the mega opposition parties such as the Peoples Democratic Party and Labour Party which seems to be gathering momentum?

On a very personal level, I am an advocate of the two-party system in Nigeria. The multiplicity of political parties is not helpful. If anything else, it makes it impossible for citizens and the electorate to hold political platforms accountable to their manifestoes and ideologies. But with the two political parties throwing different alternative views, it is easier for citizens to first understand the difference between Party A and Party B. More importantly, it is also easier for the two political parties to send their messages across and be able to educate the electorate on what they represent and what they intend to do if and when elected into office.

It is then also possible for the opposing party or the party in government to immediately own its ideology and manifesto and be able to quickly implement them. If they are not doing that, the other political party can spotlight that to the people. So, on a personal level, I welcome that engagement. My only hope will be that they come to a completion of that undertaking, in the sense that the major parties can fuse into an alternative platform to our party.

Having said that, we are very confident that as the APC, we will continue to be aware of the likelihood of the coming together of those two political parties and, of course, be in a position to address the issues that are on the table before us in a way that does not allow them to even have a stake in winning the presidency. Failure to do that will mean a certain death, in terms of losing the election, as it happened in 2015.

It will always be a warning to any party in government in Nigeria that it has happened before and may happen again. So, we are very conscious of that, and we are confident that given the time and place that we live in, we still have enough time to address the issues confronting the average Nigerian.

The last three months have been a turbulent one for APC National Chairman, Dr Abdullahi Ganduje, following a series of legal fireworks and aborted moves to remove him from office. What are you doing to address North Central stakeholders’ agitation?

I don’t speak for the North-Central and will not seek to speak for them. I know that a decision was reached at the last NEC meeting, where a re-basketing of office was done and the national chairman was moved from the North-Central to the North-West while the national legal adviser moved from the North-West to the North-Central. It was based on such arrangement that His Excellency, Dr Abdullahi Ganduje, was then elected as the national chairman of the APC.

Having said this, it is not impossible, and it should be expected that in the context of political power, parties, personalities, and institutions may not necessarily see things from one way. That’s what it is with human endeavour because it is from a different perspective. So, if there is a growing contestation on the part of the stakeholders from the North-Central, it should be expected in party politics that it could happen so long as they confine themselves within the ambit of the law.

It is more than welcome. What will not be welcome is if they resort to self-help in the activation of their expectations. As far as I can see within the rank and file of the APC, the position of the national chairman has been zoned to the North-West. It was on that basis that Ganduje emerged as the national chairman of the party.

If there will be changes to that, there is always a normal way within our party constitution that it can be done. Unless that is triggered and accepted by the party leadership at the highest level, the so-called agitation remains what it is, an agitation within the framework of democracy. We must allow democracy to flourish. The minority will have their say and the majority will have their way.

Many fear that the APC may lose Kano State again in 2027 over Rabiu Kwankwaso, Ganduje feud. Why is it difficult for the President to bring these former allies together?

We are aware that the APC is not in control of Kano State. If anything, else, the New Nigeria Peoples Party is the ruling party in the state and the APC is not contesting it. We are law-abiding citizens by the institution. The moment the matter was foreclosed and concluded at the Supreme Court, for the APC, it represents the finality of the decision. The APC had done everything that could be done to show that it respects the law and supports government across the country, whether it is an APC state or any other party that is in opposition.

There had not been any issue of the party at the centre, which is the APC, using its privileged position to undermine democratic institutions in states that are not an APC system. It is on that score that we also expect that in the interests of the overriding position that our party has expressed at the centre, the state should be seen to also act in a manner that seems to suggest accommodation of diverse views.

These diverse views speak to the issues around providing dividends of democracy for the citizens, guaranteeing security, and the provision of necessities of life as it should be. About the question of Kano State, we know there is a lot the government of that state can do for the citizens than to continue to engage in acts that will exacerbate the already tense situation, not only in Kano State but also in the larger Nigerian society.

We hope and pray that the (NNPP) government will recognise the hand of fellowship extended to the state by the government of the APC at the centre and realign itself to working for the benefit of its people and guaranteeing peace and security in Nigeria and not continue to instigate moves that will appear to be an interference in the other political party.

The President of Nigeria, specifically, is not the president of one political party. The moment His Excellency Asiwaju Bola Tinubu was elected, he became the President of the Republic of Nigeria, and it will not be expected that he will begin to involve himself in inter-party issues so as not to be accused of promoting the interests of the APC against the larger interests of Nigerian citizens.

One way to go is when he is seen supporting APC engagements; he will be accused of being partisan. If he goes against the APC and supports another party, he will be seen to be doing anti-party activity. So, he is in a no-win position and that is why we call on the stakeholders to rise to the occasion and become statesmen in their areas of activity and only do such things that will be seen to promote good governance.

Again, is there an outside chance that both Kwankwaso and Ganduje can be appeased to reconcile?

I will not know. But being human and an optimist, one will believe that as statesmen, these are respected citizens not only in Kano State but also in Nigeria. The time is now for the government of Kano State to rise to the occasion and provide leadership in the state. It must ensure that whatever undertaking it takes will lead to providing governance for the people.

That is the minimum that the people of Kano State will expect and guarantee not to engage in activities that may harden the opposition and may trigger issues of unrest in the state, which will resonate beyond the frontiers of Kano State to nearby states, if not across Nigeria. Kano State is that important in the affairs of not only governance but more importantly, the economy to be allowed to degenerate to a level where we cannot guarantee the safety of property and life within Kano State.

I think that will always be a guiding principle, and I also believe that it will not go beyond what we are currently seeing. I think there will be some attempts by stakeholders and the two personalities involved to come to some measure of understanding that they need to work together for the interests of the people.

What are your fears concerning the fate of the 25 lawmakers in the ongoing crisis rocking Rivers State?

I believe in integrity and the political process. There is a plethora of cases that the law court has pronounced on people moving from one party to another when they hold the ticket of another political party. If there are doubts as to the fate of those who have moved from one party to another, we need to call up the decisions of the court both at the trial court and at the highest level, which is the Supreme Court.

The laws of our land are no respecter of persons, whether you are in the APC, PDP, Labour Party, or any other political party. Once you make a decision, you are then bound by the laws of the state. So, we are not in any doubt about what the position of the law is, and we think that the players have conducted themselves in a very admirable manner, in not taking to self-help in pursuing their grievances and expectations within the four walls of the law court. Whatever the pronouncement of the court, we will be bound by it.

So, you are not entertaining any fear or losing sleep over their issue.

I do not think that I am on a personal level, and I don’t think as a political party, we are losing any sleep in respect to that. If anything, else, the APC has continued to project itself as an institution that is bound by the law and respects the law. If there are decisions of the law court on any particular decision, the party has always obeyed those decisions. I don’t think Rivers State, or any other one will be different in this consideration.

With the biting economic hardship in the country, are you still optimistic that Nigerians will accept another Tinubu presidency in 2027?

In the life of a country, four years is like yesterday. It is from that point of view every political office holder or politician always knows that from the first date in office, the electorate and the citizens who elected you to office and those who did not elect you will begin to track your performance as a result of that. They can then take a decision one way or the other, whether or not to re-elect you. That is my opinion on the first part of the question.

Concerning whether we will be re-elected, as a democrat and in my personal view, we have always canvassed that unless His Excellency President Bola Tinubu will not contest, the APC government is bound to be represented by our candidate in 2027 to fly the flag for the simple reason that I want to bring up. Of course, there is the incumbency factor.

An elected person will always have the first right of refusal and there will be no need for anybody within the party to contest against an incumbent, whether it is at the local government, state or federal level if that person has an unexpired term. Therefore, he is bound to become our candidate in 2027. It is on that account that it is important for us as a party to be sure that the direction of the government and its policies will be such that will meet the expectations of Nigerians.

If it is not, as a party, we will be challenged at the next election and may likely witness a repeat of what happened in 2015, which no party member will like. Therefore, our party will need to rise and begin to ensure these policies address the existential needs of Nigerians and support them as well as to create employment and put food on the table. More importantly, they must allow Nigerians to flourish in their chosen fields. If these are done, the guarantee of re-election is there. (Sunday PUNCH)

•APC Deputy National Organising Secretary, Nze Chidi Duru

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