Former governor of Akwa Ibom State, Victor Ubong Atta, means so many things to so many people since he broke into the Nigerian political firmament.

For many, he is resource control minded, to others he is federalist, and yet to some others, he is the grandfather of modern Akwa-Ibom State politics.

Speaking to Sunday Sun in Abuja recently, Atta was as usual blunt and pungent in his thoughts on many political issues, including where President Bola Tinubu is not currently getting it wrong in his administration, the deplorable state of the main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

He also weighed In on why leadership crises will continue to rock all the political parties and more importantly the dangers of conducting the 2027 general election under this tense political situation, just as he demanded true federalism as the panacea to the current democratic challenges confronting the country. Excerpts:

What do you tell some Nigerians, who are wondering where you have been?

That means that they have not been listening very well because I have been shouting my head off about true democracy and true federalism. Almost every other week, I have been on television like a parrot and/or the only prophet crying in the wilderness with the same message of the restoration of true federalism and true democracy in the country. What more do they want Atta to do or is it that they are not listening or hearing me all these while? The truth is that I have certainly been expressing my views and opinions as often as I can. I don?t want to make myself look as if I am a parrot or something or that like I am talking too much, however, I do insist at every opportunity on what I strongly believe in. Maybe those asking may have to listen more attentively to hear me very well.

Why have you not been considered for any political appointment?

Do you know my age? I was 86 years old in November last year. So, I am now an elder statesman, advising political parties, advising political appointees, advising the government at the state and at the federal level on what we ought to do to make this country work. Every now and then I listen to the nonsense they talk about rotational presidency, which means turn-by-turn sharing and collegiate so that everybody will participate in the sharing, but must we continue to share Nigeria? We will continue to share Nigeria until it disappears if we continue with that line of debate. What we want and should clamour for is a productive Nigeria, what we want is a federal arrangement so that everybody is producing. Our only demand is just to feel a sense of participation, and that participation will be given the way the founding fathers saw it. It will be through the federal arrangement where you have autonomous federating units and a federal government that administers what is common to all of us, which are currency, citizenship, foreign affairs and things like that, full stop. And unless and until we do that, we are only trying to lower the river instead of raising the bridge.

Is this the Nigeria democracy of your dreams?

No, no, it is rather far from it, very far from it, too far from it, really very far from it. I can repeat it 10 times, and I say again, it is far from it. The democracy of my dream was a federal arrangement, not this unitary system of governance. And you will ask at what point we got it all wrong, my answer is that we got it wrong when we suspended the constitution and never reinstated it. When the military came and suspended the constitution, that is the word, every time they came, they suspended the constitution, not cancel it, they never reinstated it to its position again. And instead of reinstating it, we will bring and use military decrees to govern the country.

Are you saying that your clamour for true federalism is more pressing than the current controversy over tax reforms?

All of that would not have cropped up in the first place or would have no meaning if we had true federalism in the country. We must address the issue of federalism to settle most of the challenges Nigeria?s democracy is going through now.

What do you tell some Nigerians thinking that enough intervention may not have come from you in the leadership crisis rocking the PDP?

I am no longer in the PDP. I left partisan politics well over 24 to 25 years ago. And like I said earlier, I am now an elder statesman who only gives and proffers advice that I am convinced will and can help Nigeria at the state, and federal levels and even to any political party that cares to consult me. Yes, I can only give them advice, but I am not a member of any party. I can?t belong to any political party now. However, sincerely speaking, the current PDP is certainly not the party that we formed. I am sure you will remember that I was a member of G-34 before and I was there when it transformed into PDP. I know how we used to take decisions in PDP then and I can bluntly tell you authoritatively that this is not the PDP we founded many years ago. They know the party that we founded and this is certainly not the party.

Where did the party get it wrong, derailing from the dreams of the founding fathers?

They derailed when there was no longer internal democracy in the party, which is the bane of Nigerian democracy and which is killing everybody, including all the political parties. Look, let us tell ourselves the truth. Everybody knows that there is no difference between the PDP, other opposition political parties, and the ruling APC. They have all become the same in terms of ideological composition and that is why the actors can easily and shamelessly jump from one political party to the other without caring about their reputation and integrity. There are very insignificant numbers of politicians who have not decamped from one party to the other several times. There is no significant name in Nigerian politics, perhaps except President Tinubu that has not moved from one different political party to the other, once, twice, and even three times. They will sometimes go and come back and still go and come without any iota of shame. So, what do you call a political party in the country when all of them are entirely the same?

What will you tell President Tinubu if you sit with him?

Anybody who listened to my comments while appearing on a television programme a few weeks ago will remember that I said that it seems as if nothing has changed in the kind of democracy we practiced. Mr. President knew that he and I had previously talked enough about true federalism and true democracy, not the type that deprived him of his local government funds while he was the governor of Lagos State and took away my derivation and all kinds of other things that were treated undemocratically. So, Mr. President, what I expect, and I want to believe you will do as quickly as possible and as first priority is to return this country to the part of true federalism, full stop. The moment we can get true federalism, every state can have power. What we are talking about is employment, and agriculture, among others, every state can develop itself as regional force. So, my appeal to Mr. President if I sit with him will be to please return the country to the path of true federalism as quickly as possible.

As the father of Akwa Ibom State politics, will you say, so far so good for the state and how close are you to your godsons?

Yes, I will boldly and gladly say so far so good. I have every reason to thank God for the way Akwa Ibom is going. There was a time we had what I can call a short interruption, but I am happy that everything is over now, everything is really very fine. And you also asked how close I am to my political godson and in reply, I can tell you that I don?t have any godson in Akwa Ibom State. Yes, I built many people because there is nobody in the state that is anything in politics today, apart from those before me like Don Ettiebet, that I did not build in one way or the other. Yes, as you demanded, I am very close to all of them; however, I can only be as close as they want me to be. Certainly, I cannot force myself on any of them. It is not part of my lifestyle and I will not start it at my old age now.

What is your advice to young politicians going into Nigerian politics?

My advice to them is that they should not just try to come into the political turf and start playing. They have to try to change the wrongs first. That was why I have been praying and hoping that we should not go into the next major elections with what we are experiencing today. We have to change this unworkable system before we can successfully go into the next elections, otherwise, if anybody attempts to go into the next set of elections with what we have now, we will scatter this country. It is obvious that the tension and controversy is getting too high now and I hope and pray that we take advice and do the needful before we go into the next election.

What is your take on the situation of almost all the political parties facing one form of leadership crisis or the other?

I have told you repeatedly and let me emphasise it again that there is no difference between the APC, PDP, and other political parties and since there is no difference, they all have to face the same leadership crisis. The crisis is caused by the people within the party sabotaging the party, and outside the party also sabotaging their party. All these kinds of things are happening because there is no contentment. The lack of contentment is also a confirmation that there is everything wrong with the current union our country found itself in. Every faction and/or factor of that union is wrong. The union is obviously wrong because we don?t have a common bond. We also don?t have a constitution because we did not make this current constitution. The last constitution Nigerians made was the 1963 constitution. Without an acceptable constitution we can call our own, Nigeria will remain in crisis. (Sunday Sun)

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