‘Why North-west should be considered in APC zoning’

Rep Abdulmumin Jibrin, chairman of the House of Reps committee on finance and a contender for the position of speaker in the 8th Assembly, in this interview, gives reasons why the North-west shouldn’t be schemed out of APC zoning because it has produced the president-elect. Excerpts: leadership of the National I have Femi and Yakubu Assembly. It is our right Dogara. Without thinking like every other zone. We twice, I will support Femi. shouldn’t be boxed into a corner.

on’t your aspiration lead to the Tambuwal scenario of 2011?

I want to say it without any contradiction that the Tambuwal scenario cannot happen under the present circumstances. In 2011, it happened. I was in the tick of everything that took place. We did everything that we did, and we have no regrets or apologies. But it is not going to happen this time around.

If the party comes out to zone, it is very dangerous if you go against it because it is going to lay a very faulty foundation for the Buhari administration and we don’t want to do that. It is in the interest of everyone to support the zoning arrangement of the party.

Won’t it be unjust for you to aspire to be speaker when the president-elect is from the same zone with you?

In the first place, I think we are getting the interpretation of the zoning completely wrong. The president is not supposed to be zoned; he is the president of Nigeria. General Buhari was never presented as the candidate of the North West; he was presented as the candidate of Nigeria. He is supposed to be neutral and not show bias to any zone.

The whole idea was for the president to emerge first. After the emergence of the president, then the six geopolitical zones will now sit down and distribute whatever positions that are left, particularly those of the parliament. I think we need to get this right.

If the president is included in the zoning, Rochas Okorocha wouldn’t have contested against General Buhari.

I’m calling on every eligible senator and House of Reps member from the North West to come out and contest for the

What makes you think that you have the required experience for the office of speaker?

I came into the House four years ago and I have been chairman of the finance committee since then. I have participated in a lot of parliamentary investigations. I’ve served in a lot of ad-hoc committees and I’ve been in the centre of everything that has happened in the last four years. I’ve mastered the rules of the House. I understand the dynamics of working and leading equals.

My educational background also prepared me. I attended a lot of public schools in Nigeria from primary to my university. I went abroad and combined it with my vast local experience in Nigerian educational institutions. I ran through major institutions of learning from London Business School to Harvard and to the Swiss Business School. I graduated with an MBA.

So, I believe that educationally I’m prepared; experience outside the country I’m prepared; experience wise within the House I’m also prepared. I believe that my age also places me at an advantage; I’m the youngest among all the contestants.

What if something else is zoned to your area, will you go for it?

It is up to the party, but for now I’m in the race for the speakership. If the party in its wisdom says ‘we’re not going to zone the speakership to the North West, but we’re going to give the North West something else,’ I will rather say let’s get to the bridge first and then we’ll be able to cross it.

Who would you have supported if you were not in the race?

Why?

Femi has an edge in experience. He has done so much for the party; he gave his body, heart and soul for the party. He has been the face of opposition and has led well. He is organised in the House the way he should be. He was part and parcel of the Tambuwal Tsunami in 2011.

Your principal Kwankwaso who is now a senator-elect is said to be aspiring for something in the Senate, isn’t that enough for you to drop your aspiration?

Our contingent from Kano is quite large, so even at the National Assembly level, we enjoy such concessions. More often than not, we get the highest number of chairmanship and vice chairmanship of committees. In the past, we’ve had a lot of instances where you had two principal officers all from Kano both in the Senate and the House. I think the aspiration of my leader will not affect mine.