We must understand that the ruling party has prioritised control of political power over the security and welfare of Nigerians. So, they can allow insecurity to continue in order to create an environment that is suitable for rigging

AYO ESAN,

What is your reaction to the worsening insecurity in the country, particularly the recent attacks on the advanced convoy of the president and Kuje Prison in Abuja? The level of insecurity is unprecedented. In 2015, before President Muhammadu Buhari was sworn in, Boko Haram terrorists were confined to the fringes of three States viz, Borno, Yobe and Adamawa. We were outraged at the inability of the Dr Goodluck Jonathan’s government to stop terrorism. Now, with Buhari in office, terrorism has increased in ferocity and spread to all the geopolitical zones of Nigeria. Currently, terrorists control large areas in Borno, Yobe, Adamawa, Zamfara, Niger, Kaduna, Katsina and other states in the North.

At a Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State (South-West) terrorists killed over 40 persons and wounded many others, Benue State is the focus of terrorist attacks and the attacks in Plateau State (Middle Belt) have increased, the Auchi areas of Edo State (South-south) have suffered many attacks like Ebonyi State (South-East).

The attack on Buhari’s advance convoy took place in Katsina State and the Kuje Prison attack occurred in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory. It is clear that these attacks have increased in ferocity and have also spread to all geopolitical zones of Nigeria under Buhari who is leading a completely incompetent, Islamist and corrupt government. This has led to the International Foreign Policy magazine publication titled, Nigeria is a Failed State. So we can correctly conclude that Nigeria became a ‘failed state’ under Buhari.

Can the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) successfully conduct a credible general election under the prevailing insecurity?

Definitely not and that provides more openings for the dysfunctional ruling party to rig the elections by collaborating with the leadership of INEC to publish fake results. We must understand that the ruling party has prioritised control of political power over the security and welfare of Nigerians. So, they can allow insecurity to continue in order to create an environment that is suitable for rigging. According to Senator (Alhaji) Rufai Hanga, “They don’t do elections in Borno and Yobe States, they only write results there.” Insecurity in any state allows the ruling party to collude with INEC and write fake results for that state.

What does the monetisation of the presidential primaries by the APC and PDP say about our democracy?

It means that the APC and PDP are not major political parties. They are two sides of the same corrupt coin. Corruption and electoral fraud do not portray major parties; they typify criminal organisations. We say no to PDP. Fortunately for all Nigerians, the PDP is dying and the APC will scatter very soon.

The highly monetised primaries of these parties is their celebration of corruption and impunity. These two parties have promoted a transactional pseudo-democracy that is funded with proceeds of corruption. Many Nigerians, particularly those in the mass media, are passively liable for tolerating this level of corruption and impunity. According to Section 22 of the Nigerian Constitution, “The press, radio, television and other agencies of the mass media shall at all times be free to uphold the fundamental objectives contained in this Chapter and uphold the responsibility and accountability of the Government to the people”.

Democracy cannot thrive without press freedom and the mass media must hold the government accountable to the people to promote democracy.

What is your take on the idea of a Muslim-Muslim ticket? Any attempt at a Muslim-Muslim ticket is an insidious push to move Nigeria to a collapsed state from its current situation as a failed state. We will reject any Muslim-Muslim ticket as senseless, insensitive, unpatriotic and unconstitutional. We will challenge it spiritually, legally and politically. Nigeria is a diverse country and every ticket must be balanced in the spirit of our constitutional ‘Federal Character’. When I ran for President in 2015, we had Alhaji Ibrahim Muhammed, a very brilliant Muslim from Kebbi State, as the vice presidential candidate.

As we get set for the 2023 general election, what is your advice to INEC?

INEC is one of the major enemies of democracy in Nigeria. INEC has continued to violate the integrity of the ballot and the rule of law in many ways. INEC must not push Nigeria from a failed state to a collapsed state. In the past, INEC disenfranchised voters, registered underage voters, allowed underage voters to vote, allowed voting without accreditation, falsified election results and frustrated the audit of election results. My advice to INEC is to maintain its independence and follow the highest paths of integrity and transparency at every stage of an election.

How would you assess President Buhari’s government and what do you want him to accomplish before leaving in May 2023?

Buhari has led the worst government ever in Nigeria. His government has failed catastrophically on every major index. The level of insecurity is unprecedented and Nigeria is now a failed state. The economy is completely ruined and Nigeria currently has the highest rate of people living in extreme poverty. The unemployment and inflation levels are unprecedented. Corruption is massive and widespread with impunity across all sectors and Nigeria has received its worst rating (154) on Transparency International’s ‘Corruption Perception Index. The Muhammadu Buhari Administration pushed Nigeria with its incompetence and corruption from a weak state to a failed state. The only thing he can accomplish now to mitigate his loathsome legacy is to ensure a free and fair election.

Vote-buyin was witnessed on a high scale during the recent Ekiti state governorship election. What is the way out of this?

Vote-buying can be treated as a crime. Considering the very cheap manner in which the ruling APC bought votes at the Ekiti governorship election, it is clear that the party can easily manipulate the 2023 general election. The arrangement is simple. Corrupt politicians steal public funds and deploy it for vote-buying to take over power or to remain in power. Using the Ekiti governorship election as an example, INEC claimed that the winner got 187,057 votes. At N10, 000 per vote, only about N1.87 billion was required to buy the governorship of Ekiti State. This amount is too small to many corrupt politicians that wish to seize the governorship of a state. In this way what we have is a gathering of corrupt politicians who steal public funds and deploy it for vote-buying to get to office to steal more and deploy it again for vote-buying to return back to public office.

Similarly, if you have N600 billion, you can buy 20 million votes at N30, 000 each to become the President of Nigeria.

We must break this vicious cycle. To break it, we must use a multi-dimensional approach that will include advocacy against vote-selling, anti-corruption steps to check the supply of slush funds, improving the secrecy of balloting to prevent the votebuyer from knowing the party a voter voted for, monitoring polling units to arrest vote-buyers and confiscating the funds, etc.

What is your general advice to the electorate ahead of the general election?

The electorate must realise that they are the sovereign and they should take responsibility and control. We must register to vote, we must vote, we must defend our votes and ensure that the right results are transmitted to the collation centres. We must shield underage children from registration and voting. We must insist on the rule-of-law and the integrity of the ballot. We must resist any attempt to manipulate the elections. We must vote for competent candidates with high integrity, clear vision and physical vigour.

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