I disagree with Obasanjo on N/Assembly integrity – Walid Jibrin
Senator Walid Jibrin is chairman of the Board of Trustees of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). In this interview, he explains issues surrounding the forthcoming national convention of the party, and former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s opinio
Abdul-RahmanAbubakar, Fidelis Macleva & Ibraheem Hamza Muhammad
Daily Trust: What is your reaction to the blanket statement by former President Obasanjo about the legislators?
I have great respect for former President Olusegun Obasanjo as a former president and my former Chairman of the PDP board of trustees, as I was his secretary. But I totally disagree with him on his statement that there is no honest person in the Senate, House of Representatives and state Houses of Assemblies, and that they are not supposed to make laws for Nigeria. I believe that in every community there are good and bad people.
Some of the lawmakers have received awards and laurels, among others, for legislating in both West African and African parliaments. Everybody knows there are differences between when I was a senator in the Second Republic during the administration of President Shehu Shagari and the present Eight Assembly. I pity them as people keep demanding for financial assistance from legislators for sundry personal issues like for burials, naming ceremonies, weddings and even food. The economy during our time and now are not the same, the economy is now in trouble due to low income.
DT: What is your assessment of the National Assembly?
Jibrin: I like the good working relationship between APC and PDP members as this led to the election of the Deputy Senate President Ike Ikweremadu of the PDP to assist Senate President Bukola Saraki of the APC. I want them to continue the good work.
DT: What is the stand of the PDP on the alleged impeachment of President Buhari?
I want Nigerians to know that the PDP board of trustees and the caretaker committee never met and endorsed the process for the impeachment of President Muhammadu Buhari. I don’t have to name the person who made this goof, as he is known and has been shamed. Recently, the Senate minority leader Akpabio, Senate minority whip Senator Philip Aduda, Minority Deputy Chief Whip Senator Biodun Olujimi came out with a signed statement to refute that allegation.
We are more concerned with the serious problems facing Nigeria than going through an impeachment process. That will not solve the problem of the masses. Sometime ago, Obasanjo accused the senators of getting vehicle loans and purchasing official vehicles. I don’t think there is anything wrong to have a car for committee functions. How many cars do our governors travel with? I think senators should be protected as lawmakers, and their safety guaranteed. The problem of the PDP is normal; even in our various houses there are stubborn ones who do not agree with the father, and they go ahead to form their own group. It is your ability to solve their problem that will make you a successful father.
DT: What lesson has the PDP learnt as a former ruling party and now an opposition party?
What Ali Modu Sheriff and others are doing is normal and expected. We ruled for sixteen years and lost election. And after 16 years, we are beginning to learn. If today you ask people how Sheriff came to be the chairman, many will be surprised to know who brought him and who initiated the move to bring him. In whatever we do, the party is supreme and when you are offended, you don’t look at yourself as an individual. All these cases going to court are illegal and alien to our party constitution, which is why today I pity our judiciary.
So, today, the PDP is ready to tackle impunity. We won’t entertain godfatherism; we are going to conduct free and fair elections starting with this convention in Port Harcourt. We will give a level playing ground to every contestant. You know we have zoned the presidency to the North and the chairmanship to the South. We did not mention any particular zone, neither did we recognise a state like the last convention which Sheriff did.
So we are going to Port Harcourt on the 17th of August with free mind to allow people contest. Many people have already started indicating interest to contest and they are free to do so. It is the people that will take their decisions and present to us. Our impunity of the past, our lack of respect for the constitution and misbehaviour have been fully noted.
I was the Secretary of the committee established under Senator Ekweremadu to do a post-mortem. We agreed that injustice was done to the North by not allowing them to produce the president, so it is time to give them that opportunity. This was passed by the national caucus, the BOT and the NEC. Now, we are going back to the truth.
We have engaged in a lot of visits to leaders of the party. We have visited Ekweremadu and Adamu Ciroma, we’ll be visiting Alex Ekwueme, Obasanjo, Babangida, and others like Ahmed Kirfi in Bauchi; those that formed the party, whether they are still in politics or not but were the founding fathers of the party.
Under my leadership I will ensure that we maintain the position of the conscience of the party, with highest moral responsibility to lead this party. We are the custodians of assets and liabilities of PDP which is why today the keys to the secretariat are with me. I will not give it to anybody yet until we solve our problem.
Maybe, after the convention when we come out with a brand new executive, then I will hand over the keys to the right person.
DT: Ali Modu Sheriff has given conditions for reconciliation with respect to the forthcoming convention and one of them is that the convention should hold in Abuja and other conditions that you are aware of…
When it comes to taking decisions in our party, it is not usually a one-man verdict. We usually take collective decisions in PDP. When we have superior reasons not to hold the convention in Port Harcourt, we’ll relate with it naturally. So, if Modu has come with a very sincere condition, we will all sit down and look at it and it is the party that will take the decision, not an individual. Let Modu present his case; not on the pages of newspapers.
As far as I’m concerned, discussions are still on. I attended a meeting where Modu and Makarfi were invited. I went on the invitation of some very prominent people under the reconciliation committee headed by the Bayelsa State governor, Seriake Dickson. I attended because I want peace for the party. I will attend a meeting even if it is called by an ordinary member of PDP if he has an idea on how to bring peace.
So,I want to assure you that negotiations are on and I don’t want people to expand this problem. It is our internal problem and we are capable of solving it. We don’t want interlopers in our affairs and I still want to appeal to Modu Sheriff to see reason. There were so many other chairmen in the past who found themselves in this kind of situation. We’ve had about eighteen chairmen since inception and each of them had one problem or the other.
I totally disagree with him on his statement that there is no honest person in the Senate, House of Representatives and state Houses of Assemblies, and that they are not supposed to make laws for Nigeria. I believe that in every community there are good and bad people