We’ve learnt a lesson from being in opposition – Makarfi
Senator Ahmed Makarfi recently got the nod from the Supreme Court as the authentic National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) after almost two years of a legal battle with Senator Ali Modu Sheriff. In this exclusive interview, he speaks on wh
Now that the Supreme Court judgement is over, what would happen to your main challenger, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, and his supporters?
Well, after the Supreme Court judgement, I said ‘no victor no vanquished’, meaning that whatever had happened before the Supreme Court judgement, we have drawn a line, we are not going back because a lot of people must have heard, must have fought for each other one way or the other; but we also said that we have learnt a lesson that indiscipline is not good for any system, any political party. Therefore, from that day going forward, indiscipline will not be tolerated.
Therefore, except somebody commits an act of indiscipline after the judgement, we would have no reason to look at the deeds of the person, we would not look at any issue before the judgement, whether you like me or you didn’t like me; you said this or you said that; that’s not our business (laughs). We are not going to have a look at that, but we must know that if we are to be taken as a serious party, if we are to work with cohesion that will enable us to capture power by 2019 at the centre, we must return discipline to the party and we must return internal democracy within our party. That is why at the NEC meeting we held, we set up two committees, one for reconciliation because we must reconcile. The second is disciplinary committee, which is not meant to investigate past events, but from now going forward. Any erring member of the party must face disciplinary procedures of the political party and even the states would have to make their disciplinary committees active so as to bring discipline into the PDP. The point is that from now going forward, no to witch-hunting and no to vindictiveness.
Why did you dissolve some state chapters of the party immediately after the Supreme Court judgement?
I know we announced the dissolution of illegal caretaker committees for good reason. When the Court of Appeal gave judgement in favour of Sheriff, he went to some states and dissolved any state executive that did not support him. In their place, he set up caretaker committees, and these were what we reversed; we didn’t dissolve those states that did not support us, we reversed the illegal caretaker committees he set up after the Appeal Court judgement and returned those elected at the various state congresses back to office. Is that being vindictive? Is that witch-hunting? He (Sheriff ) was the one that did witch-hunting at that particular time and we are only reversing it.
What are you doing about political solution in order to heal wounds, considering the fact that Sheriff said you didn’t invite him for all the meetings you have held?
We never wrote a letter to any individual; we published the invitations. President Goodluck Jonathan did not receive a phone call or a letter. No governor received a phone call or a letter, no National Assembly member received a phone call or letter, the procedure of PDP is to publish in the media, both electronic and print, and it was done and those who are genuine members of the party, you saw the number, they came; so why should he (Sheriff) create a new procedure for himself? Others did not receive any letter, never demanded for that and that has never been done in the history of the PDP; the announcement is always done through advertorial.
Now with the crisis somehow over, what would you do to improve the image of PDP in the eyes of ordinary Nigerians for future elections?
Well, luckily the eyes of ordinary Nigerians are wide open now; they know the difference between good and bad. They know the difference between comfort and discomfort, they know the difference between good governance and the opposite of that; they know the difference of PDP and any other party. They know how we fared, though not perfect within the 16 years we governed; they know how the current government is fairing and you can touch it with your fingers, everybody can touch it with their hands. First of all, we have an in-house cleansing, that was why we set up the reconciliation and disciplinary committees. We have a rich report which we would implement and which will enhance the entire democracy, bring back discipline, review and revamp our manifesto and communicate more with the people; let them understand us the more, they already understand us, but let them understand us more. There should be no more arrogance; we have tasted what being out of power means; so we should not take things for granted. Some of us, though not all of us, exhibited attitudes that showed elements of arrogance, we have learnt our lesson and we would do the needful.
There is the issue of many of your members that left, some prior to 2015, some left the party during the crisis. What are you going to do to bring them back?
We would work day and night to bring them back, not only to bring them back but also to bring in new members. Our work will not be limited to PDP going back to what it was, it is going beyond what it was; and that is our objective.
Are you thinking of waiver for returnees to contest the 2019 elections?
That is a decision to be taken by NEC; I cannot assume the powers of NEC and make categorical statements on that.
Before the crisis, there was the Ekweremadu committee report which made recommendations on zoning of positions, what is your take on that?
You see, the Supreme Court said convention decisions were supreme. The issue of caretaker committee was not the only decision taken at the (Port Harcourt) convention, but the issue specifically before the Supreme Court was on leadership of the party. One of the decisions taken at the convention was zoning of the chairmanship to the South and zoning of the presidency to the North. So the decision of the Supreme Court is not limited to the issue of caretaker, but it applies to all decisions taken at the May 21, 2016, convention.
Many Nigerians still see PDP as the cause of the present economic situation in the country, what is your take?
Because they were misinformed, they were brainwashed. Some of the economic problems go beyond even 1999, some of the problems can go back to any particular year, and also some of the problems; you can
The APC has set up a committee on restructuring to be headed by the Kaduna State Governor, Malam Nasir El- rufai. What is your take?
Well, I can’t be sure because it is a party, it is not a government. APC cannot set up a committee for restructuring the country. They can set up a committee on restructuring their party. You see, that’s why I said APC is in confusion. If it is about the nation, I respect the acting President, Osinbajo. If it is about the nation; I expect, we should expect the acting president to do it. The national chairman and the governor (El-Rufai) who is my younger brother with due respect, were on Channels TV saying that they didn’t believe in restructuring of the country. You don’t believe in restructuring the country, and you now form a committee… Please give me a break, what are they talking about?
Will you presidency? contest for the 2019
A party picks a candidate after you win nomination. Before you win nomination, you put up yourself. I am not thinking of that because it would be foolish of me to start thinking of that when you have a major responsibility on organisation of the party and putting it on the right course. That is one of the issues that helped in derailing Modu Sheriff, and I would be stupid to follow the same path. So I didn’t seek for this office, I was called upon to do a job and I am glad with how far we are going. I would be happier when we get there, conduct all-inclusive elections, conventions and all that, and I would take a break.