Adamu: APC Must Get It Right on Zoning, Power Sharing

In this encounter with Adams Abonu, Senator Abdullahi Adamu advises that the All Progressives Congress must get certain fundamentals right if it must take off smoothly

Senator Abdullahi Adamu is a recurring personality in Nigeria’s political evolution. An Engineer, who went on to become a lawyer, the Senator now representing Nasarawa West had served variously as a member of the constituent assembly that framed the 1979 constitution; former Plateau State chairman of the defunct National Party of Nigeria, an offshoot of the National Movement where he played an active role and as Minister of State for works before becoming governor of Nasarawa State for two consecutive tenures.

As one of the factors that helped to realize the formation of the All Progressives Congress, which has just ended the Peoples Democratic Party’s control of the centre for 16 years, the political juggernaut can be said to have seen and done it all. As one of the founding fathers, who went on to become an active player in the Peoples Democratic Party for over a decade claimed to have parted ways with the PDP due to what he described as disenchantment and internal division within the party, arising from the poor approach of the leadership at the time.

“Some of us took it upon ourselves to traverse the length and breadth of this country calling on statesmen to intervene and save the party from self-destruct. We visited former (military) President Ibrahim Babangida in Minna; we visited President Shehu Shagari in Sokoto, and we even visited Chief Ernest Shonekan and General T.Y. Danjuma.

“All was in a bid to save a political party we have all given so much for. But all these effort proved futile as it fell on the deaf ears of those whom were leading the party. So the reasonable thing to do in such circumstance was to reconsider our continual membership of a party that had lost all sense of direction and justice,” he said.

Teaming up with other aggrieved members of the PDP to form what was called the ‘New PDP,’ Senator Adamu said the ground was set for a major political realignment but many took them for a joke.

The nPDP which had up to seven governors among it’s rank- Governors Rotimi Ameachi of Rivers State; Muazu Babangida Aliyu of Nigers State; Sule Lamido of Jigawa State; Abdulfattah Ahmed of Kwara State; Aliyu Wammako of Sokoto State; Rabiu Kwakwaso of Kano State and the impeached Murtala Nyako of Adamawa State – also had a sizeable members of the Senate and House of Representatives and was led by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.

After all reasonable avenues of conflict resolution were explored to little or no avail; the nPDP left the party and joined in the formation of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

“When all our effort to salvage the situation failed, we went as far as to show the red card. Those who were in a position to do what was necessary to correct the issues we were complaining about decided to be deceptive or do nothing. And we went even to the highest quarters. I personally took matters up with President Jonathan. I also took up this matter with the chairman of the party then, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur and other people who could do something.

“We got to a point we were going from one state to another visiting people we believed could intervene to put things in shape. Each of the personalities we visited – party leaders and elder statesmen including Generals Yakubu Gowon and T.Y. Danjuma and a host of others – put up various suggestions but came to nothing. So we decided to leave the party. Many people in the National Assembly said we did not have the political right to do what we did but there was a clear division in the party. Infact, Bamanga Tukur lost his position as chairman because of this crisis.

“At the time, by sheer coincidence, there were ongoing talks in the final stages of the founding political parties – the All Nigerian Peoples Party (ANPP), the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and some elements of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) – of the APC.

“The nPDP subsequently went into the merger with the legacy parties of the APC and it was then that the eyes of some of the leaders of the PDP that chose to close their eyes and mind to the situation now woke from their slumber. The APC is a party that galvanised together within a year to defeat a party that had been in power for 16 years. I believe our effort was good for democracy. I am humbled because I see the hands of God in the development,” the Senator revealed.

For a man who has contested many elections and never lost one, the ranking senator gave the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) flowing remarks on the outcome of the recently held general election. He juxtaposed his position with past electoral experience delving into history and held thus:

“I think one thing anybody wanting to make an assessment and venture an opinion on the outcome of the 2015 general election as compared with other elections from the second to the third and fourth republics that we are in cannot fail to think and appreciate the major shift that the process has undergone. One, it is the first time in Nigeria’s history in democratic endevours as manifested by general election.

“It is the first time since independence that an opposition party is able to displace through democratic process called electioneering and out vote and defeat a sitting government. And there is even more to say with the sitting president conceding defeat and congratulating the opposition candidate that beat him and his party in the election.

“For me, this is a major development. And this, no matter the way anyone chooses to look at it, it’s worth commending. I don’t want to be in a hurry but I will be dishonest to say we have not moved forward positively. This is a clear shift in paradigm. The culture – political and electioneering culture is developing and our democracy is firmly taking roots through effective nurturing.”

On his experience transiting from executive governor to a federal lawmaker, Adamu said his cocktail of experience prepared him for the responsibility of making quality laws for the good of Nigeria and the benefit of his immediate constituency. He said he is even better prepared with his re-election into the Senate by the people of Nasarawa West Constituency as he has “learned the ropes” in the intervening tenure.

“The major difference is the fact that with the executive, the buck stops on your table as you are the one to implement all the policies and laws that emanates from all organs of government and I had that opportunity. After that experience for eight years, I now found myself in the upper legislature and it’s a whole new deal because now I am preoccupied with making laws and keeping oversight on the executive to ensure implementation by the executive. I have been learning and now I have another opportunity to be more effective,” said Adamu.

On his priority as a Senator, the Sarkin Yakin Keffi, a traditional title given to him by his people, said he placed emphasis on quality education, effective healthcare delivery and provision of infrastructure for the rural communities. This passion which was brought aboard when he served as executive governor defined his legislative priority and benefitted his constituency.

The senator gave a touching story of going to campaign in the hinterlands and seeing the populace having to drink water from a source that “breeds diseases and illnesses.” This he tries to correct by providing opportunities of basic healthcare facilities and accompanying infrastructure to communities in his constituency. Adamu also put paid to speculations that he was on the contest to become the next President of the 8th Senate.

“Between myself and God, the issue of me contesting the senate presidency has not been my preoccupation. The issue is not so much if I am going to contest election or not. If I said I want to contest, I have to consider if the position is going to the north-central or I am just groping in the dark that I want to be Senate President when you don’t know where it is going to.

“In this kind of scenario, why do you want to bother yourself? I believe that leadership comes from God. What I will do in this point in time is to do the best I can do to make sure that the acrimonies that are accompanying these ambitions are taken off the stage so we can begin to talk as a team.

“I wish everyone to be a team-player as much as possible and that we should agree together as one party with one mission as far as the issue of the placement of the Senate Presidency is concerned to say this is who the cap fits and all the 66 of us in the APC go together. If we don’t do that, the PDP is now the underdog in the National Assembly, a minority with a siege mentality.

“They now have a common enemy in the APC and if the 49 of them in the (incoming) Senate come together and present a candidate while the APC in the euphoria of our victory loses its head and one, two or three competitors, God forbids, comes out, then you can be sure that the PDP will take the leadership again.

“And if the speculations I read on the pages of newspapers and commentaries on radios and televisions are true, then there is nobody who is strongly located with everything working in his favour than the current President of the Senate if he wants to go into the contest. He (David Mark) has got the advantage of incumbency and human and material resources and if the number of PDP remains together.

“So I am sounding a warning to my colleagues in the APC in National Assembly not to be carried away by our victory and to ensure that we manage our success. If there is any threat to us today, it is the ability to manage our success and I say this with all sense of responsibility. The President will succeed by working with the National Assembly. And the National Assembly will only have relevance if there is stability. We in the APC owe ourselves and our country a duty to resolve the issue of leadership as quickly as possible,” Adamu warned.

The role of the national leadership of the APC in resolving the leadership tussle was also emphasised by Senator Adamu. “Our national leadership will, however, do us a great duty by saying this is where we want you to follow through party-whipping system that will make us line up to a particular candidate. I don’t want them to be quiet in reading the barometer and allowing the system overheated before we act.”

The senator said he would not preempt the leadership of the APC which he is a national caucus member and will be patient for a collective decision.

On the President-elect Muhammadu Buhari and the APC ability to deliver on the expectations on Nigerians, Abdullahi Adamu assuaged the genuine expectations of Nigerians as the outcome of the election is an opportunity to change the course of delivery of common goods.

“Nigerians have legitimate expectations because we have been through hell recently. All major indices have been on the negative trend with the country being on the verge but we now have opportunity to reverse those trends,” the senator said, adding that Buhari’s moral credentials justify the confidence of Nigerians.

On what should define the leadership of the next Senate, Adamu said an inspiring leadership that should unite beyond partisanship and deliver on the common aspirations of Nigerians. He advised the APC government in Nasarawa State to consolidate in delivering democratic dividends to the people while advising aggrieved elements like Labaran Maku, who was one time his deputy governor and candidate of APGA in the gubernatorial election to put the peoples’ interest ahead of politics of division.