INTERVIEW
Mallam Dahiru Hassan Kera was chairman, Media and Publicity Committee for Governor Dankwambo’s campaign organisation for the 2015 general elections. He was also media aide to Hon. Umar Nafada in the 7th Assembly. He fielded questions on the emergence of Senator Ali Modu Sheriff as PDP National Chairman. Excerpts:
Some members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are not happy with the recent appointment of Ali Modu Sheriff as the new Chairman of the party. What is your reaction to that?
Let me categorically and without mincing words, say my reaction would not be different from that of the good and the larger family of the Peoples Democratic Party that had overwhelmingly welcomed the development. The emergence of the former Borno State governor Sheriff as party Chairman is a new dawn for the PDP and a step towards regaining power in 2019. Those who criticised his emergence are entitled to their opinion, but most of them are doing so for selfish reasons. To me, they are agents of retrogression and destruction of the PDP that built and raised them.
Are you saying those that condem his emergence are not true members of the PDP?
You see, whether we like it or not, the PDP made them what they are today and coming out to challenge the party’s position is outright betrayal. Dr. Tafida who said the PDP was finished was transformed from a physician to a Senator representing Kaduna North in 1999 under the PDP government. He was re-elected in 2003, contested for governorship primary election but lost to Sen. Makarfi in 2007. He was later appointed Nigeria’s High Commissioner to the UK by the Obasanjo regime and served for seven consecutive years in that position before he resigned in 2015. He had enjoyed all of these privileges under the PDP government that he is now proclaiming as a dead party. Also with the case of Femi Fani-Kayode, Doyin Okupe too was a PDP beneficiary in many ways; he was a spokesperson to Obasanjo, governorship aspirant of the People’s Democratic Party in Ogun and a senior special assistant to president Goodluck Jonathan. Therefore, you cannot destroy the house that gave you shelter, or burn the finger that fed you. Furthermore, if you remove PDP from APC, what would you have as a party? Amaechi, Fashola, el-Rufai, Saraki, Kwankwaso, Wamakko, Goje, Tambuwal, Masari, Dogara —virtually all the senators, reps members, governors, ministers and what-have-you, were PDP members that defected to APC before the last year general elections and these are the people ridiculing the PDP as a failed party and its 16 years of governance as a waste.
There is this allegation that Modu Sheriff is a Boko Haram sponsor?
Well, you just said it is an allegation, and that is what it is. But has anyone been able to prove the allegation? When he joined Buhari in the APC, why didn’t they say he was sponsoring Boko Haram and why did the APC warmly accepted him? Because he is now in PDP and has emerged as its chairman, people have started bringing all sorts of accusations. People are ignorant of the legal implications of what they are saying, especially on the issues that have to do with someone’s character, image, and reputation. Most of the statements would amount to defamation of character which can attract severe punishment in the court of law, and until people start to be prosecuted for such offences, this sort of thing cannot stop. What we believe is that PDP needs a very bold and politically sound chairman to reposition the party and Sheriff has what it takes to be the chairman due to his vast political experience. He was a senator in the Third Republic under the National Republican Convention (NRC), elected as senator during Abacha’s regime under the United Nigerian Congress Party (UNCP) and after democracy was restored in 1999, he was also elected senator, Borno Central on the platform of the All Nigerian People Party (ANPP). Then he was a two-term governor of Borno State from 2003 to 2011. With these credentials, Ali Modu Sheriff has the capacity to unite PDP and make it stronger and subsequently wrest power from APC that only leveraged on the PDP’s crisis to emerge.
Do you think Nigerians would vote for PDP again?
Nigerians don’t have problem with PDP because the problem of the party lies within the party and its members and even those that believe that the 16 years of the PDP’s government was a waste are now realizing their mistake and believing that they were deceived. Nigeria, as a nation has within the epoch of the PDP government, significantly recorded a great milestone in all facets of development. Let us not allow our selfish motives to undermine the general interest of the Nigerian nation. The 16 years of PDP is even more visible to the APC, because it was the PDP that introduced the card reader and allowed a transparent election that saw them as the winners; the EFCC and ICPC they are now using as tool to scare and intimidate the opposition was the brainchild of the PDP’s so-called wasted years.
How do you rate the current APC government?
Though, many believe that it is too early to rate this government, I believe that nine months out of a four-year journey is very significant, especially for a journey that would be cut short by politicking in its midway. Nigerians are yet to see the change they were promised. Take it or leave it, this country belongs to all of us and looking at the present state of the nation, there are serious issues that are begging for urgent attention and on the elections, it was the electorate that took the decision to vote for APC and the same Nigerians would decide for themselves before 2019.
-Leadership