George Moghalu, former National Secretary of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) and, unarguably, one of the nation’s consistent opposition politicians, is the current National Auditor of the All Progressives Congress (APC). In this interview with Special Correspondent, COLINS OSIGBEME, he talks on the recent defection of APC key members to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), state of the party in the South East and wave of impeachments in the country, among other issues.
Defection of key members to PDP and fortunes of the party
George Moghalu,
What you cannot do about people is question their ambition or desire. This is because politics is something that has to do with an individual, and it is all about expectations, ambition and what you want to achieve at the end of the day. So, I wouldn’t be surprised when we have issues that have to do with movement, because as some people are leaving the APC, others are moving in. Some are also going to other parties. It has to do with the individual and how he or she expects to achieve his personal ambition.
On the issue of Nuhu Ribadu, he is a friend and was a leader in our party. When he decided to go over to the PDP, he made his case very clear. He talked about his ambition, about one’s assessment of one and what one intends to achieve at the end of the day. So, his movement, I want to believe, is a consequence of his desire to contest the election on the platform of PDP. So, you can’t stop him. I don’t think there is any other reason. From what I can read and understand, I believe that his decision is a consequence of his ambition which he is entitled to.
For somebody like Tom Ikimi, I feel sad – no doubt about it –having known him for quite a while and the fact that he played a very key role in the course of the merger for the APC. He was like the coordinating chairman of the chairmen of the three parties that came together to form the APC, and all the meetings we had about the formation were incidentally held in his house. So, for me, it is a sad commentary. However, we will still not lose sight of the fact that he has his decisions to make. He is the person involved and knows his expectations and what he considers as his challenges. He knows where he feels injured. But if I had the privilege of being consulted by him, I would have advised that he should be a little patient and see how things would unfold because some of us believe that whatever maybe the disagreement, there will still be room for reconciliation.
Founding fathers’ exit affecting APC fortunes
I don’t think so. While some of us feel sad that you lose people you have already built some level of affinity with, some other people are also coming in. It’s about individuals, ambition and expectation. If you are not realising your ambition, if you are not getting what you expect, that is enough reason for you to take a decision to move. But I don’t think there’s going to be any adverse effect; I don’t agree with you.
Zoning principles in APC
We are going to provide the enabling environment for everybody to express himself or herself. As a party, we have agreed that there will not be any imposition. We want a situation where the best candidate will emerge. But when you are looking at zoning, you must also not lose sight of the fact that in our constitution, there is provision for federal character and balance. For you to achieve this, you must, out of political exigency, be compelled to bring in zoning. The leadership of the party believes in fairness, equity and justice. We are going to create an enabling environment for anybody who desires to aspire to any office to go ahead, right from the councillorship up to the presidency. We are not going to impose anybody because we want the best to emerge. We want the best for the country.
APC formation of Board of Trustees (BoT) and matters arising
The formation of the BOT is a constitutional matter. It is the responsibility of the BOT to choose its chairman, its secretary and its leadership. It is not for the party to do, but for members of the BOT to decide who will lead them. It is their internal affair and they have to vote among themselves to choose their leaders. We cannot influence them from outside or sit in the national secretariat and say that the chairman must come from this place or that place.
Nigerian political parties lacking in ideology
I don’t really agree with you. There is quite a world of difference between the PDP and the APC. The latter is a progressive party and we look at progressivism from the standpoint of Nigerians. But I will agree with you that, probably, I don’t know whether it’s a case of immaturity of our democratic process. But it’s a gradual process and we are going to get to the point where the dividing line will be so clear that you can easily identify who is who and who is where at any given time. If you take the states under the APC government for example, you will see clear difference. Our approach to the issue of corruption, poverty alleviation, education and health is entirely different from what we have in the system. That will tell that there is a world of difference between us and them. You must also understand why we are in this situation. One, because of the weakness of the private sector, government appears to be the only business.
Post-convention crisis in South East APC and the way out
One thing you must understand is that we are talking about human beings; we are talking about people’s ambition; we are talking about people’s expectations. So, there is no way you would finish it and not expect that some persons would be injured because some people may not actualise or get what they want at the end of the day. Then, there is the need for you to consult and talk to such people and make sure everybody is carried along. So, the reactions after every congress or every convention are expected. But our position is that there must be justice in every given situation, because once there is injustice, there is no tendency for you to make peace. Once there is justice, the route to making peace becomes wider and easier.
PDP governors coming to APC
Winning people to the party is a continuous process and we don’t intend to stop. The important thing is that we have created a mega political platform that we have made available to Nigerians to express themselves. We have brought something that is different from the past; something that had never happened before. You know there had never been a successful merger in the history of Nigerian politics, let alone a situation where parties with government at various levels collapsed their identities to come together. It is all because of the love for this nation and the desire that Nigeria has come to a point in our history where it is only the best that is good enough. We must create the enabling environment for the people to drive in. Not until we do that, we have a problem. That is what makes APC different from the other parties.
Possibility of APC presidential candidate coming from the South East
The possibility is there. There is no street in the South East that cannot generate a federal cabinet. I want to be challenged. Every street in the South East can generate a complete federal cabinet. We have presidential materials, and so you cannot shut out the zone.
Consultations are going on and people who are desirous of moving silently because you still have to wait for Independent National Electoral commission (INEC)’s directive as to when campaigns will start. We are law-abiding people and will not go against the laid down procedures. So, you have to wait for the time, then you can see how many of the South Easterners are out to be part of the presidential race.
APC acceptance in the South East
We are very strong. Those who have contrary perceptions are those who don’t want our party because they are not members of the party, and they don’t intend to belong now. What else do you expect them to say? They will do everything possible to discourage another person from joining and that is part of the campaign. But as far as we are concerned and as far as we know, APC is a popular party in the South East and holds the best for the Igbo man.
Agenda for the party as national auditor
I will bring to bear my knowledge of the system, to ensure that the right things are done, so that at the end of the day, by the time we leave, we would have left a legacy. We are the beginners; the ones starting it. So we must develop a template, a pattern that others can build on, by the time we finish our tenure.
Ensuring sustainable structure for APC
We have already put in place the structure and we have started implementing it. We have a membership base that is quite heavy. If by the time all our members pay a N100 or N200 annual levy, that’s a whole lot of money. So you find out that it’s a matter of putting this in place, articulating it. That is exactly what we have done since we came into office. We have drawn out the pattern; have put it clearly. We are going to implement it from top to bottom, to ensure that everybody is a part owner of the party. No one person owns APC. APC is a mass movement and we want to get everybody involved. We are trying to build a mass movement.
That is exactly what we are doing.
Gale of impeachments across the country
What recently happened in Enugu State is an embarrassment. I believe that those who designed the constitution and included impeachment in it intended it to be a check on the excesses of the executive. But we are getting to a point where we are trying to abuse the process of impeachment. From what I read in the newspapers, the man was impeached because he had poultry farm. That sounded ridiculous? It sounded very ridiculous that he was impeached not because he stole government money, not that he misappropriated government money, not that he did anything wrong; but because he had a poultry farm. It was absolute madness as far as I am concerned. The legislators themselves should please ask themselves whether they are doing this in the interest of democracy.
The executive also should stop being demigods. Impeachment is a weapon provided for in the constitution to check the excesses of the executive, to check the excesses of any public officer at that level. But what we are doing now is a complete embarrassment.
