Senator ANNIE OKONKWO, Deputy National Chairman (South) of the All Progressives Congress (APC), had an interaction at his Ikoyi home recently with Assistant Politics Editor, DANIEL KANU, where he addressed some critical national questions
How would you assess the recent ward congresses of your party?
Senator Annie Okonkwo
It was well-conducted in some states, but I am not happy over what happened during the ward congress, especially in my state, Anambra. The state congress committee chairman, Ezennia Ogbuehi, sidelined some members of the committee assigned by the party to conduct the congress and conducted the congress without following due process and guidelines of the congress. Honestly, I was disappointed. The party promised to operate internal democracy and that equal opportunities would be given to all members; but most of the aspirants were not allowed to participate in the congress. I believe it is something that should not be allowed to happen in our party because Nigerians see APC as the only alternative party that can transform the country. Nigerians are really looking forward to APC as a party that is going to bring the true change that we need.
You are talking about internal democracy and due process. What is your ideal of internal democracy and due process when it comes to the APC congress?
I was excited when the party came out openly in the pages of national dailies to state the process of congresses. The guidelines were very transparent and showed how serious we took the issue of internal democracy. But what happened during the congress, especially in Anambra, was undemocratic. Today, it is on record that all Anambarians are highly disappointed with the chairman of the congress committee, who completely ignored the party’s guidelines and started perpetuating what he was not told to do by the party. I think it is a lesson, and we cannot continue like that. I think this is an opportunity for the party to really look into the state and see that the problem is resolved. What happened in the last election in Anambra is all about disunity, and we must make sure that APC is united in all states to be able to confront PDP in 2015. The only way to do that is to build a solid foundation. Without building a solid foundation, it might affect us.
As a founding member of APC, what would you recommend for the party’s leadership?
APC is a very big party, and there is no doubt that there are going to be some elements who are not ready to abide by the principles of internal democracy. But the party should rise up and be able to identify those elements. The good news is that APC has a vision, and the party’s constitution is very clear. They must realise that it is very important that, for the party to grow, there must be true internal democracy. But if, for you to become a ward chairman, you need to go and lobby somebody in Abuja, then that is not good. So we must abide by the principles of internal democracy as stated by the party.
You said APC is the alternative political party, but some people believe that APC was built on faulty foundation in the sense that it welcomes people who were rejected in the PDP without screening, scrutiny and any form of interrogation. So, how do you expect APC to win the 2015 elections?
First of all, you should understand that there is freedom of association; so, there is no question of screening somebody to be a member of a party. The constitution gives you the right to belong to anywhere you want. A member of the party cannot stop anyone from being a member of a party, and nobody can also suspend anybody unless you go against the constitution or guidelines of the party. Again, the party cannot say that people who want to join should not join; but the most important thing is that there is a principle and constitution of the party. I believe the only way the party can be strengthened is when it works with the constitution and its manifesto, especially during its congresses and convention.
With what is happening in APC, which many people believe is leadership tussle, do you see it posing serious challenge to PDP in 2015?
If people would be able to submit themselves to democratic laws, you find out that there is nothing like leadership tussle. Today, if you are a ward chairman, you are leader of the ward; if you are a local government chairman, you are the leader of that local government. But APC decided in its constitution that they must democratise the leadership. It is not by appointment. Even if it comes by consensus, people must agree; it is not by force. I think the most important thing that is happening is that this is the first time we are trying to democratise the leadership of the party. If any leader emerges through a democratic process and party congress, then the person is a leader. But a leader who does not emerge and tries to force himself on the people is an undemocratic leader. That is what is happening in Anambra. They want to impose people on the masses. People must be able to subject themselves to democratic principles. I think that if APC puts its house in order by electing the party leaders from the wards to national level democratically, then the party would have an institution that anybody would find difficult to beat.
The defection of founding members of the party such as Ibrahim Shekarau, Attahiru Bafarawa, Buba Marwa and many others to PDP has sent a message to the public. What do you think went wrong?
People have freedom of association. I am not happy that these individuals who were founding members of APC left the party; but if they had been patient till the time of the party’s congresses, may be they would have seen reasons to justify their exit from the party. If after the congresses they have reasons to say this is not the principles of APC, then they can go to any place they like. But today, I still think that APC should be given a chance, which is being done right now. With what they are doing now in terms of internal democracy, everybody is accommodated. That is why I kicked against what was happening in Anambra. It will be better for the party not to allow the problem in the state to degenerate because today the people in Anambra are not happy about what the chairman of the state congress is doing. It has come to a stage that the party must respond immediately.
Following the outcome of the last Anambra governorship poll, in which APC came third, many people believe the party is not yet accepted in the South East.
I don’t think so. The truth is that a lot of people in the South East, especially those parading themselves as APC leaders, are not doing enough in terms of enlightening the people. If things are not done properly, it would be difficult for people to accept APC. The party must be able to change the way things are being done, especially in the South East, given some of the actions of those who are parading themselves as leaders of the party.
On the issue of national conference, APC seems to be engaging in doublespeak. At the beginning, it said it was not going to participate, hence it did not nominate anybody to the conference; but its governors nominated people to the conference.
APC as a party decided that it was not going to be involved, but that did not mean that the states were not going to send their representatives to the conference. APC believes that the conference is a waste of time because the outcomes of previous conferences were not implemented. Now, a lot of issues are coming up. Some delegates are saying that the outcome should be subjected straight to referendum and that it should not be sent to the National Assembly. Some people also see it as Jonathan’s political strategy to win the minds of the people ahead of the 2015 general election. Second, when you are talking about national conference or dialogue, what are you discussing? The key issues affecting the nation should be unemployment, insecurity and the rest of them. And when you are talking of insecurity and unemployment, who are the affected people? The unemployed youths in the country. But in the ongoing national conference, they went and gathered professsionals both within and outside the country. Personally, I am not against the conference, but my concern is for the outcome to be implemented.
Are you saying that APC is right in boycotting the conference?
As a political party and the major opposition party, it is better for APC to stay aside and watch; but that does not mean the governors would not send their representatives to the conference, because they are not representing APC; they are representing the states. Whether convening the conference is a good thing or not, governors must nominate people to represent their states. It won’t be good if the opposition governors did not send their own delegates.
As an individual, do you believe in the conference?
I believe that Nigerians should sit down and talk. There is no doubt about that. I support it, but my concern is that after this talk, what do we do with it? I am also afraid that there might not be any useful thing that would come out of it.
There are accusations and counter-accusations between PDP and APC over insecurity in the country. What is your take on that?
Everybody knows that Boko Haram is the worst thing that has happened to this country and we must do something about it. Sometimes, I get baffled on why we as a nation can’t go in and smoke them out once and for all. Whatever we can do to smoke all the Boko Haram (insurgents) out, let us finish it and know that nobody talks about Boko Haram anymore. The truth of the matter is that sometimes, I wonder how people, for so many years, would continue to hold the nation to ransom. Nigerians came together to fight the civil war; so why can’t we come together and fight Boko Haram once and for all? It is so embarrassing and it is not good for our nation. Today, we are talking about our GDP (Gross Domestic Product), economy; how can we boost our economy when some parts of the country are in disarray? So, it is something that I think we must come together and fight once and for all.
Don’t you think your party needs to work with PDP to solve the problem?
The insecurity situation in the country is what everybody must join hands to solve. Whether you are APC or PDP, no party is happy with the way Boko Haram is terrorising the country. You don’t know who is next. Boko Haram doesn’t spare people, whether they are Muslims or Christians. So, we must unite to fight the insurgents.
Most Nigerians seem to be yearning for change; do you think APC can produce a formidable candidate that can challenge President Jonathan in 2015?
APC is working towards that. Nobody can predict what is going to happen in 2015, but I can assure Nigerians that APC’s convention will produce a presidential candidate that Nigerians would accept. APC will produce a candidate that has the interest of the people at heart, a candidate that will tranform the country. APC will dislodge PDP in 2015.
