By Chidiebere Onyemaizu
A founding member of the All Progressives Congress, APC and the immediate past DG of the Voice of Nigeria (VON), Osita Okechukwu is not one to speak tongue in cheek. He bares his mind notwithstanding whose ox is gored. In this interview, the former VON DG admits the political class needs to learn a lesson from the just concluded flawless UK election but quickly adds that the UK once grappled with tainted electoral system. He also rued the inherent corruption in the Nigerian political system which has made politics the fastest route to accumulation of primitive wealth. Okechukwu thus recommends serious and diligent anti- corruption war as panacea.
UK election witnessed no electioneering rancour, no ballot box snatching, no ethnic profiling, no violence, no election result dispute. The loser quietly walked out and the winner equally quietly walked in to take over; no elaborate swearing-in ceremony and within hours, he named his cabinet. What lesson can the political class in Nigeria learn from the seamless political transition in the Uk?
The seamless UK’s transition is a model worthy of emulation by Nigerians as it is not only peaceful, rancour free and no live lost, but cheap in execution. The truism is that Nigeria will one day conduct similar seamless election, as was the case in 2015, when President Goodluck Jonathan graciously bowed out. Also don’t forget that the word thug, is not Igbo, Yoruba or Hausa word, which means that at some point in the history of UK, there existed thugs during elections. A man called Cromwell once manipulated his way to power in UK. Therefore, methinks that one day we will consolidate our democracy.
How can we use the UK example to improve our electoral system and political process?
Democracy is a journey of non-stop dancing and as I said earlier, we are on the right track of the learning process. I remember and cherish the unimaginable scenario of 2023 general election where many outgoing governors lost their bid for the Senate, an arena they have converted to post-retirement rest house. Or have we, due to short memory, forgotten an election where President Bola Tinubu lost his dear Lagos. The truth is that liberal democracy is not a revolution, but have advanced societies throughout history in evolutionary manner. The liberal democracy established many progressive items in the basket of current world order among which is the rule of law, free speech and peoples participation that still prevails over authoritarianism despite the rise of China.
In your opinion, why do politics and electioneering, the process of acquiring political power, often assume the toga of do-or-die in Nigeria?
As I said earlier, we will soon abandon this sordid scenario and progressively mordenise. It is subsisting because some economic bandits have hijacked or as defined in many intellectual circles, captured our state.
Looking at the seamless political transition in the UK, one wonders if our problem, that is, why we are not getting it right politically as a country, is a function of the system of government we operate or the operators. What is your opinion?
As Professor Chinua Achebe of blessed memory admonished us, our problem is simply leadership operators not the model of political system. The question one normally posed to “con-federalists” is why did the First Republic collapse if regionalism is an ideal? And have you ever asked yourself why region as a core item in the 1978/9, 1995/6, 2005 and 2014 Constitutional Conferences failed to be adopted and left us with only the memorable symbolic convention note of geopolitical zones?
How can politics be made less attractive in Nigeria as it appears to be the biggest and the most lucrative industry in the country at the moment?
Corruption is mainly the reason politics is attractive in our clime. And one envisages a day when serious diligent anti-graft war will be waged and it will automatically diminish the aura of politics as the fastest route to primitive accumulation of wealth. We are in a country where there are bandits of multi-colours who take unfair advantage of constitution and extant laws and rape our people.
For instance, they deliberately disobey and violently breach the Social Contract between leaders and the led. Regrettably, they all swore to preserve this section that is expressly stated in Chapter II of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria – Fundamental Objectives and Directive Principle of State Policy. The Social Contract simply mandated leaders to provide security and welfare to the people with their own men and material resources. Note please, neither pro-bono nor to dash, but via their inheritance.
Before your party, the APC, got into government, as an opposition party, it was in the forefront of the campaign for fiscal federalism, reduction in the cost of governance, restructuring and other people-oriented and innovative policies but upon coming to power in 2015, it simply carried on with the status quo it met. What is responsible for this volte-face?
My brother, we gained some, we lost some, that’s the true situation. We restructured for instance by amending the constitution to guarantee the state judiciary and state legislatures’ financial autonomy. In order words, we factored that the governors have either wittingly or unwittingly gravely adopted the toga of emperors, hence dampened socio-economic development.
Why single out the governors and spare the presidents?
I am not cherry-picking, far from that. One is only trying as a man inside the locus inquo, to point out the most ugly downside of our democratic growth and economic revival. Yes, former and present president cannot be absolved or called saints no, they need much improvement as per transparency. However at the federal level, institutions of state that strengthen democratic growth are working, albeit not to our expectations, but those institutions are dampened at the sub-national levels of governments. Remember that no matter how low you rate Buhari, that he amended Section 121 of the constitution in observance of the independence of the state judiciary and state legislatures. Do you know that the majority of state governors still violently breach this amended section? They hung on the notorious axiom that he who pays the piper dictates the tune. Please is there any institution at the state level that barks, not even bite at the Executive Governors? Why is President Tinubu in court over the funding of local councils? Or is there any state electoral commission which is truly independent?
Do you support any constitutional alteration that will significantly reconfigure Nigeria and reshape the political and electoral systems?
Whereas I am not opposed to any significant reconfiguration or reshape of our political and electoral systems, I am of the candid view that while we add new inputs, for the time being, what is paramount is the obedience and observance of the extant laws. Don’t forget that in few months, we will have off season state gubernatorial elections.
There is a renewed clamour for new states, the Nsukka axis of your state, Enugu has also renewed the demand for Adada state; there is also the quest for Etiti state to be carved out of the five Southeast states, Orlu state to be created from parts of Imo and Anambra is equally being proposed and there is new dimension- the demand for the creation of Anioma State from Delta North senatorial district as the sixth state for the Southeast. In all of these, for equity, fairness and justice, which do you think suits the strategic political aspirations and interest of the southeast?
Yes, because of equity, fairness and justice, the Southeast needs one extra state and if they increase that of other geopolitical zones, they should accordingly increase ours. For what is good for the goose is good for the gander, according to ancient sage. This is so especially when revenue is shared according to number of states and local councils. To be candid, I don’t care the name or where it’s carved out from, as what is important is addition of more to the people of Southeast.
2027, another election year, will soon be here, will you be making a political statement in terms of vying for an elective position?
It depends on providence, as is only the Almighty God who gives life. It’s only when you’re alive that people will consider what you’re suitable for.
Looking at the composition of the Tinubu administration, it would appear that the Southeast is holding the short end of the stick, in what many, including elder statesman, Edwin Clarke, termed as a continuation of former President Buhari’s mindless exclusion of the region from the epicentre of federal power. Could it be that the APC harbours a disdain for the Southeast since coming to power in 2015?
My position has not changed from time immemorial, one has maintained that what my geopolitical zone needs as a matter of urgent national importance is physical infrastructure like standard railways like the Western Corridor, gas pipeline like AKK (Abuja, Kaduna and Kano), completion of federal roads to enhance economic development. Physical infrastructure is what my people need more, as I am contented with the fact that the constitution mandates President Tinubu to obey the Federal Character Principle. I don’t think in fullness of time he will not observe this essential ingredient for national cohesion and unity.
On an emotional note, how have you been coping since losing your dear wife to the cold hands of death a few years ago. How is life as a widower and single parent?
It is always a shock one has not fully recovered from. I commit her soul to Almighty God and took solace on the truism that he gives and takes. That’s why I have married a new one to keep body and soul alive.
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