Atiku, Ayu should be blamed for PDP’s crisis – Rivers Rep, Bob

The lawmaker representing the Abua/Odual/Ahoada-East Federal Constituency of Rivers State in the House of Representatives, Solomon Bob, shares his thoughts on the crisis in the Peoples Democratic Party and the chances of its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, among others, with LEKE BAIYEWU

The post-presidential primary crisis in the PDP has lingered about four months to the general elections. Do you agree that it is protracted and defying solution?

Yes, it is protracted but the fault lies both in terms of the crisis starting at all and the fact that it is festering with the presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, and the national leadership of the party led by Dr Iyorchia Ayu.

What does Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State really want?

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Governor Wike is a stickler for character; he abhors lies and dodgy behaviour. So, he has laid out a credible case for honesty, fairness and respect for agreed positions as indispensable requirements for both sides to move forward. Essentially, what he wants is out in the public space and it is consistent with the principle of power sharing in our (the PDP) constitution, which is that no zone can hold both the positions of presidential candidate of the party and the national chairmanship of the party at the same time. That is an important foundational principle in our constitution. So, what he wants is consistent with our party’s founding fathers’ understanding.

Unfortunately, certain people assume it is their inalienable right to ride roughshod over the rest of us and are audaciously ignoring or violating a basic tenet of the party’s founding document. So, what he (Wike) and his colleagues in the Integrity Group want is for Ayu to step down as the national chairman for equity and balance.

Do you really think your presidential candidate and Ayu are showing any sign of agreeing to this demand?

The simple answer is that they’re not and that’s why there has been no sincere attempt to resolve the rift. Let me make you understand – and I am sure you have already heard from Governor Wike – that it was Atiku himself who went to Wike a day after the convention (presidential primary) and proposed to Wike that Ayu must go. That is an uncontroverted assertion that Atiku has never denied. He was the one who went to Wike to say that Ayu must go. At different forums where they had met – at least three times – he ostensibly committed himself to ensuring that Ayu would leave the office.

Is Ayu the only problem Wike has with the PDP?

There is no problem if Ayu goes. That is what the governor has said time and again and Nigerians know he’s not a man who prevaricates. People must understand that he has demonstrated sufficient equanimity and sportsmanship by not raising issues about Atiku’s candidacy, because it was indisputably the South’s turn to produce the presidential candidate. He has never made it an issue before or since the convention that produced Atiku. So, I believe that if Ayu goes, the party will summon its collective energy and pull together to face the election as one.

So, is this all about the South being relegated or denied its rightful opportunity to take a prominent position in the party?

Yes, it is. As a country, we must adhere to the needs of equity and fairness and respect the feelings and sensitivity of others. We must always tilt towards inclusivity within our party and in our politics generally. But where the situation is one in which one part of the country has taken everything and has decided to run a sectional show, then there is no basis for the other part to throw itself on the ticket and campaign for the candidate. What is the motivation and what is in it for you? Atiku has got the ticket of the party for the presidential election. He wants to also lock the party in his pocket. There is an element of unfathomable greed and arrogance in all these, and a pattern of hypocrisy and dishonesty if I may reference his actions leading to the 2015 elections. For me, he bears responsibility for all that’s happening and the continuing inability to resolve this crisis, including the fact that it began at all.

Is the Wike camp damning the consequence of the PDP and its candidate losing the presidential election in 2023?

Wike is not running for office; the person who should be primarily concerned about that is the presidential candidate. Personally, it has always been my view that the country is more important than the party and anyone who is not solely self-interested should know this. Similarly, the people that constitute a party are more important than the party itself. A party is merely a legal person, not a human being. So, it lives through the sort of individuals that are leading it. If those leading it are untrustworthy and self-seeking dissemblers and such a party comes to power, the country will be in real trouble. If those in charge of the party are showing that character doesn’t matter even before the party has won the election, how can they demand it later? What is important for me is that we have a country that is ably led, not by people who want to fasten regional clienteles or hegemony, and who have no fidelity to truth and fairness or mutuality of interest. So, yes, the danger (of losing the election) is there if the crisis is not resolved. But it is more important for people like me that the country is led by those who appreciate the basic values that we should expect of leadership.

Are you willing to frustrate the presidential candidate from winning the election?

No, we are not going to frustrate anyone. They have shown by their actions thus far that they do not even need us to win anyway. I think they are confident that they can win without us; the presidential campaign spokesmen have made that point many times. We will do what we need to do to win our own elections in our state and see where that boast takes them if the issue is not settled. We are just going to do what we need to do to deliver our candidates in Rivers – from the National Assembly, the governorship, down to the state House of Assembly. That is what is important to us. How they go about ensuring that they win the presidency without five governors and very important stakeholders across the country, coming from a party in the opposition and fewer governors overall than the party in power, is what they have to figure out. Obviously, they know something that we don’t.

If the Wike camp has decided to work and vote for other candidates except the presidential candidate, who are you adopting for the presidency?

The election is in February 2023 and that determination has not been made yet. It’s still a long time you know, politically speaking. I think this is the longest period we have had to wait – between the conclusion of primaries and elections. It is a long time; so, anything can still happen. It’s still too early to speculate. But if we are going to do anything else, every one of you will be duly made aware. When the time comes, everybody will know. If we’re going anywhere, you will know; if we’re not, you will know too. Be assured that whatever the governor and his colleagues decide will be in the overall best interest of the country and will not adversely affect our elections in our state.

Are you not surprised that former President Goodluck Jonathan and his wife, Patience, who is from Rivers, have yet to intervene in the crisis, perhaps openly?

I’m aware that the candidate and his campaign team have made overtures to President Jonathan but I cannot say if that’s for the purpose of helping to settle the crisis or just lending his voice to the campaign per se. So, it’s up to Jonathan to examine the specific request made to him and respond as he pleases. Asking if I’m not surprised that he has not intervened, I have to know that he has been asked to do that. I don’t have that information. But given what happened in 2015 when Atiku led the rebellion that led to Jonathan’s ouster, my surprise is that they ate the humble pie in going to him at all, considering all the arrogance on display and the constant refrain that they have already won the election and basically don’t need anyone else.

What is your final take on the way forward?

The PDP presidential candidate should demonstrate that he is the unifier they say he is and pull his weight to honour the commitments he reached so that the party can move forward as one.

Some people, especially one of your colleagues from Katsina State, Babangida Ibrahim, believes that the so-called crisis and factions in the PDP are all political games; that the warring sides plan to shock the opponents by claiming to have reconciled close to the election. Is the crisis for real?

Political games? That cannot be a realistic assessment of the situation, at least not from my point of view. That may be more of a reflection of his wish or desire that the rift is resolved, which is what we all want. There’s nothing to gain from such high-risk games but everything to lose by not building cohesion and momentum from the get-go.

Some leaders of the PDP have accused Wike of power intoxication and abuse. Do you think the governor is not selfish by his actions and inaction in this matter?

The governor’s action is altruistic, not selfish and he’s not intoxicated by power. The easy road should be for him to cower or suck up to the candidate as some people have done and he would be well compensated at the right time. But this is not about himself, and Nigeria owes Wike and the rest of the G-5 governors a huge debt of gratitude for exemplary courage in calling attention to the importance of character in our politics and for standing up for their convictions.

Do you think the electorate, especially the illiterate in the rural communities, when given three ballot papers, will be able to vote for a different candidate for the presidency, when they have to vote for Senate and House of Representatives candidates loyal to Wike and other G5 governors?

A lot is being made of that issue, but I think it’s not a problem. There is more awareness and sophistication that we give the electorate credit for. In any event, it is something that should worry those who will be potentially affected. That the concern is coming more from those who should ordinarily benefit from the alleged lack of discernment says a lot.

Do you agree that your comments don’t indicate that you are keen on the PDP candidate and I recall that not long after your party’s convention, you wrote an article which was very critical of him?

You are right. As a person, I’m not keen or enthused over the potential of an Atiku presidency and I make no bones about it. As I have said already, it is not about the political party at this moment; after all, being in the same political party doesn’t make all of us kindred spirits. For me, Atiku’s politics poses ethical questions because it is extremely opportunistic. His actions and utterances since February 2014 when he left the PDP and most recently are full of hypocritical contradictions and pursuit of very narrow interests. So, I’m at best ambivalent or uninterested, not keen at all because I’m definitely not convinced about him. But I’m only one man; Nigerians have to decide what’s best for them.