Election holds in two weeks time, with the situation of things in the country, no currency in circulation, no petrol for people to move their vehicles, are these not avenue for the general elections to be postponed?
we have read a lot of statement across the divide, and one can easily detect those who are not ready for the election. They are not hiding, some leaders seems to have develop cold feet about the election. We had Academic Staff Union of Universities ASUU strike for eight months, they never deem it fit to come together and address the issue, we have been having cases of kidnapping in this country, they have never thought it necessary to come together and address it. Fuel scarcity has been on for five months, you have never seen them coming together to address it.
When it comes to not having Naira in circulation, which is the policy of the Central Bank of Nigeria, they decided to speak up,they rose against the policy.Whatever it is,the most important thing is this,you have all stakeholders coming up to speak about their preparation for the election.
INEC is saying it is also ready for the election.Those who are calling for extention of the election date is only relative to their side,we are ready,the umpire has also expressed it’s readiness, I believe every other thing is getting clearer.
There was a story credited to INEC that if fund is not made available to the commission the election may be postponed what is your view on this?
What I am aware of is that, when INEC raised issue of funding for the adhoc staff for the election the CBN Governor did assure him that, the money would be made available.Since INEC has expressed it’s readiness for the election there is nothing to fear.
How prepared is your party for the election?What are the chances of your party in the election?
Of course we are going to win the election,that is why you see the other political parties complaining and dragging issues for the extention, we are very optimistic that we are winning that election.
we are much prepared,if you see our presidential candidate, he has been going everywhere, even we at the state level too,we are making sure we put everything in order to ensure we face the election with full determination to win the election.If you see our presidential candidate, you will attest to it, that he is the most prepared for the presidential position than other.
He is more prepared than any presidential candidate,he is the one that has clear cut program that he wants to execute, and he has been able to communicate that, to everybody who cared to listen to him.
You see in the delivery of his messages the experience and his candour is presidential.
Whenever,he goes out to campaign he addressed issues,he never indulge in the act of abusing people,which is the stock in trade of some presidential candidates.Definately we Nigerians have serious issues that are confronting us,and we have to find a way of solving those problems.
Part of the issues are problem of insecurity and the likes,our presidential candidate is resolved to address these problems through his policies.
Atiku did promise he will make available $10 billion dollars for youth empowerment and for the women.He was asked how he would raise the money, he said he would sell the moribound refineries we have in the country.If he set up the youth and women empowerment,it will create job for all the young people,especially some in the North that have resorted to carrying arms.
By the step Atiku promised to take,he will curb the issue of insecurity that is affecting the country.When there is empowerment it will reduce the level of poverty that we have now,which is on the increase.
If he succeeded in getting that done he must have resolve economic issue.
Those that will buy the refinery for $10 billion will not just fold their arms.They would have set aside some money to revive it as well,The first tranche of $10 billion will also be use to create job for our people,by engaging the services of those that assist them in refurbishing the moribund refinary.When eventually the refinary start working jobs will be created for our people, and there will be adequate supply of petroleum products.That is the practical solution to the problem we have right now.That is one person who has communicated clearly to Nigerians what he is going to do and how he will go about doing it.
You mentioned insecurity,if you consider the increase in insecurity in the South East and some parts of the North,don’t you see it as a threat to the forthcoming General elections.Becsuse the problem some envisage is that the military do not have enough personnel to post to every part of the country.
This issue was raised in the build up to the 2019 general elections, and the general elections held.Our military formation are capable, the security personnel are capable, they have done it before they will do it again.
I know there are pockets of violence, here and there, it has always been there,that is why we need to elect somebody who will put a stop to all this,and have a people friendly government in power, the president that will give the people what they want.The insecurity problem has always been there, it was even worse in 2019 and yet we had election
In the cause of your campaign, you have gone round the wards in the state,how will you describe your level of acceptability?
It is fantastic because for people who have never seen somebody who want to be a governor in their neighborhood, you can see the excitement in them,the ray of hope is there, they see promise of better tomorrow because they were able to interact with us, and they tell us their problems aside from the visible ones we could see.That is leading to something because they can claim anybody aspiring to be governor of the state came to their neighborhood, they are encouraged because they see somebody aspiring to be governor coming to their community even those living in the riverine areas are much more elated.The people really want a change in the governance of the state.
Do you think that step you have taken will boast your chances in the election?
Absolutely.
What gives you that courage?
It is because we are doing our campaign differently, unlike the other political parties, what they do is to go somewhere and assemble all party leaders and party members and invite a musician, mostly King Wasiu Ayinde to sing for them, and abuse anybody they feel like abusing and go home thereafter,their campaign has always taken that pattern, but in my case, we have our party members intact, we now go to those that will take the decision.Every local government we visited, we visit the people in those wards, we spoke to virtually every stakeholder in the community, Leagues of Imams, leadership of Christian Association of Nigeria CAN,traditional leaders, also we engage members of vigilante groups.
Those are the people that have followers, because if the election spell doom for them, they will not like it.
People of Lagos State want a change, if you are elected what will you do differently that will endear the people to you?
What I will do is to make sure that the wealth of Lagos is spent to develop the state, and work for the interest of the people of the state.There will be infrastural renewal.Despite the billions of Naira generated in the state monthly we still experienced traffic on the road, when it rains most roads and some communities are flooded,even at the general hospitals the patients are not given the attention they needed.Those are part of the things I want to change if I am elected the next governor of the state.
Most of these infrastural they don’t need renewal or expansion, we just need a governor that has a strong will and instill discipline on our people on how to manage public utilities, and do the right thing.What our people need is a governor they can identify with, an independent minded person,not a robot in office that will be taking directive from somebody, we have had enough of that.It is about time the people of Lagos State have a governor they can call their own.
*****If you observe what is going on in the country now,the Central Bank of Nigeria came up with the redesigned naira notes, and the state governors kick against the deadline of swapping the old naira notes with the new one.Governor of Kaduna State Nasir El Rufai said the redesign of the naira note is not the policy of APC government, now there is cacophony of opinion on an issue,what do you think about the development?
We have all listened to everybody speaking, and it appears that,the APC people are the only one not comfortable with the policy of their own government policy. You start wondering where were they, when ASUU went on strike for nine months, none of them said anything.Where were they for the past five months we have been battling fuel crisis, they never thought it necessary to meet with the president on that.We have had cases of kidnapping especially in Kaduna State every now and then, they never raise that with the president.
Because this naira redesign is taking away their power of moneytising election and they can’t stand it by going to the people and campaign for them to vote for them.
They have impoverished the people and it is their deliberate policy,so that, they can offer the people stipend to vote for them.
Now that money is taken out of circulation, they have to use their brain.Why is it the APC members alone are complaining are they the only one in this country?
***** With the way things are in the country, no fuel, cash crunch don’t you think it may affect the election negatively. Even the APC presidential candidate said those steps were taken to affect his chances of winning the election, but vowed that it will be surmounted.
I don’t understand who is in power again.If Tinubu says it may affect his chances in the poll, how does it affect it.We are not expected to spend money on election day neither will there be movement.
***** I mean the build up to the election, people would form opinion not to vote the ruling party.
APC that foisted hardship on them.
It is not PDP policy, it is government policy and we are not the party in power.We are not the party in power, they are the party in power.
Again it is now time we go into election and let the will of the people prevail.
Let the people decides who govern them, not just influencing the electorate with money at every election time.
If the president and the CBN can stand by their deadline for the swap of old notes to new one and we have an election whereby the election is not influenced by vote buying then we can say we have a credible election.
Let the person the people want, be the one in government.What do they need money for on election day? Are they buying ballot papers, or they want to buy the ink they will use for thumb printing.
*****This will be the third time Alhaji Atiku Abubakar will be standing for an election as presidential candidate, what really stand him out from his peers?
His experience, ability to lead. Among all of them running for presidential position, he is the only one you can call a nationalist.
*****How do you mean that he is the only one one can call a nationalist?
He is a man that cut across everywhere, he has family everywhere, South West, South East South South, North Central, North West,North East and he has business everywhere, and as a public servant he has served in every part of the country.
He has been the vice president of this country, he has chaired the economic council before, most of the things we enjoyed nowadays as Nigerians were facilitated by him and the government he served in.
He also have far reaching experience that he has solution to most of the challenges facing the country.
He is the only one who has the clear cut policy on how to jump start the economy and give us the desired result in Nigeria.
****What arrangement is in place to ensure your party is not rigged out in the election, because it was alleged by some members of your party,that the opposition party APC has a high powered rigging machinery,moreso your party in Lagos has alleged that APC have started buying PVC’s from potential voters.
This election will be the first popularity test of the APC, it is is going to be an election like the we have never had before.
it won’t be like previous elections whereby the opposition have multiple voters card and engage some people to start thumb printing in favour of their party.
This election won’t be the one they will have multiple ballot papers and they thumb print in their party favour, no.
It is an election that is technology based , with BVAS it is only the number of accredited voters that can vote.
******But the outcome of Osun State governorship election has cast doubt on the efficiency of the BVAS.
The outcome of the governorship election in Osun has never tarnish the integrity of BVAS, it has been analyse over and over, nothing was wrong with BVAS. The BVAS was intact and it will be the game changer in the country.
******Atiku has always clamour for restructuring,but one observe most people seeking public office have always clamour for restructuring, but when they get to office they forget about it,are you convinced Atiku will implement it?
I am very sure he will restructure Nigeria because he is not coming into office with baggage,there will be state police,every Nigerian want a better Nigerian that is what everybody is canvassing for.
*******You have made a lot of promise to Lagosians that you will get certain things done when you are elected,but it is of note that many office seekers do make promises but something prevent them from implementing it,do you envisage that and how will you tackle those forces?
Well, that may be some experience holders of public offices might have had,and have find it difficult to implement their program,so I do not envisage any force that will prevent me from fulfilling promise made to the electorate.
****What advice do you have for the electorate bearing in mind the situation of things in Nigeria?
They should try to make sacrifice for a better Nigeria,they should persevere, the challenges confronting the country is for a while,it won’t last forever, and when they are going out to vote on election day, they should vote their conscience and have in mind that they are investing in their future and future of the nation,they need to jettison sentiment.The election will define the future of Nigeria.
******Don’t you think the refusal of your party to zone the presidency to the South as clamoured for,will affect the chances of your presidential candidate in the election.
.More so the G 5 governors have decided to support the presidential candidate of the opposition party, bearing in mind that, they are sitting governors and they have influence over their people in their state, don’t you think that will seriously affect the fortune of your party in the presidential election, how will your party handle this?
I am a politician, I went to school of politics and I graduated from that school,,talking about South or North producing the president, I have been in the party when the issue was raised,Alhaji Atiku Abubakar did not object to the South producing the next president.He even said if the presidency should go to the South it has to be micro zoned to the South East. In order to implement that agreement a committee was set up and Governor Samuel Orton was the chairman of the committee, the issue was fully discussed North East has not produced Nigeria President, and Atiku is from the North East, some say the North East can also have it.
The South West,South South,and North West have produced president for Nigeria.It is North East and North Central that has not produced president for Nigeria.That was the political calculation
On the G 5 governors, members of the G 5 are politicians, that is why they can’t come out publicly to say they are supporting another presidential candidate, we are together, they are stakeholders in the election,three of the five governors are contesting Senatorial race Ortom,Ukpeazu and Ugwanyi but Nyesom Wike has a candidate he is supporting,how will he convince the electorate that they should vote the PDP in one of the ballot papers and they should not vote the PDP on the other ballot paper, and you are also known to be a member of that party.
It will be a difficult task for him,that is why he can’t come out publicly to announce he is supporting another presidential candidate, apart from Atiku Abubakar.
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