Former Spokesman of the Bola Tinubu’s Presidential campaign in the South east, Dr. Josef Onoh dissociates himself from the allegation that he stood in for former Governor of Enugu state, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, in the APC while the ex-Governor remained in the PDP during the 2023 general election.
Onoh also speaks on President Tinubu’s appointments, the Hannatu NYSC saga and the military coups in Niger Republic and in Gabon, in this interview.
What is it that can be done for the severe criticism of the Tinubu administration for employing questionable characters such as Hannatu Musawa?
There is nothing questionable about Hannatu’s character. Yes, I do not expect many people to like Hannatu because she is more of a private person, she would rather shy away from engaging and that makes a lot of people have misconceptions about her. Hannatu supported the President, made a lot of efforts during the campaigns. If you go to Katsina state, they will tell you how good she is. I understand that when it comes to the north, there are people that feel that Hannatu is a woman and was not supposed to have been appointed, it should be male dominated; but Hannatu is not a perfect person, she has her fault as a human being, but the major focus of Mr. President is not about your personal life, but your ability to deliver. Like he said to them ‘I’ve sent you to draw water from a dry well,’ and any of the ministers who cannot draw water from a dry well has left him or herself incompetent. So Hannatu is not a questionable character, the NYSC saga does not say that she cannot serve as a minister. It’s a national calling, your country calls you and like I had said if anybody has a problem with that the person should go to court. She was perfectly appointed by Mr. President and we support her. If you say that you love Nigeria then you should make that sacrifice and support her.
There are insinuations that Hannatu may be a proxy, just like you were dubbed a proxy for former Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi in the Tinubu campaign council. Are the insinuations right?
As far as I’m concerned, Mr. President appointed Hannatu as a minister and so I can’t say if she is a proxy or not…
But were you a proxy for Ugwuanyi in the Tinubu campaign
I have actually received many calls; in fact, this question has been misconceived in many ways. For the first time, I was shocked because a Governor from the southeast asked me that question. But I want to make it clear to the public that I was serving in the Ugwuanyi administration and I want to run for Governorship of the state and nobody in Enugu state that came out then to run for the seat of governorship came out stupidly. They were all supported and asked to come out by the Major actor at that point in time, who held the helm of affairs. And in my own case I want to make it clear that I was never a proxy for former Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi. I made my decision based on family association and on my personal ground to support Asiwaju campaigns. Then I was still a member of the PDP before I joined the APC and all I expected the PDP to do was to suspend me but at no point did I ever stand as a proxy to Governor Ugwuanyi. In fact, he never supported Tinubu to the best of my knowledge because I recall on occasions I approached him to help me with billboards and other things to put up for Tinubu and in all the times I approached him he never gave me any support, be it financial or otherwise. So I can confidently say that he never supported Asiwaju both in all the interactions I had with him. He was one of those who believed that Asiwaju was not medically fit to run the country and during the campaigns, I know the problem I faced to get Asiwaju to pay him a visit and that is why I’m not surprised about Asiwaju’s appointments because he’s a man that believes in capacity building. He’s a man that loves Nigeria and believes in taking Nigeria forward. Ugwuanyi became the first opposition governor we paid visit during the campaign council, much as he promised to support us, I remember that after I mentioned him as one of our partners, he unleashed his attack dogs on me in the media, claiming that Ugwuanyi never said it and it played out. I was part of the political process in Enugu state and I know that the instruction was to go and deliver Atiku. There was never a time when the government of Enugu state sincerely came out to support Asiwaju. Yes, the APC in Enugu state had pockets of problems, but you can give it to Uche Nnaji who held on with his campaign. I can tell you that apart from Nnaji, myself and Chimaroke Nnamani there was no other person that I can tell you supported Asiwaju in Enugu. Every PDP politician in Enugu knows that the last instruction that was given to them on the eve of the presidential election was to go and deliver Atiku. ‘It’s PDP all the way,’ that was their slogan. So please I do not want to be associated with or referred to as a proxy for Ugwuanyi. I’m a proxy to nobody.
Does it not depress you that all of you that cross carpeted from the PDP because of the Asiwaju campaign have lost out completely with Tinubu getting through with appointments and you people could not secure any slot, except Wike?
I can just say that I cross carpeted back, because in 1999 when Gbazuagu Nweke Gbazuagu ran for governorship of Enugu state, I was in the APP then. In 2002, I returned, I left the APP and joined the PDP to run for House of Assembly and with the support of Chimaroke Nnamani, I won the election. Since then I was a member of the PDP but the focus of the foundation and the fundamental vision of the party, particularly in Enugu state, no longer held sway and the last governorship primary election in the state showed that the PDP has lost its values. So I saw a greater course and I left the PDP and got back to the APC. When I joined the APC, it was a taboo in the south east to support the APC but the reason I joined the APC was to deliver the Renewed Hope. So I do not see in any way how I’ve lost out, in fact, I have the greatest appointment, I never lost. We went for a mission and the mission was successful. In any way I’m one of the proud Nigerians that have the greatest appointments. At any day or time you mention my name before Mr. President, he will not deny you because my President cannot deny me, that is the greatest appointment.
Nigerians have been angry with President Tinubu for threatening to go to war in the Niger Republic and now there is the Gabon coup, will Tinubu also go to Gabon?
Nigerians should not be angry with Tinubu for going to Niger. It’s not Tinubu or Nigeria that is going to Niger, it’s the ECOWAS. It’s an ECOWAS problem and what the president has been able to do is to send emissaries to help and find a peaceful way to handle the crisis. Basically Nigeria is the negotiating factor between the ECOWAS and Niger, but because Mr. President is the most conspicuous in trying to foster peace and understanding, it looks that we want to go to war with Niger. No, we don’t want to go to war with Niger. The president just wants to ensure that ECOWAS, the international community, finds an amicable way to resolve the crisis. We have our own problems in Nigeria and Mr. President has many responsibilities and we should give him credit. Niger has not done anything to us and so why should Nigeria go to war with Niger?
You still speak like a spokesman for President Tinubu, are you still one?
In defense of my President, in defense of the Renewed Hope, we’ll continue speaking for Mr. President, in all positive lights. It’s a collective interest.
