Bolaji Abdullahi is the spokesperson of the African Democratic Congress (ADC). In this interview, he spoke on the issues of members of the opposition parties joining the All Progressives Congress (APC), why the coalition party is meant to thwart plans to turn the country into a one party state. INIOBONG brings IWOK excerpts:
Some Nigerians are really worried that the energy is going down or the ADC is on fire. They don't see the vibes again. Is this the result of some kind of threat?
What waves were you seeing earlier that you no longer see?
People were very excited when ADC was announced as the coalition party. But at present not much is heard about it…?
No, you've already got it wrong. there is time for everything. When we announced our party, Nigerians were excited to see that there was an alternative. But you cannot form a political party which will win elections only by doing public demonstrations and such rallies. You need to go down and create your own structures across the country, in villages, in wards, in polling units and everywhere else. I have just returned today from Kwara State where we will form our party on Saturday. So, this is the real work that needs to be done. The difference is like comparing the work of a firefighter to the work of a builder. When a firefighter is working outside, there will be noise everywhere. People will come to know this. But when they are gone, and the builders come to remove the debris and begin construction, no one will know they are working. So, I mean, when you need to build a party, it goes beyond just making press statements and making announcements and all that. But despite this you will agree with me that we are still the only opposition party which keeps bringing forward issues and keeps commenting on the issues. I can't remember the last time you heard anything from an opposition party. And I must thank your newspapers for reporting us well. We are on the right track. There is nothing wrong in this. I mean, the elections are going to be held in 2027.
Maybe, Nigerians would like to see the fire burn the same way you started and maybe see APC disappear almost immediately…?
No, it doesn't work that way. If you go back to the time when APC was formed, the government at that time, despite the fact that how many governors were in APC, six or seven, you can see that everything did not come to light until the end of 2014. That's when you see the real speed. You understand what I'm saying? Not in 2012 or 2013. It was 2014 when you see the real momentum. So, you'll see that happen. We've done the initialization, which means this is the ADC. And you will agree with me that where ADC is today is not where ADC was. The ADC you have today is not the ADC of last year. Now, it's a completely different party. So, we are not worried at all. We are following the plan we have.
Defection in PDP is further strengthening APC. Since the Governors of most of the states are now members of the ruling party, this is going to have an adverse effect on your party; Don't you think this will affect you when you are planning to take charge?
What percentage of Nigerians belong to a political party? Probably less than 1%. Now, I mean card-carrying members of political parties. So, for us, it is like saying that because a governor has joined a ruling party, it means that the state has already been won by the ruling party. Many of these governors are unpopular in their own states. Many of them have failed their own people. He has collected more money in the last two years than any governor in the state's history. What impact has this had on people's lives and livelihoods? So, that's who they are, and actually the reason they joined the ruling party is to save themselves. They know they are unpopular. They know they are unpopular among their own people. So, they need to save themselves, and that is why they are moving towards the ruling party. We are not worried at all because we know that people understand what is happening, people are with us. Therefore, a Governor joining the ruling party does not mean that the entire public of that state has now joined that party. So, if it is good for us, let them all join the ruling party. Let them all join the ruling party, where we know it is a two-horse race between the people of Nigeria and the ruling party. So, we are not worried at all.
But there is also the issue that your party has suspended South-South Vice President Usani Ugru, and people are asking is it not too soon?
Our party did not suspend anyone. Whoever took this decision, we have said this clearly, they do not have the power to do so. But don't forget that this is politics. I mean, let's not forget that this is politics we are playing, and there will be a struggle for power. Therefore, we are not building any church or mosque. So, this is a political party that we are building. So, there will be issues like this. But what we have made clear is that whoever has done this in the state does not have the power to suspend a national office-bearer from the party. They don't have the strength. And we have made it very clear to them. So, this is not an issue.
I also want to know if Peter Obi is still with ADC? We haven't heard much about his work with the ADC. Is he still with you?
Peter Obi has not told us anything different from what he has always told us, which is that he is with us.
Because we don't get to see him much with you guys again.
When was the last time we held an event and you thought Peter was supposed to be there and he wasn't there?
Peter hasn't told us anything other than what he's always told us: that he's part of the coalition. And I have said again and again that he never announced that he was going to clear the election dues of the parties concerned. Therefore, there is no change in Peter's position regarding the alliance. Nothing has changed.
I would like to know your views on what the new INEC Chairman Amupitan has promised to do. He had promised that under his leadership even the loser of the election would congratulate the winner. So, does this give you a sense of confidence?
We have heard his promises. That's just who they are. Those are promises. So, we are watching and waiting. This won't give you any assurance other than the fact that he has made promises. And we'll wait to see if he keeps those promises. I would also like to know your views on what happened to the allegation that security personnel used live ammunition to fire at the protesters.
Is he right? Did you see any casualties?
They may have fired in the air, but what Sowore came to say was that they fired at them and despised them. We, as a political party, cannot comment on anything for which we do not have evidence. We have not seen any way that live ammunition has been used against protesters. So, if it is true that live ammunition is dangerous and it is condemnable for us. In a democracy, no one will be allowed to be hurt because they are expressing themselves. So, democracy is about the right to express oneself, the right to associate and the right to protest. Therefore, if it now has a provision for death penalty, it is no longer a democracy. I hope that's not true.
As things stand right now, we are seeing a lot of things happening. The ruling party is still adding more members. And this is worrying. What do you think Nigerians should look forward to?
The ruling party is gaining more members; I told you when you asked me this question earlier. You are talking about the political elite uniting against Nigeria. You are talking about governors joining the ruling party. They are joining the ruling party to save themselves.
Not only the governor, even the lawmakers…
Be they governors or MLAs or anything else, don't some of these people have to win elections? Are they going to deny the reality their people are living in? Are they going to tell people that they are not hungry? That government solved their problems? Are they able to tell people that their life is better today than it was three years ago? So, if they are joining the ruling party, they know why they are doing it. And it's not about their people. This is not to protect the interests of their people. This is to protect their self-interest. And people can see it. We are not at all worried about this movement. We will see what happens when the time comes.
The issue now is that people are worried that Nigeria is turning into a one party state. And when this happens some people also say that it is beyond 2031?
We've been worrying about this since day one; The Tinubu government plans to transform Nigeria into a one-party state. We are in the ADC in the opposition coalition, which is why we came together in the first place. The government has a tendency to turn Nigeria into a one-party state. Had it not been for the alliance, what do you think would have happened to Nigeria's democracy today? PDP is more or less finished. The Labor Party has been destabilized. The only opposition party in Nigeria today that you can call an opposition party is the ADC. But this justifies our point when we say that the coalition is here to save Nigeria from this modern civilian dictatorship and the tendency to turn Nigeria into a one-party state. So, I would have been acquitted. What you see about the Governor turning towards the ruling party is part of that larger objective. But Nigerians have a choice. Nigeria must decide whether they want to keep this government or they want it gone. And we are able to provide that option. And that's why ADC exists. Therefore, it does not matter whether the Governor or the ruling party is a continuation of the same gang. So, we are not worried at all. Of course, as you rightly said, we are concerned. We are concerned that for the first time we are experiencing something that we never imagined could happen in this country.
But don't forget that at the peak of its power, wasn't the PDP also doing the same thing? Have we not seen a situation where almost every member of the political elite was joining the PDP? Have we forgotten that at one time about 20 years ago, the National Chairman of the PDP had declared that the PDP would rule for 60 years because they were controlling almost all the states? So, where is PDP today? So, if APC has not learned from history, you will see what will happen to them.
