CAJETAN MMUTA 
Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, a former National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), in this interview, speaks on why his party lost in the September 19 governorship election in Edo State, insecurity in Nigeria and the country’s 60th independence anniversary. CAJETAN MMUTA reports
What is your take on the recent governorship election in Edo State?
First, I thank the media for the role it played by making sure that the public is informed; that the public knows the situation in the nation so that it can make informed judgement on events. I thank you for the role you played during the last election to make sure that the whole world was aware of the various threats which we are glad and for various reasons did not materialize.
I want to specially thank His Royal Majesty, the Oba of Benin Kingdom for his timely intervention, which calmed frayed nerves as well as other interventions, good to mention, the National Peace Committee headed by former Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar (rtd) with Bishop Matthew Kukah as the Secretary; in that group also includes Cardinal Onayeikan and it carries a lot of weight. I want to personally thank the chairman of that group for the sacrifices; for him to personally be here and finally of course Mr. President, for specially and specifically making sure and allowing the people’s voice to be heard.
Lastly, I have to mention the international community for the interest that they took in the election and to make sure to some extent that some of major players were forewarned. I won’t say more than that but I think that the elites were among those they threatened to impose visa ban on as well threatened to seize the assets and the rest of them. The elites, who were among those fanning the embers of war, had to sit back and reconsider their stand.
What does the outcome of the election portend for the polity?
We had the most peaceful election in this nation since the June 12, 1993 presidential election and one will have to say that this is a precursor of the future and all concerned should be allowed to have their say. The greatest problem we have in this country has been lack of due process, impunity, lack of respect for our own constitution whether the various parties or outside that. To my mind, we have regressed as far as party politics is concerned because we have departed from due process, allowing free and fair selection processes within parties and if parties don’t practice democracy, I don’t see how they can preach democracy to the people of this nation.
Fortunately, Edo State is the Heart Beat of the Nigerian nation, so this election has proved one more time that we are truly the Heart Beat of the Nigerian nation and we hope it is something that would be copied for future elections in this nation. You will find out that when that happens, court cases will be much less because there will be much less grounds for such, however aggrieved a candidate is, inside him, he will know that elections have been done well whether within the party or national or state levels.
He will also know that the elections have been relatively free and relatively fair to the extent that going to try his luck in court will make less meaning. We hope that all of us; the practitioners, politicians in government, outside government and party officials have learnt a very serious lesson. Impunity does not pay, so let us let the people speak at all times.
You were a former national chairman of the APC and your party lost, what really would you say happened?
It is democracy within the parties and impunity within the parties; attempts at imposition within the parties. These are the issues. I was a former national chairman of the party and in most cases we didn’t have court cases after any election because things were done to the letter.
If 10 people come out and say they want to contest for an office, why not! Normally, people come to me to say they are too many; they will cause divisions within the party, so let us talk to them so that some will withdraw but I usually ask: Why? If 10 people feel among themselves that they are capable of discharging the duties of that office, let them contest.
It is when you start talking to them that problems comes because their ego becomes massive and you start owing them because you persuaded them. You have to find some carrots to drop on the table. Allowing them to contest is the greatest peacemaker but if you start persuading them, problems start, you start creating permanent issues within the party system.
Do you think your position that the outcome of the election is democracy at work will hold by the time the tribunal begins its sitting because there were allegations of violence and that security agencies and officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) were compromised during the exercise?
It is the constitutional right of anybody, candidate or no candidate to approach the judicial system for redress if they feel aggrieved. So, anybody who wants to go to court is only exercising his constitutional right and he is to provide evidence to show that things happened, which could have altered the ultimate results. It is a right that is given and guaranteed.
You did not participate in the campaigns of your party, what informed the decision to stay off?
I am a man of conscience, I am a strong believer in justice and fair play, I am a strong believer that when the rules of an association you belong to have been so flagrantly disregarded, you have to go back to your conscience to say you cannot support what has happened. I cannot support injustice in terms of going out to work for injustice. I cannot go out to support, what in my conscience, I considered wrong. I can’t do that and normal people should not do that.
Your loyalty in life is to support what is right. Every human being should believe in something. If you agree to kill a man for a sin he did not commit then something is wrong with you. It is a basic issue of principle, it is a basic issue of conscience and the firm belief that that group you belong has committed a great injustice, when that happens, if you are a man with principle, if you are a man who respects himself, then you will point it out and stand aside and in any case, don’t forget that at every point my views were known, it is not that I hid and said nothing. No! I said that what is happening was wrong.
Does this action you took not amount to anti-party activity?
But that is what I have just answered that if you are a man of conscience, you cannot support such a thing at all.
How would have felt if your party had won the election?
If my party had won, that would have been the judgement of the people of Edo State and you cannot fault the judgement of the people. The people would have spoken, whoever the people want, that is the correct thing to do.
People are of the view that the Edo election is a pointer to what is going to happen in 2023?
I don’t know; 2023 is in the hands of God. I am not an interested party, the only interest I have is that the APC should win in 2023 but who God will provide us to lead the charge, we leave in God’s hands. They are all warming up, I won’t be surprised, I can only guess as to whether there were undercurrents of 2023 in the election in Edo State.
How will you assess Nigeria at 60?
Things have been tough, things have been rough but what I can say confidently is that the basic foundation of future growth has been laid but the administration hasn’t been lucky at all. The administration has had a period of dwindling resources right from the beginning and I think but for careful management, we probably wouldn’t have gotten as far as we have gone today but there is no question at all that we are moving.
Yes, there is hunger in the land, the economy is not growing as it should; employment is very high, terrorism has raised its ugly head again after an initial success at controlling it. Cost of crude oil is almost equating the cost of production, so the resources are not just there. I will just say that I am sad that things have gotten to this kind of situation totally outside the control of government.
The only missing link is that we are not sufficiently giving the people hope or explaining things to the people and giving them hope that tomorrow will be better. So, there is despondency in the land, that critical ingredient to tell the people that things are bad today but it will be better tomorrow, that is missing.
In addition to economic difficulties and economic deprivations, we have not successfully conveyed to them the picture of a better tomorrow. There is COVID-19 that has created a lot of economic problems and as result, there is massive diversion of resources to protect lives.
