The Deputy National Organising Secretary of the All Progressives Congress, Hon. Nze Duru, in this interview says last Friday Supreme Court judgement showed that there is no backdoor to electoral victory. Excerpts:
History was made today over the Supreme Court judgements on governorship elections disputes. What is your impression about it as to many it was not favourable to APC?
Well, I don’t know whether what is meant by it was not favourable to APC, law is what it is. Law is based on law and then on facts and if for anything, I want to believe that we should applaud our judiciary for again rising up to the occasion and then espousing the law in a way that Nigerians are confident that you can actually take your differences and grievances to an impartial arbiter and there will be justice dispensed in a way that is satisfactory to all parties involved. It is also commendable in a way that it did also suggests that even if there is the suspicion of an interference in the arm of government, that today’s (Friday’s) ruling and exposition on the part of the judiciary also did show that they are essentially independent. It gives confidence to both the political actors that the only way you can win elections really and frankly is to reach to the electorate; to canvass your views, your ideas and your ideals, share your manifestos with them and then when you win, you win fair and square.
I also want to believe and think that as time goes on and in the next election, the incentive to go to court believing that somehow along the line you could use the other back door channel to wrestle an electoral victory that you could not get through the ballot box may become disincentive for litigants and then candidates for go through the window of judiciary to see if they can get judgement. So in my view, I think it is a moment for Nigerians to be happy. I also believe that it has in a way douse tension in the country. It is not a matter of whether it is APC, PDP or Labour or NNPP. The reality is that as we all know, the other way or place to appeal is God. But as far as the institutions of man is concerned, the final arbiter has spoken in all elections that we were thrashed out today and is essentially commendable.
On the Kano governorship election, some people were of the opinion that after APC won at the Tribunal and at the Appeal Court, they intentionally allowed the judgement to play out at the Supreme Court in order to avoid crisis and bloodshed in Kano. Do you share that sentiment?
I don’t. Like I just said, the judiciary spoke and that’s why we have the various tiers of the judiciary, you have the trial court and then you have the Court of Appeal, thereafter you have the Supreme Court and that is not in anyway to denigrate the understanding of the learned justices that were at the various levels of adjudication system. The trial court appreciated and they pronounced the fact as they understood it at the trial court. And the same thing happened when they went to the Court of Appeal, it was also basically on the extent they appreciated the matter and those in the final court saw it differently and then of course pronounced judgement on the basis of the facts that were before them.
So, it does not and in any way denigrate one section of the arms of the judiciary against the other. And it is in the wisdom of our founding fathers that we have these various layers of adjudication process. That first, if you err at the trial court, then those at the higher court may then look at it and find a different understanding based on the understanding that they have. I did not see any politics in it. I did not also see any arrangement on the basis of that. What did happen was that at the trial court, they understood the fact differently, at the Court of Appeal they also understood it, but more importantly at the Supreme Court which is the final arbiter in the judicial process, a different understanding was given to it and a pronouncement was made accordingly.
After the judgement, the presidential candidate of the PDP, Atiku Abubakar responded and said that he was ready to lead the charge of the opposition against the APC. He called on the NNPP government in Kano and the Labour Party in Abia to join hands with him. Is your party threatened?
I do not know, I can not speak for the opposition party. I can only speak for APC. I can only tell you that the events of the last few days have also reengineered a sense of optimism on the part of Nigerians that this government is a listening government. That this government is a government that harkens to the views of Nigerians. I mean, it couldn’t have happened before now that when the general public feel that a certain functionary of government was acting in a different manner, that a listening government will say you are not guilty but you should step aside to enable an unfettered investigation on those allegations against the person and that is what this government represents.
You have also seen a lot of actions that have been taking place in the last few weeks. It gives hope to Nigerians that if we continue to work in this thread and path, that APC may also become unassailable in the next few years; a year or two from now, leading to the next election. I think that for me we will continue to ensure and hope that the opposition party will rise up to the occasion, give a formidable, constructive engagement to our political party. It is theirs to provide the opposition but it is also for APC to continue to take the lead.
As to whether we are threatened, of course in any political dispensation you like to know and understand what the other party is doing so that you can also go ahead of them in the engagement of the Nigerian public. I think that in the next few months Nigerians will begin to see that this government is working very hard in their own interest and of course, we will continue to give the government the support that it requires to deliver the dividends of democracy to the people of Nigeria.
As to his (Atiku) charge, we wish him good luck. We knew that about two, three months ago such a call was made and the Labour Party said they are not in any position to undertake such an unholy engagement, they rather asked PDP to join hands with them than join hands with PDP. We saw a similar statement that was also made by NNPP so I don’t think this will not be different in the response to the request made by the PDP.
What is your assessment of the current Ganduje administration of the party?
I served under the regime of Abdullahi Adamu and now Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje. They all came with their strengths, again they all worked in the interest of the party — to position the party in the minds of Nigerians and as a strong platform on basis of which people can aspire to all the available elective positions, to run and have the possibility of winning. When it was thought that a Muslim-Muslim ticket was not attractive, APC embraced it and Nigerians embraced it and voted the party and the party won and the challenge now is to deliver the dividends of democracy to the people of Nigeria.
His Excellency Abdullahi Ganduje has also come with his own individual attitude and attributes to leadership of the party. He is more open, he is a grassroot politician, he has an open door policy and he would like to meet anybody so long as it is discussion around how do you institutionalise democracy within the ranks and files of the structures of APC. Is still early, he is less than seven months in the leadership of the party.
Election will be coming in your own state (Anambra), can you tell us what’s the plan to win this state?
There will be an election not just in Anambra next year but there will be an election in the next six to seven months, particularly in Edo state and Ondo state and after that it will be the off season election in Anambra state. And the party is working harder to see and make sure that as a minimum we will win the two states that are available this year. Everything is being done, one is to make sure that we have credible primaries that will throw up our gubernatorial candidate in both elections, whether it is in Edo state and Ondo state.
What this is supposed to teach us is, unless we have a candidate that appeals to the people, then you will not be able to find that appeal that would attract the electorate to vote for the candidate in the ultimate election. It is easy to win a primary election because you can conjecture some platforms on the basis of which a favoured candidate can emerge but thereafter that candidate will now have to face the electorate. So as a principle, the National Working Committee (NWC) has come to the conclusion that we must allow a free, fair, transparent primaries to throw up the candidate of the party in the two elections in question.
I am sure that because you must have read the recently released schedule of election time table for Edo state and the primaries will hold in February and we are holding a stakeholders’ meeting with all the gladiators, the stakeholders, the critical stakeholders in Edo state on Monday at 8pm and I am sure you will be informed of that meeting where the party will address the stakeholders and inform the stakeholders of the need and necessity to have a free and fair election where a proper candidate and candidate that is appealing will emerge at our congress. Is yet to be seen but if what we are thinking and the way we are working is anything to come by, I think that APC will win the two elections coming up this year.
There is a new trend in the APC, a trend of charging high fees for Expression of Interest and Nomination Forms; Senatorial aspirants paying N20 million, Governorship aspirants paying N50 million. Many Nigerians are worried that this is impeding participation. As the Deputy National Organising Secretary, give us the reason why the party charges high fees for expression of interest and nomination forms?
You must commend the party under His Excellency Ganduje for remaining consistent, notwithstanding that inflation has gone up in the country; notwithstanding that the value of the Naira depreciated in the last few months. The fee we are charging today was the same charge we charged in 2022 when we held primaries in all the available seats in Nigeria; whether it is House of Assembly, House of Representatives, Senatorial elections and gubernatorial elections and presidential elections. We did not add one Kobo more on the charges.
So, it is not a trend, it is remaining faithful to the fact that we understand that we are living in a challenging and very difficult time and therefore to cultivate candidates that will be popular to fly the flag of the party; we need to show understanding in such a way that it does not unduly exercise a burden on them to be able to buy a form whether it is expression of interest form or the nomination form. But, also bear in mind something that is also remarkable which even the opposition parties are yet to emulate, our youths and our women ultimately, the forms were made available to them literally for free.
Having said that, also bear in mind in the political space that we operate in, politics is all about money, is all about expenses and if you need to be in it, you should be able to buy the forms, be in the position to also canvass your ideas and philosophies before the electorate. All these costs money but APC has shown greater understanding more than any other political party in Nigeria that they did not add one Kobo on top of the fee that was charged in the 2022 primaries.
Ahead of the 2025 Anambra governorship election, some of the aspirants who are willing to contest are saying that the party is likely to cede its ticket to a new entrant, Sen. Ifeanyi Uba. Can you clarify this?
A decision must be made clearly and I believe that it must be understood. Anambra state has not taken a decision on who the flag bearer of the party will be. Anambra state will not be different from every other state where the gladiators will be given the opportunity to compete in a free, fair, transparent atmosphere. Whether it is the current member of the party or a new entrant in the party, there will be a primary election.
What is important and what is constant in the minds of party members in Anambra state is the fact that we want to win the forthcoming election in Anambra State. That is uppermost in the minds of Anambra APC members and we are working towards that and we are working harder to achieve that and we will find that candidate that will help us win that election.
Nothing has been decided, nothing will be micro-managed, nobody has been identified as a candidate of the party ahead of time. There will be a primary election and a candidate that will be arrived at on the basis of that will be a candidate that enjoys the support of the ranks and files of members of the party in Anambra state.
Is APGA’s incumbency factor in the state not a threat to APC?
We do have incumbency factor at the federal level and like I said, when we have a candidate that is appealing across board, across all the tendencies in the state; religious divides, the gender sensitivity, across the zones in the state; that has an appeal within the state and then backed up by the formidable machinery of the APC which is an irresistible political party that is beginning to now attract the who and who of politics in Anambra state. It will become a ticket that will be appealing and irresistible and will be in the position to turn the aprocart in Anambra state.