…Says, with our experiences in democracy for 24 years, most Nigerians would oppose any coup
Former Secretary General of Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) and member of the 2014 national conference, Mr. Anthony Sani has advised the duo of the presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar and his Labour Party (LP) counterpart, Mr. Peter Obi to accept their loss at the tribunal for the larger interest of Nigeria’s democracy.
In this interview with NOAH EBIJE, in Kaduna, Mr. Sani argued that the Supreme Court judgment may not be different from the tribunal judgment, and as such both Atiku and Obi should join hands with Tinubu to move the nation forward.
The former ACF Scribe also spoke on the possibility or not of coup in Nigeria, saying that with the advent of GSM in the country which helps people to overcome time and distance in terms of communication, it will make plans for a coup very difficult to take place in the country.
He also spoke on japa syndrome, saying that when the economy is revamped,the syndrome will varnish.
Excerpts:
What is your reaction to the tribunal judgment on the presidential election?
The presidential elections tribunal’s judgement was broadcast life for people to see in order to dispel misconceptions.
The tribunal disabused people’s mind by explaining that electoral offenses are criminal offenses which must be proved beyond reasonable doubt.That is to say,those who assert should prove their allegations.And the proof have to be from polling unit which documents are the primary documents. To me,the judgement mimicked the Supreme Court of America which said in the case by Trump on the elections of 2020 that by saying the elections were rigged did not make it so. The judgement also explained that all Nigerians are equal before the constitution.To imagine that scoring at least 25% in FCT is mandatory for presidential candidate to emerge winner is to submit that electoral value of voters in FCT is over and above those voters in 36 states.The constitution does not envisage such variegation in electoral values across the country.
The Justices in the election petition tribunal made Nigerians to understand that Bola Tinubu is not a convict in America;and that even if he was convicted,it is more than ten years,and so time barred.
The PDP presidential candidate, Abubakar Atiku and the Labour party presidential candidate, Peter Obi,said they are appealing against the tribunal judgment to the Supreme Court. Will it make any difference?
It is the right of Atiku and Peter Obi to appeal the judgment by Presidential Elections Tribunal,if they have strong reasons to do so.Such approach can enrich the quality of our democracy that thrives on rule of law and majority that has both its say and way while the minority only has its say, but not way. From what I saw and read of the judgement,it does not appear the petitioners can prevail in the appeal.I therefore plead with them to play VP Algore in the case between him and George W Bush about the dispute in Florida,if their appeals fail.When the Supreme Court did not favour Mr VP Albert Gore,he said even though he did not agree with the judgement,he accepted it in the larger interest of American democracy and its institutions.That is what most Nigerians expect from them.
What is the performance of President Bola Tinubu so far despite the fact that he was petitioned at the tribunal?
President Tinubu’s performance in his first 100 days suggests he hit the ground running when he announced during his inauguration the removal of fuel subsidy,he appointed the service chiefs,sacked the CBN governor,sacked EFCC boss and appointed the ministers. He also merged forex markets to tame round tripping and devalued the naira.
The effects of such actions are being felt by the citizens by way of unbridled inflation. Nigerians are therefore complaining of untold hardship and the need to reduce them.He has put in place some forms of palliatives to cushion the effects of the hardship and has pleaded for some time needed to revamp the economy.Whether his policies would bring about the desired results in good time are yet to be seen.All one can say is to plead with Nigerians to support the government,since the good things of life are not inevitable.These things are attained through ceaseless hard work by not only leaders but also by the citizens.
What can you say of the State governors in terms of performance too, considering the fact that they have billions of naira as palliatives to feed the people?
While I agree with the axiom that a good leader is one who increases the yields of limited resources,I do not believe the palliatives can truly cushion the hardship occasioned by the high inflation.Therefore,one cannot use the palliatives for evaluation of performance of the governors.But I pray for them to work hard and increase the yields of the resources at their disposal. I know these are hard time.Yes,but hard time should bring about national grandeur, throw up purposeful leadership for every Nigerian.That way,we can shorten the period of the hardship.
But the truth is that there is socio-economic hardship in the land and many Nigerians are going to bed hungry. What is your advice to the government or the president?
Even Mr President knows there is untold hardship in the land because of inflation and low value of the naira. Recall President Tinubu had said if he knew any alternative to removal of subsidy,he would adopt it.It is a case of being at cul de sac demanding hard choice to overcome. The only way to revamp the economy is through productivity and not relying on imports of finished goods. There is shortage of forex because our production of crude oil is about half of what it used to be 12 years ago.The same with the prices in international market.This should force us to come to terms with the reality and work hard to overcome,since we have no any other country we can call our own.
To worsen the situation, prices of food are rising every day, bringing economic woes on the citizens. What is your reaction to this?
The prices of food are high because of the global inflation due to war in Ukraine and climate change.The problem is worst in Nigeria because of insecurity which has stifled farming activities. The way out is to tame insecurity in order to enable farmers farm and increase production.
How worried are you that kidnapping, banditry and other forms of insecurity are still ravaging the North?
I thought you know that hard power of military might alone is not enough to permanently end insecurity posed by terrorism.That is why the UN has advised the affected states to address the underlying causes,which you and me know are poverty and ignorance. That means the government must brace up by increasing the number and quality of security personnel so they can secure the nation.The government should also diversify the economy away from oil which is not result of hard work in order to reduce poverty and ignorance substantially.
It is obvious that some Nigerians, particularly the youths have keyed into the japa syndrome to find greener pastures in other countries of the world because of socio-economic woes in Nigeria. What is the implication of this on our nation?
There is nothing exotic or quixotic about brain drain.This is a natural concomitant of economic hardship. When we were young,there were influx of Egyptians, Indians and Philippines because of their countries’ economic challenges.But as soon as their economies picked up,they all left Nigeria.I believe as soon as our economy is revamped,the Japa syndrome will varnish.
The former military governor of Kaduna State, Retired Colonel Umar Dangiwa in a recent interview said the immediate past government of President Muhammadu Buhari was the most corrupt. Do you agree with him?
I do not have the facts for assessment of both the punitive and curative measures used for fighting corruption.So,I cannot speak with any authority. I have read reports that the immediate past regime knew about the alleged corruption but chose to ignore it.I have my doubt in what people say of president Buhari that he tolerates corruption more than past regimes.The man,Buhari, has his short comings bordering on capacity.But when it comes to honesty,I still believe he is an honest man who went as far as his effort could go to make Nigeria feel young again with promise of glory day ahead.That he did not meet our yearnings totally does not mean we should under rate his achievements.
What do you make of Governor Soludo’s assertions that South East has not been marginalized by the current administration?
I believe the governor addressed his people’s ceaseless complaints of being marginalized.The governor wanted his people to know that politics is a matter of group goal,group interest,group cohesion,group coherence and even group conspiracy. That is why it has been said that even in Washington politics goes beyond ideal to include about who get what,why,where,how and when.Taking all this into account, governor Soludo has spoken the truth about the president’s attitudes to South East despite their almost total refusal to vote him.
Recent coups in African countries of Niger Republic and Gabon have put fears into many Nigerians. Do you see the possibility of a coup in Nigeria?.
While I agree with the concerns that the whiff of coups across West and Central Africa can also be in Nigeria,I think with our experiences in democracy for 24 years,most Nigerians would oppose any coup.Nigeria is improving by the day.That was why Washington post could write that Nigeria is icon of democracy in a continent where it is scarce. What is more,the advent of GSM in Nigeria which helps people to overcome time and distance can make plans for a coup very difficult.
