…says many of those that endorsed Tinubu are with Coalition
A former Minister of Sports, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, is the current national publicity secretary of the African Democratic Party. In this interview with OLAOLU Oladipo, he talked about happenings within the party as well as efforts being made to position the party to win the 2027 General Elections. Excerpts:
How would you describe the journey so far since the unveiling of the African Democratic Congress (ADC)?
It has been overwhelming given the widespread enthusiasm with which the party has been received across the country by the ordinary people. It is as if Nigerians have been waiting for this kind of thing to happen. While the response has been encouraging, I must say that it is not entirely surprising. Before ADC was announced as the coalition party, a cross section of Nigerians had worried that they were being presented with a fait accompli and that the country was descending to a one-party state that would leave no alternative in 2027 and no choice but to vote the APC and President (Bola Ahmed) Tinubu. In other words, people felt that their suffering in the last two years would continue. So, the coming of the coalition and the ADC was a breath of fresh air and a relief. This would explain why our party had grown so popular across the country in less than two months.
Save for a few, many of the major gladiators have not gone to their states and zones to either register or mobilise into the party, why is this so?
I wouldn’t know the basis for your conclusion. But I can assure you that all our leaders understand that the real work is in the states and the local level. This is why you would see party leaders in each state taking turns to launch the party in their states. Right now, I know that wards and local government structures are being built across the country, membership registration and revalidation is also going on. In the coming days, you would see the launch of the party in various states, including my own state of Kwara. So, your assumption is not exactly correct.
Do you think the initial momentum that it gathered is still there?
Of course, the momentum is still on. The race is a marathon, not a dash. You also have to be strategic not to get burnt out ahead of the finals. In any case, you need to now pay attention to what is going on at the local levels, the states and what we call the grassroots. We are now in the construction and the building process. Much of what happens at this level is not done in the eye of the public, but you would see the results and the outcome. This is a movement. What most people don’t understand is that the coalition goes beyond the ADC. ADC is the party of the coalition, but the coalition is much bigger. There are people who are part of the coalition whom you don’t know because they cannot come out now. For most people, the choice is between the government and the coalition. You are either with this APC government or you are with the Nigerian people and the coalition, the choice is very simple and clear.
From what you can see as the National Publicity Secretary of the party, do you still think that it can win the 2027 General Elections?
Like I said earlier, Nigerians are fully with the coalition and the ADC. This government does not know what is coming. What we are talking about has to do with the very survival of the majority of Nigerians. It has to do with the lives of Nigerians that are being wilfully taken by bandits and Nigerians, who as a result, live in constant fear for their lives, while government continues to make merry in Abuja. It has to do with millions of Nigerians who have been plunged into poverty as a result of the bad policies of this administration. It has to do with Nigerians who feel excluded with the way this government has favoured its cronies and people they consider their own. It has to do with Nigerians who feel embarrassed across the world with the incompetence of this government. So, we are confident that Nigerians are clear about the direction that they want this country to go, and certainly this is not the direction that this APC administration has taken them in the last two years. People talk about the possibility of government rigging the election, well, we would wait and see. Every politician knows that you can only rig where you stand the chance of winning. But this government has no chance with the people. Forget these defections or public endorsements. Some of the defectors and those doing the endorsing are actually in the coalition.
One of the reasons why many Nigerians were excited after the unveiling is the fact that many political gladiators graced the event, how has it been managing these giants and the various interests within the party?
We have no problem with managing anybody. I must say that yes, there are issues in a number of states, but this is not unusual in a political party that is popular and have attracted bigwigs. A political party is neither a church nor a mosque, it is a space for contesting political power. Therefore, you are bound to see contending interests. But we are building a party that is able to deal with these contentions, and able to subordinate every member’s interest and ambition to the overall goals and visions of the party, which is to save Nigeria from the current misrule. This is why no one in the leadership of the ADC and the coalition is talking about zoning or where the presidential candidate would come from. We know that what is at stake is much bigger than any individual’s quest for power. We have a duty to build a real political party that is known for something and that is driven fundamentally by national interest. This is what distinguishes the ADC. It is the only party in whose constitution you would find specific provisions that clearly articulate what the party stands for. For example, in Article 7 of the party constitution, it states clearly that ADC is committed to building a political system that is “free from domination by wheeler-dealer political elites, money-bags and god-fathers.” You cannot find this in any other political party in Nigeria. This is why we say that this is the only party that gives opportunities to young people who are children of nobody to become somebody. So, you can see that what we are doing goes beyond just taking power in 2027.
As it stands, we have interim officials of the party, when do we look forward to the National Convention of the party where the substantive National leaders will emerge?
On that, we shall be guided by the constitution of our party as well as the schedule or time table of the INEC in respect of the next general election. We have interim executive in place now and they have a lot of work to do. So, this is what we are focused on.
With the benefit of hindsight, what do you think the zoning of the presidential ticket would look like?
ADC is not having conversations about zoning at this time.
What are criteria that will eventually inform what the zoning formula will be?
Like I said before, ADC is not having conversation about zoning at this time.
What is your assessment of the Bola Ahmed Tinubu led government?
I think the verdict is clear for all Nigerians to see. It is in the lived reality of every Nigerian that is not directly connected with this administration, and that means the majority of Nigerians. The main standard of measurement of the performance of any government is whether it has improved the lives of the people; whether the government has made the lives of the people better. On this, the verdict is clear. In what sector would you say this government has made the lives of the people better in the last two years? If you listen to the government officials speaking, they still talk as if they are still campaigning, and still making promises as if they are not the ones in government in the last two years. But they don’t get to be ruling party and opposition party at the same time. In the next election, Nigerians would judge them by their scorecards and not by their promises. They have to tell every man, every woman, every youth in every part of this country what they have done to make their lives better. It would be interesting to hear what they would say.
Which areas has it done well and which areas has it done badly?
Well, maybe you can say they have generated more revenue for government. But the question is whether this improved revenue has had any impact on the lives of the people. Look at the minimum wage of N70,000, even when it is paid, it still condemns the majority of people earning the minimum wage to living below the poverty line. Because of what they have done to the Naira, for anyone to live above the extreme poverty line, they must earn about N93,000 or so. So, I am not even addressing their intentions, they probably meant well with some of their policies, including removal of subsidy and even the currency devaluation, and we would admit that some of the macroeconomic indices would suggest some progress in that regard. But at what cost? Of what use is an economy that is not able to create jobs, where people are not able to feed their families or pay school fees? This is the problem. Government is telling the people to make sacrifices but they and their cronies are living in obscene luxury and living lavishly. They tell the people that they should wait for the benefits of their policies in the future, but they are feeding fat while the people are not even sure they would survive into that promised future. Convoys of government officials are getting longer with luxury cars, while the ordinary man cannot afford to pay transport fare to the village. What kind of government is that?
What would the ADC do differently if voted into power?
ADC will put the people first. Again, we are the only party whose constitution makes clear what the core values of our government and leadership are. Article 6 of our constitution makes it clear what the ADC is about: patriotism, due process, transparency, integrity, truthfulness, accountability, leadership, fidelity, prudence, selflessness, compassion, humility and so on. These are the core values of our party and once you adhere strictly to these core values, then it becomes clear that the people will come first, that you cannot govern with propaganda, that you cannot feed fat while the people are hungry, that you will not deceive the people, that you will listen to the people. This is what will make the difference.
