High Chief Promise Lawuru is a chief of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in Delta State and National Leader of Southern Youth Movement for Good Governance. In this interview he speaks on the governorship, the political crisis in Rivers State and the lingering issue of ward delineation in Warri Federal Constituency, GABRIEL CHOBA reports
So far, how would assess President Bola Tinubu’s administration and his performance?
If I want to rate the present government, I will give it a distinction because the Tinubu administration has done well so far. You know that the first thing a president has to do in a country that is down like Nigeria is to begin to repair. The repairs are in phases.
You first have to repair policies. Once you have fixed those policies that are ridiculing this country, then you come to the physical aspects of repair. In the area of repairs, the President is trying. You can see that he is putting policies in place to make sure Nigeria works again.
Now that elections are fast approaching, what will be the role of the Southern Youth Movement for Good Governance to ensure that youths are elected as governors and into other positions?
We are hands-on to make sure that our vibrant youths who are ready for governance to participate, win elections, and represent our people, not only in the executive arm but also in the legislative arm. You cannot compare analogue and digital. You may have experience, but physical fitness is also required.
Youths coming into governance is not about driving the aged away because in your own house, you cannot allow your father to be cooking or sweeping. At this time, we want our elders to be patient with us and let the youth work for them. I believe our elders and leaders are also listening and will allow vibrant youths to participate in elective positions come 2027.
What is your take on the move by a coalition of opposition leaders to turn the political table for President Tinubu in the next elections?
What I want to beg my southern people is that we should not be used as tools to remove our own. The idea that power belongs to a section of the country is what we need to jettison in Nigeria. Anytime a southerner is in government, there are coalitions here and there.
They did it with former President Goodluck Jonathan and succeeded. Now, there are coalitions; they want to do it to President Tinubu. But where they got it wrong was when they coalesced and became ADC. The work of an ADC (Aide de Camp) is to stand at the back of his principal.
So, APC is the principal, and ADC will always be at our back. Therefore, President Tinubu will return to power come 2027. As the National Leader of Southern Youth Movement for Good Governance, what strategy do you intend to apply to galvanize youths, so they can participate fully in the elections?
First, we must understand one thing: What has been the problem of this country? Some will say we have bad leaders; they just put the blame on bad leadership. But sometimes bad followership can produce bad leadership.
This idea that one must have financial capacity before one can contest election is one of the reasons for producing bad leadership. For instance, if I use money to get something, that stuff originally becomes mine, and I can use it the way I want. So, those politicians who influence youths with money to get to where they are; end up governing the country the way they like.
That is why we, the southern youths, are coming out to ensure that youths take their rightful place. We are doing this without even considering financial assistance from anybody. Voting is our constitutional right, and we have to exercise that right. This time, we are going around, creating awareness and telling people that collecting money to vote is damaging the country. This is the message we are spreading from the units to the wards..
What is your take on the political crisis rocking River State?
On the issue of Rivers State, most of us have been silent about it. For instance, if you ask the Rivers State governor, Siminalayi Fubara what the problem is; I know two things he will point out. Maybe, he will say money and appointments.
If these things are responsible for the problem, I will then say that the governor is not managing the crisis well. It is God that uses someone as a vessel to make someone become a governor. By the time God uses that vessel to make you a governor; it is good that you still follow that vessel.
I do not think the governor is a stranger to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, because the worked in his administration as the person in charge of finance.
The governor knows the minister very well, and it is the trust that Wike had in him that earned Fubara the governorship position. So, the governor should find a way to settle his scores with the mionister because the idea of having friends and more friends as a backup may not end well with him.
Some of those people the governor is meeting to support him do not have voting rights in Rivers State. They may only make statements favourable to him, but at the time of need, when only Rivers State people will have to come, they will not be there to back him. So, Fubara should find a way to reconcile with his boss. This is my candid advice, and I also advise Wike to allow him to complete his tenure.
What is your take on the lingering crisis over Warri ward delineation exercise done by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)?
On the issue of delineation, some people went to court and followed this matter to the Supreme Court and got a judgment. INEC followed the judgment, did fieldwork, and gave their report but some persons from some quarters are saying no, that things were not done correctly. I think we have stakeholders from the three ethnic groups in the area: – Ijaw, Itsekiri and Urhobo.
The stakeholders can meet. The office of the National Security Adviser has summoned meetings several times. At that stakeholders’ meeting, whatever needs to be corrected will be corrected. It is not worth killing ourselves or resorting to hate speeches. Politics will come and go, but brotherhood will remain the same.
