Excerpts:
YOU have been silent after the Supreme Court judgment. What could have been your reason(s) for this?
That is not correct. It has always been my style to engage at the intellectual level. I have addressed a number of national issues in my regular contribution to newspaper articles, press releases, television appearances and press conferences. I always put the interest of Rivers State and Nigeria ahead of other considerations, even at the risk of my comfort. I owe those who supported my aspiration a duty to speak up on their behalf and I am not going to give up on those. Whenever it is necessary, I have always bared my mind.
Looking at the state of the nation, can you really say Nigerians are getting the desired change they voted for?
Nigerians are getting the desired change, though the pace may not be what we would have desired. Change is a process; moving from a particular way of doing things to another is not a one off event—a new culture you can say. We had a culture of impunity and corruption till recently, but that is gradually giving way. We need to work with and support the government to achieve the country of our dream. The economy is at a critical juncture, due to past activities of those we trusted with authority, but there is also a global dimension to it. The security situation deserves more than a passing interest. My take is that Nigerians should work together to pull our country out of this ditch and quickly too. The country has great potential and great people and what we need is a leadership that inspires.
Nigerians have hailed President Muhammadu Buhari’s war against corruption, while many are worried that the fight is taking much of his time, with other critical sectors suffering. What is your take on this?
It is true that the president has devoted quite a bit of his time to the fight against corruption. It is explainable that it is one of the most challenging scourges plaguing our country today. Again, corruption has a direct inverse relationship with development. If you want to place development on a fast lane, you must deal with a major potential obstacle. That potential major obstacle is corruption. I am also aware that the president and his ministers are tackling the other facets of development, but we may not appreciate the efforts until results begin to yield. We all appreciate result and not work.
Some people have also condemned the frequent foreign trips of Mr President. Do you subscribe to this view?
If you don’t know the purpose of a thing, you are most likely to abuse it. The president and his team have an objective they want to achieve and if it will take inter-connectedness in this global village to achieve it, so be it. What Nigerians should demand at all times is full disclosure of purpose of the visit and the result accomplished. I agree that there must be a delicate balance between dealing with economy and realising our objectives as a people within a global community.
As a former federal lawmaker, are you not worried about the handling of the 2016 budget by the lawmakers?
I am truly worried that, from information at my disposal, some civil servants bungled the budget making process. Budget is a very important tool in national development planning and re-engineering and so it deserves detailed attention. I am, however, confident that the National Assembly will rise to the occasion and do the needful. The blame is not at the doorstep of the lawmakers. I am among those who believe that bipartisan cooperation is needed at this time, as well as cooperation among different arms of government to move our country forward.
Coming to Rivers State, you have accepted the Supreme Court judgment, but some Nigerians are saying the judgment was to avert further bloodshed if a rerun was ordered. What is your take on this?
What you have just said is not reflected in the reasons given for the judgment. What seems to be a consensus among Nigerians is that the Supreme Court judgment did not address the issue of violence and rigging in elections. The judgment inadvertently endorsed political violence as a means to achieving victory; it has further emboldened election riggers. We now have more bloodshed in the build-up to the legislative rerun in the state than we had during the last elections. The indication so far is that, if something urgent is not done to stem the orgy of violence, then the violence we experienced last time will be a joke.
You claimed that Governor Wike was privy to the judgment prior to its delivery. Can you substantiate this?
I repeat this over and over again that, listening to Governor Nyesom Wike at different times, thanking those who were his technical advisers in the pursuit of the Supreme Court case, you will arrive at one conclusion namely, that he knew ahead of time that the Supreme Court verdict would end in his favour. He has never denied it and it is unfortunate for the role of the judiciary and growth of democracy. All I did was to draw the attention of the world to Wike’s reckless and irresponsible statements, for sound minds to draw their own inference. So far, from informed commentaries all over the country, there is unanimity of opinion that something is amiss with the election that took place in Rivers State and the judgment that endorsed it.
There has been allegation of bribery concerning the four states lost by APC-Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Taraba and Abia. But is it possible to bribe all the 16 judges, including the CJN, who presided over the cases?
Rivers State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has not yet accused the justices of collecting bribe, unless you are the one insinuating it. I am aware that there are talks in the street that the judgments in the case of Rivers and Akwa Ibom states must be a product of compromise. One thing I know is that the judiciary is on the spot and must go the extra length to continue to enjoy maximum confidence of Nigerians.
It is also being said in some quarters that the losers were actually those who offered bribe to influence the judgment but were rebuffed. Are you one of them?
I challenge anybody to come out boldly with evidence in the case of Rivers State. There is no truth in it as it relates to Rivers State...
The leadership of the apex court is said to be in possession of a security report on those who offered bribe. Will you want such a report to be made public?
I am not aware. If they have such report, let them or the security agencies make it public for the interest of our country. I definitely will want such reports made public.
You once offered to work with Governor Wike to move the state forward, by ways of advice and constructive criticisms. But you have been silent since...
I have not reneged on my offer. Whenever there is need for me to criticise or advise Governor Wike, I will not shy away from that responsibility. I owe that duty to thousands of Rivers people who desire good and honest leadership and found that in my aspiration, but were denied the opportunity by forces of darkness. Rivers State and the concept of good governance is bigger than the ‘Dakuku Peterside for Governor Project’ which has become a movement in Rivers State.
The state is, no doubt, in serious security crisis. Are you impressed with the way the governor has been handling the issue?
Governor Wike has no clue on how to tackle the insecurity in Rivers State. This is why the killing and general insecurity is growing geometrically by the day. His dormancy and cluelessness have fueled the speculation all over the state that he is the promoter and sponsor of the political genocide going on in Rivers State. The governor has not taken any step known to me or Rivers citizens to stop the carnage. Rather, he was on radio the other day saying, after all, no prominent politician has been assassinated. All of us the leaders will give account to God for our secret and open actions.
Do you think the current security crisis has anything to do with the forthcoming rerun election in the state?
It definitely has to do with the forthcoming election. You may have noticed a pattern since 2014/2015; as we approach elections, killing and insecurity heighten. It has been made worse by the constant threat of Wike that his supporters and thugs should take the laws into their own hands and resist arrest. He practically advised his followers at Etche to burn people alive and the next day, Ofinjite Amachree, an APC stalwart, was burnt alive in Buguma. You can see the nexus.
How can you disabuse the view that the crisis was orchestrated by some people, geared towards facilitating the declaration of a state of emergency?
There is no crisis in the first place. Security agencies, going to arrest a known criminal who has been terrorising the people and the criminal opening fire on the military, cannot constitute a crisis. What is going on now is that Wike wants to bring in politics into a purely security affair. The mindless killings and increasing kidnapping going on in the state are attributable to unguarded and insatiable quest for power. Some politicians in Rivers State believe they must get power at all costs; that is the root cause of the insecurity in the state today. People are slaughtered, beheaded, burnt, clubbed to death daily in the state and nobody is saying anything about it. The state government has gone to sleep when it comes to security, as if it is not part of its responsibility.
How will you describe the worrisome dimension to the killings namely, beheading of the victims?
Tragic, terrible, horrendous, frightening and simply inhuman. This is not who we are in Rivers. This is a state of life meant for only beasts but that is what we are experiencing. Twenty-four persons were killed in one night at Omoku; four persons killed in Obibi Etche in one day; somebody burnt alive in Buguma; another person buried alive in Gokana; someone clubbed to death in Opobo and so on and so forth. What a gory tale fit for primitive societies! It is not only worrisome, but it also diminishes our humanness.
You once lamented that the security agents do not respond on time whenever innocent people are attacked...
The security agents are doing their best, but the security situation in Rivers has become an extraordinary case requiring national attention. What is currently going on in Rivers is worse than what is going on in Borno State. All hands must be on deck to sincerely and effectively tackle this national security challenge taking place on the soil of Rivers State.
Can you sincerely say that the deployment of the military to some communities in the state is justifiable?
It is more than justifiable. We will always advocate that they, however, operate within the rules of engagement.
But to some, rather than be the cure, the military presence has worsened the crisis, the death of over 18 people during the military invasion of Yeghe being a case in study...
This is not true. What are you are saying is a storyline by some selfish politicians who want the Nigerian military out of the area so their own army can continue to hold sway to the detriment of the ordinary people.
But the people of Ogoni are protesting the military invasion of their community. Are you also in support of the invasion?
Let us always tell the truth. The military went to Yeghe to arrest Solomon Ndigbara (aka Osama bin Laden of Ogoni) and his boys opened fire on the military. Perhaps, you expect the military to fold their arms and allow militants over-run them? The military responded to the attack and in the process a few casualties occurred. The military got a cache of arms enough to declare war over any territory from Solomon’s armoury and yet a few persons think it is okay for an individual to stockpile such arms. Who did the militants want to use the arms on?
What is your candid advice to Governor Wike in the face of the crisis?
Let him be a statesman. The period of politics and politicking is over. You may have used these boys to come to power, but you are now the governor of Rivers State who should be desirous of leaving a legacy. Let him and his team rise up and tackle this menace, else history will be unkind to him. Rivers State has suffered enough, because he has abdicated his responsibility as governor due to moral baggage, but he can ask God for forgiveness and do the needful.
What is your take on the implementation of the UNEP Report on the cleanup of Ogoniland?
I am impressed by the steps taken so far. We have played too much politics with something that deals with the existence of a people. Cleaning Ogoniland and the entire Niger Delta region is an international commitment that should be treated as a national emergency; it deals with the very root of our humanity. Evaluating what has been done so far, I am convinced the president is taking the right steps. All I pray for is for us to get the right results.
What is your next move as 2019 approaches slowly?
I will rather keep that to myself. But my immediate task is to work hard with ordinary Rivers people to deliver all the APC candidates in the rerun election in the state so that we can rescue our people from the jaws of killers and power-mongers. Suffice it to say that I am always available for service to Rivers people and Nigerians. As you know, service is my passion; I want to see Rivers State and Nigeria fulfill its potentialities.
The legislative rerun is some few days away, what are the chances of your party and its candidates?
Rivers people know their leaders. I am full of hope that my party will win all seats at stake and come back to the mainstream of national politics. We are very prepared for the elections. Against the backdrop of constant threat by Governor Wike to kill and maim, all we are asking for is security so that no voter is hurt.
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