According to The Punch Newspaper, Peoples Democratic Party Vice-Chairman (South-South), Chief Edet Nkpubre, tells FIDELIS SORIWEI the party’s vision ahead of its 2012 national convention next month
Five governors were ordered to vacate their seats recently by the Supreme Court on the grounds that their tenure expired in May last year. What is your view on the verdict of the court?
I’ve always argued that when there is a verdict from the law, you read the story behind it. That is the spirit behind that provision, that one person should occupy the position of governor for four years. The verdict of the Supreme Court conforms exactly to my understanding of that portion of the law. They had overstayed and they ought to have gone like every other person. I’m happy with that verdict.
There were reports that the PDP was not actually happy because it robbed it of the governorship of some of these affected states.
You see, people react to issues differently. I’m talking about the core values of that decision, the consequence of the judgement, whether it affects me adversely or not should not distract attention from the value of the judgement. I’m talking about the real value. If it affects the PDP adversely, this involves Nigeria and we’re moving this country forward. I’m applauding that because that is the provision.
As a stakeholder in the PDP, are you worried that elections are going to take place in four of those states when you have lost the power of incumbency there?
We’re strong. It doesn’t mean because you are an incumbent, you are going to disrupt the system or rig an election in your favour. No, I’ve always believed that the PDP in those states is strong enough to win an election in a free and fair circumstance no matter who organises it. For those states where we’re going for the rerun, we are going to win our election; we’re solidly on the ground.
Some people said because of the crisis in Bayelsa, the party was going to lose in that state.
My message to Bayelsa people and the electorate is that the PDP has been so good to Bayelsa; the PDP was the only party that fielded a South-South citizen as its presidential candidate in the last general election. The PDP produced for the first time, a person of South-South extraction as the President of this country. Bayelsa has been a PDP state and it will continue to be a PDP state. When the chips were down, you could see that Bayelsans did the right thing.
For the past few months, this government has been battling with the problem of insecurity in the country. Do you think the government will win the battle?
Anywar against a new development has always been slow and steady but in the end, the government will always have the upper hand. You know when the armed robbers started in Nigeria under Gowon (Gen. Yakubu Gowon), the ordinary citizens felt overwhelmed. Gradually, we are putting our acts together. Today, we don’t hear of armed robbers much as we used to. Terrorism is new; the ordinary people feel overwhelmed but Nigeria’s security agencies are developing the technology and skills to battle this situation. A few days ago, a very prominent member (of the terrorist sect) was tracked down and technology was deployed to do that. Other people will follow suit; when you arrest the leaders here and there, this group would go out gradually. They may surface from here, but it is not as if you will completely wipe the thing out. They will be there but it will not be as frightening as this. It is frightening now because it is new. You and I now need to develop some of our skills, which we have not done. That people pass you by on the road, you do nothing, you don’t even care to look at their faces; as you are now, somebody passes and you cannot describe him. But with the growing security consciousness in the country, you will be able to watch yourself and watch those around you. It is a new thing. We’re all going to develop our individual skills, our own innate ability to start to protect ourselves.
But prominent Igbo leaders have recalled their women and children from the North…
These are all reactions. They are natural. You send strong messages so that people will be aware that others are angry with what is happening. It is a reaction. People are dying somewhere. You react so that people will be careful too. It is normal. You are not declaring a war. If there were organised people doing it, they could be afraid that what we’re doing is not right, after all, this could be visited on our own people too. So, it is a check and balance kind of thing.
You are contesting the deputy chairmanship of the PDP. You have been vice-chairman, South-South for some years; why are you venturing into that position?
If you do well, you want to go up, and I’ve done well so far. For the first time that zone has produced the President. You know in the history of that zone, Harry Marshal was the national vice-chairman. He was killed; Dikibo was a national vice-chairman, he was killed. So, three people occupied it within a few years but I have done that for four years. I have been able to sustain peace and calm. I have been able to keep all the state chapters at peace because in a situation of crisis, you may have some of these people being targeted for elimination. I’ve created that peace. I have produced all PDP governors. We gave the President the highest votes in the zone. What else do you want? We have done so well in the zone. So, as a good student, who has done well, I should be moved up.
What informs the zoning of the political offices like zoning the chairmanship to the North-East and secretary to the South-West?
The chairmanship started from the South, it went to the North. Now, it is the turn of the North-East to take the position of chairman. The next time it will go to the South. We zone offices for balancing so that it would be acceptable to everybody. Nobody would feel short-changed.
What are your plans considering the present situation in the party?
I will ensure the independence of the party, secure its independence, strengthen it, and recapture the lost glory of the party. I will get the party to be the party of the 21st century that everybody will be proud to belong to. I will rebrand the PDP, polish our image in the media. I will also overhaul the funding of the party.
You have opponents from the zone, who are equally qualified for the position of the National Deputy Chairman…
This office has a unique history. People have always moved from national vice-chairmanship to deputy chairmanship. Shuaib Oyedokun was a national vice-chairman when the position of deputy national chairman was zoned to the South-West, he occupied the position. The same thing applied to Olabode George. When the same position was zoned to the North-West, Haliru Mohammed was a national vice-chairman, and he moved up. Now, it has been zone to the South-South, everything being equal, I should move up. Again, if you look at the statistics of those who are occupying national offices from my zone and members of the National Working Committee of the party from my zone, my state and Edo State are the only two states which never occupied national offices. Rivers has occupied, just before me. Cross River has occupied (the former Minister of Environment John Odey was a national officer). Delta has occupied as a deputy national chairman. It is Edo and Akwa Ibom that have never occupied such positions. So, the two positions, deputy national chairman and financial secretary, should go to those two states. Because I’m a national vice-chairman, the deputy national chairman should be given to Akwa Ibom. Three, if you look at the sharing of political offices, Akwa Ibom is the only state that has only a minister, no other thing added to it. So, they should use this to compensate us. Rivers has its governor as the chairman of the Governors’ Forum, a very powerful position. The Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission is from Rivers. The only Independent National Electoral Commission commissioner representing the zone, Igbani, is from Rivers. Bayelsa has the chairman of the NDDC. It has the Minister of Petroleum and the President. Cross River has the Minister of Tourism and the Executive Secretary of the National Planning Commission. Edo has Chief of Staff and the Minister of Works. Then you go to Delta, the Minister of Niger Delta, the Special Adviser to the President, Mrs. Ali and then Deputy Leader of the House of Representatives are from that state. It is only Akwa Ibom that has one. They should use this position to compensate us for all our contributions.
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