Afegbua: South-south Deserves Senate Presidency

Prince Kassim Afegbua was former Edo State Commissioner for Information in the administration of Adams Oshiomhole. He was a member of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party until June last year when he left to champion Southern presidency. Afegbua insisted then that after a Buhari presidency, it should naturally be the turn of the South. He has also been making a case for South-south Senate presidency, arguing that it was the turn of the zone. He spoke with Wale Igbintade. Excepts:

The elections have been concluded but it appears as if the dust of the election has refused to settle. What’s your take on that? 

Well, that is expected after every election circle. Those who lost elections would certainly agonise over their defeat and would often times want to explore the opportunity of the election tribunals to see if they could get anything meaningful from it. Election is like every sports, with a winner and loser emerging from the contest. But what you see often times in Nigeria is a system where those who are defeated are never in agreement with the outcome. Allegations of rigging will continue to flourish, allegations of manipulations and all manner of criticisms. Despite the many upsets in the last election, you can imagine the uproar it has generated. Those who lost out are thinking so loudly that they were rigged out. So as Nigerians, we must learn to accept outcome of elections no matter how much of reservations you have about it. So, we are in familiar terrain after elections; the terrain of legal jurisprudence, the terrain of inspecting INEC election materials, to present cases to the tribunals. But most of what you see are a function of our inability to moderate our emotions. Nigerian politicians must deliberately learn the act and art of being good sportsmen. In an election, it is one winner at a time.

If I follow your logic, it means the election has been won and lost. How do your intend to embark on power sharing to elicit confidence in the system, and promote national unity?

You see, power acquisition is one, power sharing is another. In a plural society like Nigeria, the demand is often very challenging. You need to balance all the power algorithms to ensure you instil confidence in the system and promote a culture of participation and inclusiveness. Geopolitical zones must necessarily be patronised in the spirit of national unity so that their own aspirations would be accommodated in the larger overall interest of the country. The ruling party must be conscious of those geopolitical interests and balancing to build stability in the system and ensure that the people are ready for the leadership of the party and the country. Power sharing is as complex as the power acquisition process. After you have acquired power, how do you plug in persons and factors to build the right team for delivering the essential ingredients of governance? The Tinubu presidency will surely try to balance all the geopolitical interests to engender a sense of equity, unity, and fairness. I am also very interested in the South-south having the position of the Senate Presidency following the support the zone gave to the Tinubu presidential aspiration from the pre-primary stage to the post-primary and general election. 

But there are other zones interested in the Senate presidency position like the South-east and North-west. In fact, Senator Orji Kalu has said that the position belongs to him, using the “emi lokan” mantra. How do you react to that?

Well, it is anybody’s right to aspire to any position of authority, but there are pre-conditions that should engender such aspiration. First of all, having a same faith president and vice president, the Senate president and Speaker should be Christians. I am saying this not because I believe in politics of religion, but because religion has become a sentimental issue in the politics of the nation. Then having settled that demographics, the next is to look at the relevance of the individual and the zone towards the overall victory of the presidential candidate. The North-west will be completing a term of eight years as president, so they should naturally slow down in asking for the number three position. That leaves South-south and South-east in the fray. The South-east went on holiday during the presidential election and literally abandoned the presidential candidate but faced their own individual election. They were feasting in Obi’s party in show of ethnic solidarity. Senator Orji for example, got huge votes to be returned as Senator, but left the presidential candidate abandoned in the cold. While he got over 40,000 votes, his presidential candidate got very ridiculous votes in the region of 6,000 votes across the state. Not even 5%. In the entire South-east states, APC couldn’t score 10% in any of the states, yet someone is expected to be crowned as Senate President? It is not equitable to do so. We must interrogate what you are bringing to the table, both in content and character. So, please, help me to announce it to the world that South-south should be given the slot. 

But don’t you think that it will be equitable to have the position zoned to the South-east? 

I think it will be more equitable to have the position zoned to the South-south, first as the treasure base of the nation that must be consciously and deliberately pacified at all times. Second as a way of compensating them for breaking into the stronghold of the opposition PDP and making a good showing in the elections. APC won Rivers State for the first time since its formation, and got substantial votes in Akwa Ibom, the home state of PDP’s presidential campaign Chairman, came second in Edo, Cross River and Bayelsa states. These are the stronghold of the PDP. In the South-east, the APC senators worked for their own election and conspiratorially abandoned their presidential candidate. How can they score so high in their own votes, and score so abysmally low in that of the presidential candidate, in an election that was conducted same time, same hour and simultaneously. There must be a deliberate conspiracy, and you cannot reward such conspiracy in the name of trying to balance geopolitical inclusion.

The South-south is not only a strategic partner in the affairs of the nation, it is the resource base of the country. There has to be a deliberate effort to promote politics of inclusion when dealing with South-south. We have solid minds who are eminently qualified for the position and also ranking senator from that geopolitical zone. In fact, it is our turn as a zone because the South-east has had Senate President five times in the last 24 years; Enwerem, Okadigbo, Wabara, Anyim, and Nnamani. South-south has not been so blessed. Senator Godswill Akpabio is a ranking senator in case you are looking for who fits the bill. He’s a solid personality, very cerebral and a transformer, who can give colour, candour and content to the 10th National Assembly. 

Now that you have mentioned Senator Akpabio, is he the only one qualified and interested in the position from the zone? 

I have just given you an example of a cerebral candidate for that position who understands the dynamics in the country and can connect easily to the expectations of the people. Within the South-south zone, he is the only ranking senator for now. I would have supported senator-elect, Adams Oshiomhole, if he wasn’t a first timer. The Senate rule counts against him and that is also understandable. Senator Akpabio fits the bill. He stepped down for the APC presidential candidate during the primaries, delivered a very powerful speech and directed his delegates to vote for Senator Bola Tinubu. He also delivered over 120,000 thousand votes in Akwa Ibom, knowing that is the state of the Chairman of the PDP Presidential Campaign Council. He is a likeable personality who is easily and fondly called uncommon transformer both as Governor of Akwa Ibom and Honourable Minister of the Federal Republic. He transformed Akwa Ibom State from a typical rural community to an urban community with gigantic infrastructure across the state. You may not like Senator Akpabio, but you can’t fault his achievements even as a Minister of the Niger Delta Affairs. He was able to complete the 30 years old, abandoned NDDC Headquarters started by Chief Horsfall in 1993, within two years and relocated the NDDC there. He was able to construct roads, built Police Barracks, provide several other infrastructure. He carried out a forensic audit of the NDDC despite cries of acrimony, but he insisted that the right things must be done. Go to Akwa Ibom today and see his huge infrastructural renewal. Someone like that deserves more recognition and being a Senate President will afford him the opportunity to constructively engage with the President. He has network of influence across the country, has impacted on so many people across board and always ready to shoulder responsibilities with equanimity of purpose. 

 The business of lawmaking requires diplomacy, grit and tact. It is more demanding when you are expected to balance the power equation 

I do understand that especially when you take into account the plural status of Nigeria and the competing interests of the various geopolitical groups. But you know, as a Senate President, your role is to serve as an equitable moderator, balancing the factors and subjecting the law making process to serious interrogation through public participation. Senator Akpabio is a team player who understands the viability of having issues properly argued, dissected and distilled before decisions are taken. In our present dispensation, we need an individual who can robustly engage issues and drive the collective to arrive at decisions that will impact on the wellbeing of the people. Having an Akpabio will complement Asiwaju Tinubu, who was also a Senator and understands the role and functions of the legislature. We need individuals who are conversational, interactional and who are ready to dialogue on issues no matter how unassailable, before conclusions are drawn. The South-south has always been a viable partner in the affairs of the nation, and this time, is the best opportunity to be accorded the recognition of Senate presidency. We need it, Nigerians understand that South-south needs it. Help us talk to the power players that it will be in the strategic interest of the country for the South-south to be allowed to fill that position. We are team players, we are civilised and urbane, we are cosmopolitan and nationalistic in our orientation.