Orajiaka: Parties’ Structures Designed to Sideline Good Candidates in Nigeria

Havard University-trained Business Executive and Chieftain of the Labour Party in Anambra state, Paul Orajiaka, in this interview shares his thoughts on the challenges of vying for elective office as a young businessman, insecurity in the country, the clamour for creation of state police and assesses  President Bola Tinubu’s one year in office. Folalumi Alaran brings excerpts:

You were a governor aspirant in Anambra State under the All Progressives Congress in 2021. What vital lessons did you learn from that trial?

One of the lessons I learned from running for elective office is that you may be passionate about serving, but the political structures in place have a way of determining your fate. You can have all the zeal but when the guys at the top of the party hierarchy step in, you will find out that your whole effort and desire comes to naught. So, what it tells you is that, it’s not just about you having the will, it’s about you being able to fight a system that is perpetually, wanting to keep the best of the candidates out of the race.

The system we have in place is such that neglects rightful candidates and chooses the worst of the candidates as against the people who have taken their time to prepare. I realized soon enough that the APC in Anambra State didn’t want the best of us to run for elective offices or be the flag bearers of the party. What happened during the APC governorship primaries was a big scam.

After the charade, they offered to compensate me with several political appointments if the party wins the governorship election but I called their bluff because my desire was not about what I was going to gain, but what I was going to give. Having seen the fraud they called primaries, I just stayed away and later went back to my business.

But the problem you just described is not peculiar to the APC…

Unfortunately, our political system has been seriously compromised. I agree that the problem cuts across the entire major political parties in the country. It is now about the money bags taking the day.

Meanwhile, politics, as it should be, has moved beyond the depth of your pocket to the depth of your knowledge and what you’re bringing on board. But what we’re still playing today in Nigeria is money politics. This is why during most primaries, you hear that the EFCC is looking for those sharing dollars. What has dollars got to do with party primaries? We should be able to bring the candidates before the party members and ask them to choose among the best candidates.

So I think on the national and state level, there’s been too much money influence in the system.

Why did you move to the Labour Party?

I decided to move to the Labour Party because it’s a platform that has a sense of purpose and more desire for genuine change. It’s a movement that is trying to bring out the best of Nigerians to run for elective offices so that when we have a critical mass of good people, we can change the system.

My philosophy is that if a system isn’t working, you move to another system that works and propels you to achieve your desire to engineer positive change in society.

Why LP and not the Peoples Democratic Party, or the All Progressives Grand Alliance,  which is the ruling party in Anambra State?

I didn’t want to be tied in any way to anything that has to do with a regional arrangement. That is why I didn’t choose APGA. Then, the other parties have so much in similarity with what I experienced in APC; how connected and how much money you have. LP is a peoples’ movement that has revived the consciousness of the masses that together we can do better and dislodge the old order.

Besides, Peter Obi who is the symbol of the party has also become a symbol of value, integrity, morals, and love for people.

I want to identify with such good traits. What he did in his eight years of administration in Anambra is still a benchmark for good governance in the country.

But the LP is also battling an internal crisis that is presently threatening its unity.

I can assure you that the problems in the party will soon be addressed permanently. Our leader, Peter Obi is trying everything to see that the party is normal. So, yes, it might be tough at the moment, but I’m sure at the right time we’re going to fix it. There may be little issues with the party now, but that is not enough to make us jump ship because after all what other alternatives do we have considering the fact that the two dominant parties have failed us?

Is your ambition to govern Anambra state a do-or-die affair?

Not at all. Even when I was running for the governor of Anambra State under the APC, I always said to them that in as much as I have a desire to become the governor, I would never allow my ambition to becloud the party’s victory. The problem I had with APC was because I felt cheated. I felt the right thing had not been done. If the APC had conducted a free and fair primary and I failed to clinch the ticket, I would never have left the party.  I am in LP now and I desire to work for the success of the party. If I get the party’s ticket to run for governor, good but if I don’t, I will support whoever emerges under free and fair party primaries.

Do you think that the LP can still get the kind of support it got during the last general election? 

I believe we can. The structure that was built back then is still in place. We are still meeting regularly and strategizing for the next election circle. Unlike others, our flagbearer has remained active in the political scene. At best, others just tweet and from time to time issue press releases. But our leader, Peter Obi has continued to move around, engaging and consulting people.

The reactions we get during our engagements are a clear signal that Nigerians are still yearning for good governance. We will not lose faith because we are sure that salvation will come one day.

How would you assess Governor Charles Soludo’s administration in the last two years?

I am not impressed with what he has done. Anambra residents expected more from him based on his pedigree as a former Central Bank of Nigeria Governor. What we are getting is more talks and less action. Governance goes beyond those pedigrees or those CVs that he’s brandishing. I mean, there is more to it. The practicality of what we are seeing on the ground does not attest to or match those titles. From what we have seen, Anambra indigenes deserve more than they are currently getting.

What is your take on the clamour for state police as a key measure to tackle insecurity in the country?

I think it is a desirable measure that should be given serious consideration. I also believe that the executive has to work with the National Assembly to work out the modality. The structure should be well worked out to avoid abuse. If a university like Harvard can have a police unit, I don’t see why that cannot happen here in Nigeria. The idea of posting a police officer from the North to the South to safeguard a community where he or she does not know the language or terrain has never worked and should be discontinued. Policing is local but the right framework that will forestall abuse should be put in place first.

How would you assess President Bola Tinubu’s administration in his one year in office?

I think the administration is saddled with a lot of baggage from the eight years of the last administration. Unfortunately the presidency has been trying to distance itself from the failures of the last administration.

It just tells you that whenever they are unable to deliver, they start looking for excuses and pointing fingers at the last administration which they were part of.

If a man starts making excuses, it means he already feels defeated. We know things have been liberalized, from the subsidy to floating of the Naira, but how well have they managed it? Nigerians are suffering because our leaders are making hasty decisions without thinking them through to know the implications for the people.

Nigerians are living for themselves and hoping that God protects them. Certainly, this government has not delivered on the expectations of Nigerians. The biggest challenge will be how they manage the crisis in the country because things are getting out of hand, food trucks are being mobbed and food items stolen. I mean, this is a recipe for anarchy. So, the quicker the government addresses some of these challenges, the better for this country not to degenerate into anarchy. So, if I were to score this government, I would say they have failed in their renewed hope agenda.

What do you think could have been responsible for the government’s failures?

The reason is the problem with the Nigerian political class. They only converge for interest. They do not converge for the interest of the common man. They only converge for the title and position they will get. Once it’s time for elections, they quickly form alliances to foster their political dynasty. And when they finally get that power, you see that they are completely lost on what to do with the power. The Nigerian political class has always been an amalgamation of people who are never prepared for governance. They are quick to converge for their interest, but the interest of the masses is never put into consideration when they are realigning on what to do. So, I would say that the present government has not organized itself in a good way other than dispensing patronage.

How receptive are the old political class to young minds like you aspiring to run for office?

During my time studying for my Masters degree in Public Administration at Harvard Kennedy School, I once attended an African Business Conference at Harvard Business School where I met a lot of young African minds. I was amazed at how they were revolutionizing the world with their ideas.

It got me wondering how Africa could have these qualities of young minds in the Diaspora and then have the worst of them being their political leaders.

Truly Africa has a rich quality of young vibrant people but the political class has choked the political space to prevent them from coming in to salvage the continent.

My quest to run for the governorship election in Anambra was a clear testament to the fact that these people do not want the young people to come to the political space.

I was the youngest among the 14 aspirants in APC. I was an inspiration to many people who saw me as a symbol of freshness, hope, light, and new dawn. I ran a well-structured campaign. But at the end of it, the political juggernaut in the party chose to just sit down and write the result of the primary election. So the political class, so long as their interest is paramount, will never want to see the young people.

When the sham was over, a sitting governor during one of our reconciliation panel, appealed to me to accept the result of an election that was never held.

He acknowledged that people like me were the future of the party but that it was not yet our turn. I was amazed at how politicians think. They acknowledge your value but won’t give you the space to run. Politics should not be for retired people. It should be for the young and able minds.  You do not go into battle when you are weak, lame, and fragile, because governance is like a war.

You are going to serve people. You are going to fight against interests. Politics should not be for retirees who will go to the Senate and be sleeping during sessions. It should be for the young, energetic and vibrant youths. 

That was what we brought into the campaign for the APC primaries, but the powers that be in the party didn’t want us.

So, how can the youth fight to get a place at the political table in Nigeria?

Peter Obi is already inspiring us to pursue our dreams. You can see the level of young people who were his mobilizers for the last general election. I can tell you, that it takes only people who appreciate the youth to give them the platform. So, Peter Obi sees that it is only the youth that can change this country.

When Nigeria made headway in the 1970s, how old were General Yakubu Gowon and the rest of the people running the government then? They were running the country far better then than now. Now we have octogenarians running the country. How will the country ever move forward?

The only way for the young people to get in there is when we have a leader who also understands the power of the youth. If Peter Obi becomes president, I am very sure that he’s going to give us that space because right now, the political space has been so locked against the youth.