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Excerpts of Wike’s interview with Seun Okinboloye on ChannelsTV’s #PoliticsToday
Will you be happy if you were an elected governor and you are removed by an equally elected President?
Wait, a governor was removed before. See, let me tell you…let’s not personalise this. Wait, I always tell people, like I hear Atiku today pontificating. I have said it before on issues of Customs, I believe he worked in Customs before but on issues of law, you don’t know it. You were in the government when the Plateau Governor was suspended, you were in government when a State of Emergency was declared in Ekiti State, what did you do? I don’t like when people come out to take advantage, but he was there why didn’t he come out to say No, Mr President this is wrong but you didn’t say so. You were Vice President, party to that Government, you didn’t say anything. But that’s not the point, people went to Court to challenge it. Like I have said, the only body that can say this is unconstitutional, this is illegal is the Court. Nigerians must leave jobs assigned to people. If you are not an Engineer, you are not an Engineer. You see a house collapses, you become an Engineer, you have not even gone to check why, you say it’s because this and that. Who interprets the law, who adjudicates? Allow the Court to determine. The court has made pronouncements on this issue. People have gone to court to challenge the appointment of a sole administrator, what did the court say? The problem here is that we say I don’t believe in this then it’s not right.
On crisis after the State of Emergency?
I was watching on television today, there are people who are natural crisis builders who think they can only benefit when there is a crisis. For example, if we don’t want the State of Emergency to be lifted, we would have done one or two things so that the State of Emergency will continue but No, for the interest of the State. I have been talking with the Governor from time to time and he has assured me look, we can’t go back now. This is what I have told Me President and he has spent his time and energy because he wants the state to be stabilised and for me anything that has to bring peace, I am for it.
Have you forgiven Governor Fubara?
I told you we have been speaking. I don’t speak to a man I have not forgiven. Seun, I am not a politician that says one thing here and do a different thing tomorrow. If I tell you we are quarrelling, we are quarrelling, if I tell you it’s over, it’s over. Seun, look I have told my team that we have to move forward but you know there are people who don’t like peace. I was watching people today the way they twist the law upside down. You were here when they were saying illegality in conducting Local Government election, what did they do? But you see them pontificating now, you see them shouting but what can they do, nothing.
Is nominating commissioners part of the new agreement?
I cannot go and impose anything on the Governor. Assuming I go to the Governor and say I want this person and he says No, the state will collapse? I am not suggesting anybody to him. I have no candidate and no input. Even if the Governor comes toe now and says we have agreed to work together, who will you suggest to me, I will say No. I give you a free hand in your Government and in the state. All I want to say is I know what I did to keep certain things at a particular level, don’t go lower, don’t drop it. As I speak to you, I left the State where we can compete favourably with Lagos and that has been my own intention.
On Tambuwal trusting Atiku over him on leadership?
Seun, what do you mean by leadership and friendship? You cannot talk about leadership and you do not talk about the person. I was privileged to have these clips with me and luckily for me, I have never come out on National Television to talk about Aminu Tambuwal but this is an opportunity to talk about him and I will tell you. He said he trusts Atiku in terms of leadership. Seun, why not? These are people that have been consistently inconsistent. You know when you are a consistent betrayer, what do you expect? Now birds of the same feather flock together. There is no way Aminu will not go along with Atiku knowing fully well they are dissidents. When you hear Tambuwal talking, we from the Niger Delta, sometimes when you go to pick snail, you see an empty shell. When you are speaking to Tambuwal, you think you are talking to a human being. Tambuwal cannot talk about leadership, I made him Chairman of the PDP Governors Forum. Atiku cannot stand for truth, I did not say it, Obasanjo in his book “My Watch” said it, that’s their principal. What is his leadership trait? Obasanjo also claimed that when he was seeking for a Vice Presidential Candidate, he made a mistake with Atiku though an honest mistake but he is happy that God has forgiven him. His penchant for corruption. Former President Obasanjo gave a testimonial of his subordinate but I have shown leadership.
On the 2022 PDP Presidential Primary
When we were doing Presidential Primaries in 2022, everybody knew. I was everywhere, I was the man to beat in that election. It turned out they were in General Ali Gusau’s house. They couldn’t stand it, I was everywhere. They told Saraki and Bala Mohammed to withdraw, they said they wouldn’t withdraw. Tambuwal refused, in that convention every Candidate was asked to come and speak, the mistake I made was that I allowed my supporters from Kano and Katsina and others to wear our uniform. When I came out to address the Congregation, it was look there is problem. I won Kano 90%, I won Katsina about eighty something percent, that was when David Mark brought his knowledge of military coup and as a former Senate President, because he was the Chairman of the Convention. Every Candidate had spoken, now it was time for us to vote, then we heard there was an announcement, we thought maybe the electoral committee was about to give an instruction. Who did I see? Aminu Tambuwal… He said he wanted to withdraw, I don’t have a problem with that but he said vote for my senior brother, Atiku, which was a breach without calling us other aspirants to come and address. They rigged it with David Mark. Tambuwal negotiated to be the DG of the campaign and later to be Senate President because they believed the Federal Government then was supporting them. The problem with these people is that they always assume, the North says this and all that, thinking they will win.
PDP in its present state
There was nothing they didn’t do to remove Damagum but I did everything for him. I hired his lawyers including the Senior Advocate, that’s what sustained Damagum to be there, but who is Damagum’s enemy now? It’s me. If there is one man Damagum wants to kill now, it’s me but it doesn’t matter because that’s to tell you the kind of character and the kind of person I am.
