The people of Gombe, Nigeria are in love with PDP – Party chairman
Major General Amnon Kalayi Kwaskebe retd, Chairman of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Gombe State chapter, in this interview with Chima Azubuike, shares the winning prospects of the opposition party and other sundry matters.
What is the the preparation of your party in view of 2023? 2023 is scheduled to be election year, for general election in Nigeria. Talking about our preparations it started long before now as I’m talking to you now we are very prepared. We are prepared because we have followed step by step all the processes for election of candidates to public office come 2023.
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Gombe speaking, what is the level of readiness for PDP? You are aware primaries have been conducted for all political parties and candidates for various positions both at the federal and state level have been elected. We are waiting for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to lift the ban on campaign which to my understanding is on the 28th of September,2022. When the ban is lifted all political parties will embark on electioneering campaign however, before the campaign starts in earnest what we are doing now is consultation, mobilisation of our supporters to acquaint them with what is expected during the campaign. We are also concerned which we have informed all our supporters about INEC’s registration which has been concluded, we were out in the field to ensure that people are registered, those who registered and are yet get their cards. We have asked INEC and they have collected their PVC’s, it a continuous process to ensure that nobody is disenfranchised during the election come 2023.
Some have alleged that Gombe chapter made certain mistakes leading to its defeat in 2019, how well have you tackled such errors as another election approaches?
Yes, definitely. We have taken a review of what happened in 2019 not only in the state, a body was formed at the national level under the chairmanship of the Bauchi State Governor his excellency Senator Bala Mohammed, the Kauran Bauchi and it turned up its report on why we failed elections in 2019. The process started right from the states we were able to identify why we failed elections in 2019 and it was taken to the zonal headquarters to the national level that his Senator Bala Mohammed was able to come out with the national position. It has addressed some of the loopholes that were created in 2019 and it has been corrected.
So what are the chances for your candidate Muhammad Jibrin Barde? The chances and opportunities because we need to marry the two, when you look at PDP in Gombe State as it is right now under my chairmanship and also our party leader Alhaji Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo former Governor of Gombe State we have very bright chances of winning the election come 2023.
How?
If you have observed the level of enthusiasm created in the people of Gombe for PDP is far above what has been before now Gombe State is a PDP state. A mistake was made in 2019 and we lost election but we can’t continue that way so we have prepared.
What were the loopholes that you identified that led to the poor showing of your party in 2019?
If you look at it we had problems of party discipline in some instances, we experienced that. Secondly, the conduct of the election itself there were hiccups here and there I took part in the election here in Gombe on our part as a party. We observed some itches in our preparations which is private to us and it not for public consumption. It is for us to address it which we had done .
Have they been well addressed?
Ofcourse, well addressed that is why the party has risen above the challenges now. I assure you that you will see that in the outcome of 2023 election because Gombe is a PDP state.
Recently Muhammad Barde’s campaign office, which was said to have been owned by Good Governance Initiative was partly demolished by Gombe State Urban Planning and Development Authority (GOSUPDA), some have said the government is unhappy with your candidate’s growing popularity, how true?
Without mincing words, I want to tell you that in a democracy all over that incident was not necessary but it has happened that shows the quality of leadership of the APC government in Gombe State, let me restrict myself to my state. This is because you don’t just go in to demolish structures when you are dealing with civilians, civil population. In a democracy there are times you allow for persuasion and dialogue before you arrive at that type of decision and if you could recall in 2019 that same office was used by the current governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, as a campaign office because by then our gubernatorial candidate of today (Muhammad Barde) was in APC. As at that time it was not illegal, so why should it be illegal today because APC is in charge. Dankwambo was in that government house in 2019 before he handed over, our state leader (Dankwambo) didn’t complain about the structure, instead it is this man (Muhammadu Yahaya) because of party rivalry, the governor is out to create insecurity in Gombe State. A problem that he should be addressing he is now creating it.
How safe will the political atmosphere be for Gombe residents to vote a governor of their choice? In quote I will say yes, that the peace is being threatened first from the background of somebody who has been in the security as a retired Army General, because very soon campaign will start if you create this type of situation in a state like Gombe during election where there will be campaign slogans and rest it could lead to problems, we don’t pray for it. We will appeal to the governor, to the power that be it is too early to embark on this type of situation, it is not healthy for the people of Gombe State and we will not allow that to happen, we want free, fair and credible election come 2023.
How were you able to douse the tension, as many residents feared that youths from PDP will retaliate thereby causing chaos in the state?
You must have observed that when that incident was taking place we controlled all our supporters especially the youths. We did not allow them to lose their heads and that is very important. Secondly, we followed due process by reporting to the Commissioner of Police, the State Security Service and all other security agencies. When we got to each of them we said look see what is happening to us that they are witnesses and that we don’t intend to take laws into our hands. However, there was an intervention although the damage has already been done.
Some have asked if there are differences in PDP, and APC candidates, why are hopeful about victory? Definitely, assuringly, I’m telling you that the residents love for our party is 100 percent. PDP is known for good governance, purposeful leadership, people friendly government, government that has been tested before we are coming back, you know we ruled the state for 16 years. We had His excellency Senator Danjuma Goje, you can see the structures he put in place and Dr. Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo, Tolban Gombe, who ruled for eight years and you can see his landmarks in the state. Now you start wondering, where are the landmarks of this government crisis, marking peoples houses for demolition, just go round the state you will see it. We were just discussing that for instance if you are going from Gombe to Kumo, Billiri, Kaltungo along the Gombe-Yola road you will see buildings marked red that is not their responsibility, it a federal government highway and it under federal ministry of works and it has nothing to do with them.
As an Army General retired, who is in state party politics do you think you have stabilised Gombe PDP?
I will not want to praise myself, I will leave that to my members. However, I want to tell you events that took place I will leave for you to judge. We have had series of decampees (defectors) people decamping from APC to PDP across 11 local government areas in thousands. The people of Gombe State are tired of this government, they are fed up they have never had it as bad as it is now. More children are out-of-school, our hospitals are not doing any better and some of the welfare packages that hitherto was in place by the previous administration is absent, even among the civil servants they are complaining. The problem of insecurity has increased we hear of crisis in Nyuwar, Balanga Local Government, in Filiya, Shongom Local Government. We now hear of crises all over the place it has never happened before, so the people of Gombe State are yearning for a change and the change will come 2023, PDP will take over the state.
Talking about defection from APC to PDP in Funakaye, APC spokesman in an earlier interview said it was most unlikely for the projected number to defect in the Local Government Area, describing the number of defectors as ramble rousing, how true?
What do you expect them to say? In defence to save their faces. I can tell you that I have gone to Abuja twice, to collect party registration cards. So that people who are decamping from APC to PDP will have cards to register. It suffice to add that we brought them (cards) in thousands There are generals like me who have also decamped to PDP General Amodu, who contested for Senate seat, he decamped from APC to PDP, we have others too. it is not a fluke, is something that explains how we are running the party, it has become attractive that people are coming enmasse, we had six gubernatorial candidates, you can imagine that? It is because there is hope in PDP that was why we had that large turn out.
What again is the selling point, aside promising good governance, usually we see party in power attracting defectors? For instance in the conduct of the primaries we conducted transparent primaries for the candidates. You have heard the story of APC they denied a serving Senator the opportunity to contest of those people they now made them to contest the man that came third was the one the governor imposed to contest the seat, you can’t deny a serving Senator it unfair but we did a transparent primary and we all agreed that who ever that emerged we are going to support him.
Do you think they are really supporting him without rancour, ill-blood? Well in an exercise like that you will have that because each of the candidates had spent resources, and they all have followers. The level of followership and education in this part of the country is not at the highest as it should be. We need to talk to people, talk to our supporters to ask that they accept because that is the way God wants it they have accepted and we are now on the same page.
How will you rate this government in the area of infrastructural development from construction of network eleven hundred? As compared to what the former governors did His Excellency Senator Danjuma Goje, and His Excellency Dr. Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo when you consider these two compared to what you are seeing in the first term of this governor, he has done nothing, he is just amassing wealth to himself and terrorising the population with some of his very bad policies.
The opposition has been harping on Gombe growing debt profile, a position the government says is inaccurate, and nothing to be worried about? Gombe State is not an industrially blessed state, so far the debt that the governor has accumulated just think about it. This means that for many years to come we will be suffering from its effect of the accumulated debt. What is worrisome is the growing number of out-of-school children, the terrible road especially around places like Nafada LG, some of our hospitals when you go there is no drugs and the facilities are not at their best and when you look at the general wellbeing of citizens happiness has eluded them they are worried, no hope, hoping for rescue to come and we are on the rescue mission to deliver them.
Are you not surprised at the current turn of event between Chairman Ayu and Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State?
Politics is like that there is always agreement and disagreement that is an internal problem for PDP and I assure you that very soon it will be resolved perfectly.
Don’t you think it will affect the chances of your party in 2023? No way, we have capable hands and we are working as a team PDP is not that type of party.
Can the PDP afford to lose Governor Wike’s support in 2023?
Wike is not leaving Peoples Democratic Party, who told you he is leaving ?
Talking about his unflinching support, as it alleged that he may be there and work against your candidate? No, No! If you had listened to what he has been saying, he maintained a position. You may recall that the man who supported Wike in Rivers State and at the primary was the former governor of Gombe State (Dankwambo), who gave him his weight and everything for him to succeed and Wike appreciates that, remember Wike, was here in this hall we assured him and he appreciates that commitment is still with us.
What is your advice to electorates?
Calm down, make sure you registered because your PVC is your weapon to fight the battle and remove an irresponsible government that we have in place now. Don’t take laws into your hands. The APC government in Nigeria today has failed Nigerians, the level of insecurity has never been like this ever in the history of this country. Some of the lives lost can’t be compared with what happened in Nigeria civil war, it unfortunate. You think of human capital development, to food stuffs, inflation, economy of Nigeria,you talk about our security agencies have they been empowered to do their work with high morale. We have never been in this kind of situation I spent part of my youthful life in the South-East, the interaction between North and South was far much better before this government. They have performed below average, surprisingly we have a general who is the president.
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