Guardian

Col. Austin Akobundu (Rtd) is the National Vice Chairman, Southeast Zone of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Chairman, Governing Council, University College, Ibadan. He spoke to LAWRENCE NJOKU in Enugu on the country’s 14 years of democracy.

THE unity of the country has come under serious threats since the inception of this democracy, especially since the emergence of Jonathan administration. What do you attribute the problem to and why is it so?

I will put it this way, Nigeria is presently facing serious security challenges and this is not peculiar to us. No country in the world is completely safe from acts of terrorism or internal security challenges. Sometimes, breakdown in law and order in neighbouring countries can trigger threats to internal security.

The Boko Haram insurgency has raged on for too long and has caused untold suffering to people in the Northeast region. It has also forced the Federal Government to divert resources earmarked for socio-economic development to fighting the insurgency.

Put it in mind that southeasters have borne the brunt of these attacks. Our people have been targeted and killed inside churches, which is a violation of the Geneva Convention, which protects places of worship, hospitals and schools from terrorism attacks.

I would not say the unity of this country is under threat. The Nigerian Armed Forces, the Police and other security agencies are equal to the task of restoring normalcy. And because civilian populations are caught in between, it will be a little more difficult to put the situation under control, as quickly as we would like it.

Whatever action or decision the president takes or doesn’t take has implications for the civilian population and so, he has been careful. Nigeria has gone through a devastating Civil War and numerous internal crises. Nigeria will survive this present challenge too and emerge stronger. We need to invest more faith in this country. Nigeria’s unity is non-negotiable.

Certain Nigerians have called for a national conference to resolve contending issues. Do you support this position?

Our democratic institutions are in place and should serve as a platform for discussing any national question. One advice to those advocating a national conference; they should go to their constituencies and contest an election to the National Assembly and when they get there, they have the national platform to themselves to canvass any position they deem fit.

We have the National and State Assemblies, the political parties, the press and various other democratic platforms, which people can use to canvass their personal or group positions. You cannot by-pass the existing democratic institutions in proposing a national conference. I think we must respect the processes of democratic order. We should not encourage anarchy.

There are divergent views over the state of emergency imposed in three states recently. Many believe it is wrong and cannot offer solution to disturbances in those areas

The position of the PDP in the Southeast is that the state of emergency was timely and long overdue. Most Nigerians and friends of Nigeria have also applauded the declaration. We have since congratulated the president for taking the bull by the horns.

Those opposed to it didn’t offer any alternative; they were merely playing to the gallery. If you put everything in perspective, you will agree that the president followed due process and gave the governors and stakeholders in the state sufficient time to end the crisis much earlier. The state of emergency was a last resort measure and it is working, to the Glory of God.

Our position is that the president deserves support in the measures he has taken so far to restore peace to any part of the country. You will recall that when kidnappers threatened to overrun Abia State, he ordered soldiers into the state and they restored order in record time. Boko Haram will not be different.

Please, Nigerians should support the measures taken by the president to tackle the insurgency.

After 14 years of democracy, what can the PDP beat its chest about, and say Nigerians have benefited from?

PDP has set the benchmark for good governance in Nigeria. This is the party that has united Nigerians irrespective of ethnic, religious or class differences. All other parties are ethnic, religious or built around individuals.

The party’s manifesto promotes equal opportunities and expansion of the economic and artistic space so that every Nigerian can contribute in wealth creation. In the Southeast, successive PDP governments have worked hard to improve the lives of the people.

In Abia, Enugu and Ebonyi States, PDP governments have delivered the dividends of democracy. They are also more stable and run inclusive governments. Even the opposition use PDP benchmarks to measure their own vision and performance.

What can you say about the incursions of the All Progressives Congress (APC) into the polity?

APC and other parties are welcome; the more the merrier. I am a staunch advocate of participatory democracy. They will meet a stronger, more united and more formidable PDP on the ground at every level.

In the Southeast, APC will have its work cut out. By now, you must have noticed that the PDP is waxing stronger everyday in the Southeast. We have made progress in reconciling our aggrieved members. Old and returning members are joining hands to rebuild the party from the ward level.

Remember that a former governor in the Southeast has been so desperate to rejoin the PDP. If the party hadn’t repositioned, as the one to beat in 2015, politicians wouldn’t be rushing to join its ranks. So, APC and other parties do not stand a chance in the Southeast, which is a fortified stronghold of the PDP.

The outlook for the opposition in the Southeast is bleak. The PPA is clinically dead and the APGA is on life support; APC may become stillborn.

Our people have no interest in tribal parties, which revolve around individuals. They want to belong to the national movement and that is why they are fully behind the PDP.

Do you think the Southeast has fared better in terms of the support they have given the PDP in the last 14 years of democracy?

Under the Goodluck Jonathan administration, the Southeast has benefitted from favourable Federal Government budgetary allocations. You are aware that the Onitsha River Port is ready for concession while the Enugu and Owerri airports are being remodeled to meet international standards.

The president was in Enugu last week to commission the new domestic terminal of the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu and to perform the groundbreaking ceremony of the International Terminal of the same airport. This is no longer on paper but budgetary allocations have been made to realise the objective.

Contract for the 2nd Niger Bridge has been awarded to Julius Berger while major federal highways in the zone, including the vital Enugu/Port Harcourt, Enugu/Onitsha, Enugu/Abakaliki, etc., are receiving attention. We have a new Federal University and a new Teaching Hospital in Ebonyi State.

The president has promised us a first class free trade zone facility and this president is not given to empty promises. In due course, economic activities will pick up in the zone when these projects are fully realised.

Our sons and daughters are contributing positively to the actualisation of the Transformation Agenda at the federal level. I would say the Southeast is having its finest hour under the Jonathan government.

Of course, government can still do more and we articulated our requests to him in an address delivered by Governor Peter Obi, including expediting action on the aforementioned roads and on major ecological problems facing the zone.

How do you feel that your zone is littered with states that cannot conduct local government elections?

The party’s position is clear — the governors must conduct elections into the local governments. It is not a problem peculiar to the Southeast or PDP. We want free and fair elections into the third tier of government so that democracy will take root at that level.

It will also bolster our electoral chances to have elected governments at the local government levels in all the states in the zone. Of course, we have the support to win all the seats. In Imo and Anambra, if they conduct free and fair elections today, the PDP will sweep all the seats.