Sir Temple Ogueri Onyeukwu is a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and a former House of Representatives candidate for the Mbaitoli/Ikeduru Federal Constituency in Imo State. Onyeukwu spoke to EJIKEME OMENAZU on the 2019 elections and other crucial issues. Excerpts:
Following the emergence of new political parties, about 68 parties may run for the 2019 elections. How do you see this development?
It is a ridicule of the political system. Does anyone expect INEC to conduct free, fair and credible elections for 68 political parties? Are we not going to blame INEC when the system fails? How are the ideologies of these 68 parties different from those of the ruling party and the opposition? The most credible, freest and fairest election we have had in Nigeria was the June 12, 1993 presidential election that produced the late MKO Abiola as the President-elect before it was annulled. The economic and social development of this nation is interwoven with positive political development and stability. Until we accept that a two-party system is best for this nation, we shall continue to grope in the dark. Anything more than two parties will return us to regional groupings and anything more than five makes a mockery of our constitution. Has anyone thought about the cost implications of conducting elections for 68 political parties?
As for the APC, with the present combination of President Muhammadu Buhari and Yemi Osinbajo, the APC is as good as winning the Presidency in 2019. The All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) cannot win the Presidency. It should put more efforts to win more states to enhance its bargaining ability. The Anambra governorship election appears to have decided the fate of the United Peoples Party (UPP) in the South East. The party should work with APGA to be able to win more governorship, National Assembly and state Assembly seats.
With the cry of South East marginalisation, which party do you think will favour the zone if it comes to power?
The South East has been complaining since this administration. By now, the South East has known President Buhari better than they knew him in 2015. Though he has not declared his interest to contest yet, but in case he does and wins the APC party primaries, then Ndigbo will have only one choice, that is President Buhari. President Buhari will be the most beautiful bride for the Presidency in 2019. When he wins, he will be completing his term of eight years. It will not be in our best interest to gamble with uncertainty.
With the controversies over Governor Rochas Okorocha’s style of governance in Imo State, what do you think are the chances of APC in that state in 2019?
Imo politics is one of the most unpredictable. There are many; aspirants who are interested to take over from His Excellency, Ethelbert Rochas Anayochukwu Okorocha as governor of the state. The party and the candidate matter. The APC must work hard to ensure that it produces not only the next governor of the state, but the members of the National and State Assemblies. The APC must not underrate any party because the era of rigging elections is over. We must acknowledge that PDP, APGA and UPP are well rooted in the state. A master stroke will be the senatorial zone from which our governorship candidate comes from.
The recent fuel crisis has led to fresh calls for President Buhari to relinquish the position of Minister of Petroleum Resources and appoint an expert who will report to him. What is your take on this issue?
There will be another crisis in the near future unless we completely deregulate the downstream sector of the petroleum industry. It is shameful that we export crude oil, have many giant refineries and yet import finished petroleum products. The root of the crisis is the lack of political will on both the past and present administrations to deregulate the sector. When the present administration assumed office, the price of PMS (petrol) was raised to 145 per litre. At that point in time, it was profitable for both NNPC and independent marketers to import and sell. As the prize of crude oil in the international market continued to go up, the cost of importation rose proportionately. The Federal Government has no control over this. Determined as the government is to keep the price of petrol for political reasons, it has continued to import at a loss. The independent marketers being rational human beings opted out instead of running at a loss. This is the genesis of the crisis.
The Federal Government has no control over the prize of crude in the international market which determines the cost of importing PMS. The government does not have total control of the exchange rate of our currency as a result of the interplay of a lot of extraneous factors and international conspiracies. The only factor the government has control of is its policy. Due to the fact that the government has refused to deregulate, all the refineries licensed to establish have refused to build. You cannot build and the government continues to fix price of what you sell your product. It does not make economic sense for PMS to sell at N145 in Lagos, and sell at the same price in Sokoto, Kebbi, Imo and Ebonyi.
President Buhari must summon the political will to completely deregulate this sector. In the short term, there will be hardship. But, in the long run, it is in the best interest of economic growth and development. They may not be politically expedient right now since we are in an election year. But, this is the best for the country.
What is your take on the $1bn withdrawn from the Excess Crude Account for the prosecution of war against insurgency?
One of the most fundamental functions of government is the protection of the lives and properties. Governance is for the living and not for the dead. Whatever sacrifice we can make to ensure the success of the war against insurgency, we must not hesitate to do that. When people object to this, it is perhaps due process was not followed. The money is from the Excess Crude Account belongs to all the tiers of government, but set aside to cushion the effect of the vagaries of any economic downturn. It is appropriate that the National Assembly appropriates it, either as a budgetary provision or a supplementary budget provision. The National Assembly has majority of APC and will not truncate such a laudable request by Mr. President. This will ensure that due process is adhered to and suspicion buried.
How do you see the handling of Fulani herdsmen and farmers’crisis and the move by some states to ban open grazing?
Food sufficiency and alleviation of poverty is one of the cardinal policies of this government. Farmers are being highly encouraged by the Buhari government, leading to near sufficiency in rice and even exportation of yam tubers to overseas. Farming includes livestock farming, cattle rearing and others. Each aspect has its impacts. Change is very difficult to embrace and because the herdsmen in our midst have refused to embrace change in the practice of their profession, we have been plunged into all these unnecessary carnage. Open grazing is retrogressive and must stop. We must embrace ranching as is practised in many advanced countries. The Presidency must speak up and the National Assembly must promulgate laws to ban open grazing, otherwise, we shall wake up one day and meet the total breakdown of law and order, if not outright war.
