Mr Ayo Opadokun, Lawyer and General Secretary of National Democratic Coalition (NADECO) in this interview with OASES NEWS Bureau Chief  NIYI ADEJUWON, examines the ongoing campaigns among the two major political parties. He also bares his mind on how Nigerians have fared in critical sectors under the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan while throwing his weight behind General Mohammadu Buhari in the February 14 polls.

Political activities are upbeat as the Nigerians would be going to the polls in the next couple of weeks. What are your observations of the electioneering campaigns so far?

For me, I think the campaigns have been a mixture of good presentation of programmes of action and some funny and avoidable bad language usage. But I have seen a process of responsibility that it would appear particularly that the central government, political party, the PDP has been awash with falsehood. They’ve been making fantastic claims of the things they never achieved and it is worrisome as if we are not in this country. When they tell us that power supply is now 18 hours or something, they tell us they have built these roads, which roads?. They tell us they’ve improved education in Nigeria and the reason for saying that was that they built universities in the states where there were none. What is that supposed to mean for the quality of education?. So, honestly, I have a problem with the figures they have been reeling out

The APC elements, they’ve not been at the federal level, but the state where they are governed, there are sufficient evidences of credibility to the claims they are making in terms of delivery of services. There has been very strong reconfiguration in infrastructure in their various states. You cannot say that Rotimi Amaechi has not performed in Rivers State. The manifest evidence of delivery of services to the people, fulfilling the promises made to the people. Go and look at what is happening in Kano. Go and look at what the governor is doing in Sokoto State not to talk about the states earlier governed by ACN. There are sufficient credibilities to the figures they are reeling out in their states. They have been able to absorb many young people for employment. Look at the fantastic globally recognized opon imo in Osun State. That is unbeatable. So that is my reading of the campaigns so far. But I was happy at what took place yesterday that in the presence of the global community, the former UN General Secretary, Kofi Anan, former Commonwealth Secretary, Emeka Anyaoku. The two presidential candidates signed an accord that they would maintain decorum, that they would not be abusive, they would caution their followers not to engage in violence before, during and after the election.

President Goodluck Jonathan recently accused your organization, NADECO of being mischievous for supporting General Buhari. What is your reaction to this?

I just regarded it as one of those avoidable misdirected speeches that people do make. There is what they called ‘transferred aggression’ I thought President Jonathan was not just being fair to himself and the office he represents.  But come to think of it, where was President Jonathan when we were laying down our lives for the restoration of democracy in Nigeria? Where was he in his village there? Because he does not carry along a credible profile. He was not part of us in the trenches. He clearly didn’t know what we fought for. So he will not even understand.”   “When MKO Abiola victory was annulled, the first thing that occurred to us in Yorubaland was that, that couldn’t have been possible if the Nigerian national structure is right.   It is because the national structure is warped. That is why one man, (Babangida) from a motley crowd of his people, annulled an election, which the great majority of Nigerians produced- a pan-Nigerian mandate. We now sat down and called our colleagues in the East and the Middle Belt. That was on the basis of which we now invited all Nigerians and civil society groups to form NADECO and we fought the battle  If we are now saying Jonathan is not doing anything right, we are justified. He was not part of our struggle even to our democracy which he is enjoying and he is misusing the opportunity and to say that Yoruba people are now following military man is arrant nonsense because of (I think) he has very low quality of education to understand what is happening globally. Yoruba people are asking what has he done to the Yoruba nation since he got into office

Sir, knowing you for your track record as a hard critic of the establishment, does that not inform your criticisms of the PDP government as you have painted a picture of absolute inefficiency of the party?.

Look, I like to do things I do with a clear conscience. I am talking about delivery of services. When we laid down our lives to restore democracy in Nigeria under Abacha regime, some of us lost our blood, some of us lost our liberties. Some even lost their lives. We felt that at the coronation of the civilian government, those who will govern will deliver on their promises and the lives of our people will be better off. Unfortunately, after 16 years of so called civilian government at the federal level is, significantly, I can say, 70% failure in every way. That is why I can’t lie to myself. What is it they have done? What is the additional value they contributed to make life better for the ordinary man since 1999?. Obasanjo himself did not commence any road until he left. He spent =N=4 trillion of our money to restore the railway system after a lot of discussions, but despite the huge humongous resources he put in the thing, there is nothing to show for it. Is it not a shameful thing that in this century Nigeria is still busy working with the old narrow gauge that can not do more that 35 miles in an hour when the world community is already working on trains that can do 350 kilometers per hour?. With all the money they are wasting on the narrow gauge so what do you want me to comment on that?

We don’t have any quality Medicare, but many of those who governed us they don’t treat themselves here in Nigeria. They have their fantastic specialists abroad. So when they are sick here they fly themselves abroad in the air ambulance. What Nigerian state is suffering in education is a shame. Students of Nigerian tertiary institutions are not employable. Many of them cannot write a good application. So what do you want me to credit in them?. It is not like I just felt like criticizing them, but I am talking about the reality. Is it not extremely shameful that people governing us cannot even understand how irresponsible they are?. A country of 150 to 170 million people we can only deliver 3,500 megawatts of power. What does that suggest to you?. South Africa is not up to one third of Nigeria they have 48,000 megawatts. So what is that to commend for at the federal level?. There is noting they have achieved and that is the truth.  Some discussants at TVC few days ago, were saying that there are some things Jonathan should be able to present as his score card. The one they talk about is agriculture and I cannot deny that they have not tried in that respect. Dr Akinwunmi, the minister, has said that much, but I want to see food on the table of the ordinary man. That is when we know they are performing.

You have said so much about the PDP and President Jonathan’s administration. What about the candidacy of APC presidential candidate, General Muhammadu Buhari?

Buhari stands for something that the Nigerian nation needs now.

How?

Corruption has become institutionalized from Babangida’s period to Jonathan. They don’t even ask any question. They deceive Nigerians when they say they are fighting corruption, whereas they know they are not. The young man who was the chairman of so called ad-hoc Committee, Police Pension, Assistant Director called Maina was being probed by the House of Reps to account for =N=29billion. While the House directed the police to produce him, and he said he was not available, he was being escorted to the State House and to his quarters where everybody could reach him. What evidence of criminality or corruption can you call that one?. What has the Nigerian state done with Princess Oduah?. What has the Nigerian state done to that dishonest and disreputable character, the current Minister of Internal Affairs, Abba Moro, who deceived young unemployed Nigerians and brought in a so called company of their surrogates to invite unemployed Nigerians after collecting money from them only to kill quite a number of them in a stampede at the recruitment centres and that one remains in office. What kind of corruption has Jonathan has not condoned? Go to airports in Abuja and Lagos and see the number of private jets. Where did they make such money?. We never know that their grandfathers were so stinkingly rich that they passed it to them. There are so many things going on in government that could make one shudder.

So when Buhari was the Military Governor of North Eastern State, nobody could recall that Buhari stole their money. As the Head of State with Idiagbon, is there anything anybody can point to in terms of corruption with Buhari? Once upon a time, some people said that while he was there, he stole $2.8 billion and in the tribunal presented before Justice Irikefe said they were talking nonsense, it was a misunderstood figure that a character in NTA blew up. Buhari in all his lifetime, for what he had performed in the military as a minister of Petroleum, having been governor, having been Head of State, the man built only one house with a mortgage that was taken into account. He sold that house I think, in 2003 when he was contesting. Do you know that Buhari does not have a house of his own in Abuja? When he came to Lagos here most times, he lives in Ibikunle Amosun’s house the current governor of Ogun State. He owns no house in Katsina except one family house in Daura, his home town. The truth of the matter is that Buhari never amassed money from any circle. As the chairman of the PTF which was like a parallel government, with the bulk of money allocated to it, Buhari did not leave that place with even bicycle. So he has something to offer. He can contain on the evil called corruption and put an end to it immediately. Because when a leader is anti-corruption and he is acting his talk, you have to watch your back. For the 18 months they were in governance did we suffer a power failure for one day? Every officer of the state was very conscious of the fact that those governing them were disciplined who would take no nonsense. So, lawless Nigerians had to conduct themselves to pursue the path of decency. I think Buhari has something to offer.

 There is also Professor Yemi Osinbajo both an intellectual and a professional. What Osinbajo did here as Attorney-General under the governorship of Ahmed Bola Tinubu was a yardstick that Nigerian judiciary have had to copy in terms of the restructuring of the Nigerian judicial system, in terms of providing welfare for officers of the judiciary and the like. It was under Yemi that the thought of the alternative dispute resolution thing was got into play. So they have a lot to offer. The two of them will complement each other to provide positive governance for the Nigerian nation.

I would say in the opposite direction that we have been at the mercy of Jonathan and Architect Namadi Sambo, what can you prove to me that they have done?. There is no reason on earth, why a country of this nature cannot set up a globally accepted, highest standard medical institutions so that Nigerians will have no reason any longer to go abroad Britain America and India for their medical check up. We have too many natural resources here. Do you know that the great majority of these elite cadres of the Nigerian state, who still keep their children here, but in elitist schools where they pay 3 to N5m otherwise, their children are abroad.   Obasanjo for all that he was as a military man, himself, his wife and the children use the government money for their education, but he was the one who started the destruction of the nation educational system. The Ali must go crisis, 1978. He bastardized the entire system. Nigerian education today is a deception and that is what Jonathan kept on doing. Instead of providing resources meant for the available universities so that they will no longer be glorified secondary schools, he is now setting up other universities with chairs not available, the laboratories are virtually empty.

But part of the allegations leveled against General Buhari by the PDP are that he is highly a vindictive person, that his regime was characterized by bare faced brutality and draconian decrees, now, they are harping on his age and alleged certificate scandal. Are these not enough to erode his anti corruption posture?

My reaction to that is that I do not know of anybody who is perfect. It may be that some of them don’t even know what the Nigerian law and the electoral act demands: it is equivalent of secondary school education. You don’t even need to pass. I don’t know why they are making a mountain out of a mole hill. That is one side of the story. Number two, this is a man who had gone to the various highly valued military institutions that Buhari attended, if some of them are thinking properly, my question is that would those institutions bend down the rule to accommodate him?. These are just the rantings of idle minds.

You also talked about vindictiveness, with the military when Buhari was Head of State, Buhari word as a head of state was a decree that has the force of law. Even a former Chief Judge in Lagos once said ‘almighty decree’. But it is a totally different experience that we are about to enter now. Buhari is now a politician. He needs the votes of every section in the whole country, unlike in the military where he did not need your vote. That is why you have the legislature as the representatives of the people in the House of Reps and in the senate. So it has to be done that nothing in terms of draconian law you are talking about could happen under a civilian government. We have the Nigerian 1999 Constitution, despite the sharp disagreement we have with it. But it remains the ground norm in our country. The setting in a civilian administration is that you must present your promise to the people and the people want you to actualize your promise. Thus, it is not the same thing as in a military regime. I think I have no doubt in my mind that the man has learnt a number of lessons and he has found out that in civilian rule, it is the rule of law bordering on equality, that someone does not have a right to send me to jail when I have not committed any offense or properly tried by a constituted court. That is the difference.

Lastly, what is your prediction for the February election?

No prediction. But I am positive that the better or the best of the party in terms of personnel and policies wins.