In this interview with ADELEKE ADESANYA, the National President, Arewa Youth Consultative Forum, Alhaji Shettima Yerima, says the leadership of Adams Oshiomhole in the All Progressives Congress will compound President Muhammadu Buhari’s problem, ahead of the 2019 general election. Shettima, who is also a chieftain of the Young Democratic Party, informs that the APC is in for a shocker, as more of its members will defect en masse, any moment hence. Excerpts:
How would you rationalise last week’s mass defection of APC members to the PDP and ADC, at the National Assembly?
What happened to APC was a thing that was long overdue. Though I am not a card-carrying member of neither APC nor PDP, the fact of the matter remains that, political parties are not run in the manner this present ruling party is running it.
Though both parties have their different problems, the fact is that, things are not done the way the ruling party is doing it, where a few people run the governance without being mindful of the fact that the government should be a collective thing. All they know is: do things in a selfish manner. In a situation where a member of the party, either elective or non-elective, is presumed to be caged, you will expect that there will be a day of boomerang, and that was what happened at the National Assembly.
Oshiomhole just resumed as the party chairman recently and rather than him observing the situation well, he turned himself into a dictator and he is becoming harsher on his people than the past leader. He should, however, realise that nobody is his kid among the party members
Where do you think this development could lead to?
Some of us are privy to information that many things are about to happen and to tell you the fact, it’s not yet over; because, we expect that more ‘calamities’ are coming. There are more problems coming for the party with more defectors. And I imagine what should be expected at a time like this, when you have a party chairman who is compounding their woes. When you have a party leader who is behaving as if he is a god, I wonder when more problems will not come. Oshiomhole just resumed as the party chairman recently and rather than him observing the situation well, he turned himself into a dictator and he is becoming harsher on his people than the past leader. He should, however, realise that nobody is his kid among the party members. His ideology of leadership may not do the party any good; rather, it will compound their problems. People are civilised nowadays, and you cannot be running a party or a government as if you are an emperor in a banana republic. There are procedures and laws in the land. So, if you look at the attitude of the party and governance, you will discover that it is being run as if is an empire of somebody.
Then what is your take on the allegation that the police laid siege to the homes of Saraki and Ekweremadu, to prevent them from coming to the Assembly chambers, having got wind of a plot to make APC lawmakers defect to PDP, and commence impeachment proceedings against President Buhari?
In a civilised society where true democracy prevails, you don’t need to become so harsh because of desperation; they simply went out of their ways and began to do things in a very nastic manner. And that was demonstrated when the police laid siege to Saraki and Ekweremadu’s houses in Abuja. How can a Number Three man in the country be harassed in such a way by the police, even though he is not covered by immunity? In their attempt to stop what was going to happen, they even exposed themselves to undue embarrassment before the world. It is unfortunate that the security agencies of this country have suddenly become an instrument of the state. So, suddenly, they take orders without minding the fact that this government is not a thing that remains permanent, forgetting that it’s a thing that came and will definitely go and another government will come into being. And if you don’t take the time, you will become a casualty. What they are doing now is dangerous. We have seen people that engaged in such action and at the end, when the government left office, they became a casualties. So, people tend to forget things easily. So, the attitude of police was totally uncivilised, and such must not be encouraged under democratic atmosphere.
But the police denied the allegation that they laid siege to their homes and also moved to probe the case…
Let me tell you, we are not fools. We always expect that they will come out with such a statement when their mission failed. If an attempt to arrest Saraki had deprived him of going to the National Assembly on that day, they would have told the public another story; but because the ‘coup’ failed, you should expect them to tell you a cover-up story, while still thinking of another strategy to come up with.
You are also a member of Young Democratic Party. Is there any synergy between YDP and CUPP?
Franking speaking, I am not into that matter because I was not in the country during that time; and I don’t know much about the basis on which CUPP was formed.
A report said YDP is always with Buhari. How true is that?
That report was far from the truth. There is nothing like that. The party is about a new order and I don’t think pitching tent with Buhari is in the party’s plan. We are a party that believes this country should be better than what it is under
Buhari.
Northerners appear they are going to swap Buhari with Atiku in 2019. Is AYC also going in this direction?
AYC is not a political party and we are not into partisan politics. Atiku is like any other contestant; he is free to try his luck in 2019, but Nigerians will have to decide. But let me tell you that this time round, we believe a younger person who can answer Nigerians’ questions is expected to lead the country in the next four years.
