Professor Zachariah Gundu, the Pro-Chancellor of the Benue State University, Makurdi, in this interview with HENRY IYORKASE, speaks on sundry national issues, stressing that the country needs a new type of leadership. Excerpts.
Independent National Electoral Commission recently announced its decision to conduct elections manually come 2019, despite recording free and fair elections in 2015 with the use of card readers. Nigerians are worried that the All Progressives Congress Government has a hidden agenda. As a stakeholder, how would you view this development?
We expected more from INEC because after the last general elections, there was a debate about electronic voting and we thought that a year is enough for the new INEC chief to have taken steps to make sure that voting is not done manually again in the country. So when he came up with that pronouncement, people were very surprised .However, we are also aware that probably the government of the day does not want to conduct a free and fair elections again that is why they want to go manual. This will help them manipulate more easily because talking about electronic collation, the challenge actually would have been that electronic voting, not only electronic collation, so we are surprised but we know that it is possible that those who want to rig the election may have reached the President and were able to convince him.
if we are talking about zoning, we are talking about fair representation, if we are talking about equity, this should be the best time for Kwande to aspire to be in the Senate and I think I am coming at the right time if you consider zoning, became I am from Kwande
What do you think can be done to reverse the decision and how do you view the credibility of the APC at the centre of this pronouncement?
First, we expected that all parties, not just the ruling party, would rise up to say no to this. For APC as a party, what we have seen is that they are short of encouraging internal democracy. But this is also not strange, every person, every single political party would want to depend on leaders who would impose candidates and this is quite sad. I think for those for would be going to vote, they must be more vigilant so that their votes would count, they must be willing to protect their votes so that they would not be cheated out of the voting process. So, I urge voters to be vigilant so as to be organised to protect their votes so that their votes would be counted and that is what actually matters.
So in the face of all these, do you subscribe to this decision?
(Cuts in) which decision?
The decision of manual voting. Well, that is not for me or you to endorse. INEC is the body charged with conducting elections in Nigeria. There is no specific law which says there must be an electronic voting. People wanted it because Nigerians feel it was more transparent. Nigerians thought that with the electronic voting, some of the manipulations that are in the process would be minimised but if INEC says they are not ready for it, with an election that just next years, there is nothing we can do. We just have to be prepared to go and vote manually, that is just why it is important for our people going to vote to go and stand so that they could defend their votes.
Don’t you think the country, by this decision, is being drawn one step backward with this development?
Yes, certainly we as a county are not where we are supposed to be. In fact, we are not where most of us thought we should be . For instance, the former INEC boss, Atahiru Jega, who made history, did not conduct electronic voting during his time because that could help in the accreditation process . However, the machines did not work out very well as expected. Therefore Nigerians thought that, subsequent elections, and the next one which is next year, the machines would work in every single polling station. Electronic voting is an infrastructural thing, it is not rocket science, it can be done and it is sad that after one year INEC is still complaining that they have not perfected this. Yes, they have taken us steps back. If that is the challenge we would have to face in Nigeria today and we cannot do anything about it except to cast our votes when the time comes and be vigilant and organise to defend the votes.
We learnt that you have indicated interest to run for the Senate seat come 2019, can you confirm this?
Well, first I have indicated interest to stand for election to the Senate and then have my name on the ballot for 2019 general elections. I think this is nothing to hide . It is quite true, though I am standing, I have been consulting with people and as soon as I complete the consultation, I will do the needful by declaring my intention public. So I want to confirm that I have interest and this is not hidden.
Why are you interested in the Senate?
There are many reasons I’m interested in the Senate. The one that I always want to share is that we need a new type of leadership, a new brand of representation; we need a representation that is able to connect with the voters, especially the younger people . Look at the senatorial district where I come from, you will discover that the youths are actually the ones who form the bulk of the senatorial district, that is so demanding and if you are talking about the younger generation, you have to worry about the future and not the present and I think the current representation has worried more about the present in terms of what they think people would put in their mouth and their pocket and in their stomach. They are not so much worried about what would happen with these young people in the 10 to 15 years. I am trying to tell people that any generation that is not able think about the tomorrow is a doomed generation. So, I bring that message very clearly but as I consult people are asking me: do you have money? And I tell them, look, it is not all about money. It is certainly not about money: yes I do not have money but I have one or two ideas on how to run things, I want to contribute new ideas that would make out a better tomorrow and I should be given an opportunity on account of that because we cannot allow our tomorrow to be hijacked by people who are just thinking about money and what is in the stomach. I told people that doing things differently would also mean putting our tomorrow in the hands of the young people and telling them to do the right thing and I think the right thing is to look for the leadership that connects with tomorrow and I am very certain that this massage would sell. People should sell this message throughout the Senatorial district to make sure they support me for the senate.
It is a fact that though, very unconstitutional, zoning still remains a factor in elections . Will this affect your chances ?
The first thing I tell people is to assess me on my face value; which is the merit I come with, that is my competence, do I know what is involved, do I have the clarity?
I want people to assess me on the basis of this, if I am qualified and if I am capable, if I have the clarity. I want them to consider me. But because you have talked about zoning, so let me tell you what I know about that senatorial district where I come from which is made up of three clusters. I’m sure you know that within a period of 20 years, Sankera and Jerchira clusters have represented us at the Senate. There is no person from Kwande . So, if we are talking about zoning, we are talking about fair representation, if we are talking about equity, this should be the best time for Kwande to aspire to be in the Senate and I think I am coming at the right time if you consider zoning, became I am from Kwande. But you know Kwande is also divided into two, you have the Upper Kwande and the lower Kwande. We have always been together as brothers, even at the time we were looking for the Tor Tiv Ushongo and the Upper Kwande indicated interest . But when the Upper Kwande was favoured, we had no problems because we consider always that the thing was coming to the whole of Kwande and I am proud like any other person from the upper Kwande to be associated with the idea that we produced the Tor Tiv. So I am very hopeful that if I ever emerge as a candidate in the election, every other person, even the upper Kwande people, will be proud that Kwande has produced a competent
Senator.
How do you intend to make a difference from the usual campaign promises that we used to hear?
The person who sits in a legislature is not in the executive, so the moment such a person begins to dish out promises, probably he is telling you something he or she doesn’t know. If somebody went out to contest for the position of chairman or governor, he can begin to tell you what he can do in the executive position. But if somebody came out to be a legislator like I am aspiring to be , I think the best way to engage this should be how well he can represent the people. And you see, there are actually challenges with the quality of representation that we have today.
