•Dr. Rexkennedy Saltlove
A political activist and public affairs analyst, Dr. Rexkennedy Saltlove, is the President/Executive Director, Citizens Rights and Empowerment Advocacy Initiative (CREMA Initiative). He spoke on the ongoing nationwide protests against bad governance, the Edo governorship elections and the crisis in Rivers State, reports Sunday Independent.
Excerpt:
Do you think it was right for the federal government to have earlier put the nationwide protest at the door steps of the Obidient Moment?
If I would answer that in a sentence, I would say the federal government was deliberately creating enemies out of its own citizens without any proof to substantiate its allegations. A layman under this administration who is suffering hunger and hardship that has enveloped the average citizen due to its bad and inconsistent economic policies does not need a prophet to tell anyone that bad government and governance is in place before protesting against it. The almighty federal government has all the resources to name and profile those involved in spearheading the nationwide protest. Even if the Obidients were behind the protest against bad governance, the leaders listed their grouses. Is it wrong as long as they are not violent? Must the opposition be silent under the current incompetent administration, with its dictatorial tendencies? It is wrong for the government to lay blame and find scapegoats for its bad governance that has caused untold hardship on citizens. There is security failure as terrorists and kidnappers have been threatening the citizens. The economy has been a bad economy, with inflation leading to almost 300% increase in prices of goods and services. The government’s attitude and its blame game is cowardly. The government should be introspective and look at the issues being raised by the protestants and address them, instead of shying away from them and looking for scapegoats.
What is your take on the recent court victory of impeached Edo State Deputy Governor Philip Shuaibu and his defection to APC?
I am happy for him. Using the court to fight for his constitutional rights is legal. I wholeheartedly endorse his action. However, prostituting from one party to another after the court victory is what one cannot understand. Prostituting and jumping from one party to another shows a man who lacks ideology. It shows he is in a party, not by reason of values or ideology, but just using the party as a vehicle to achieve personal ambition and not serving the common interest of the people. Though, even before he defected and the court judgment, which was in his favour, he was already against the candidate of the party he belongs to, calling him an outsider. He was subtly or openly supporting the APC candidate. The calibre of people who welcomed him during his defection to APC speaks volumes. But, it is an indication of a bad value system, not only him, but also all those jumping from one party to the other, like monkeys or gorillas on tree branches.
How do you think Edo PDP will fare in the coming governorship election bearing in mind that they are going into the election as a divided house, with many of the former leaders having defected to APC?
The truth is that the election will likely go in favour of the APC candidate, Sen. Monday Okpebholo from Edo Central. It is not just the issue of divided house in PDP. APC also has people like Chief Mike Inegbeniki, who have defected from APC to PDP, causing a sort of division in APC too. The recent court judgment on the PDP primary seemed against the party’s governorship. This may work against the PDP. Even if he wins, it may be a strong ground for a post-election legal tussle to invalidate or uphold his victory.
Would you say that the governorship candidate of Labour Party, Olumide Akpata, a Bini, stands a chance to win the election bearing in mind that the general opinion seems to favour the Esans from where both the APC and PDP picked their candidates?
First, when one thinks on the premise of justice, fairness and equity, Olumide Akpata’s venture into the race at this time when it is Esan’s turn is unjustified. Olumide, though a lawyer, is breaking the basic tenet of democracy, which is justice and fairness. He is trying to deny a section of the nation from emerging as governor. This does not speak well of a man who has character and mental capacity to practice in the sacred temple of justice. Edo people are naturally and intuitively smart, even if he has hired men following him. Again, Akpata may be riding on the wave of Peter Obi’s tsunami in the 2023 general elections and thinks that will give him victory. But, he will be disappointed. The two major political parties know that it is the turn of Edo Central or Esan people and made their choice of candidates from there. That is instructive enough. The vote from Edo South Senatorial District will be split by him, if he pulls much weight as the other gubernatorial candidates picked their running mates from there. However, Akpata will not get much from the other senatorial districts. In Edo Central, the fight between Asue Ighodalo and Monday Okpebholo will split the votes of Edo Central. The vote in Edo North will be a decider and that is where the Senator from there, Adams Oshiomhole, will be a factor for the APC candidate. Moreover, if people are to vote as per ‘my person from my side’, the population of Esan Central alone from where Monday Okpebholo comes from, is bigger than Esan North East of Asue Ighodalo. All these calculations will come into play and politics is a game of numbers. So, I don’t give Olumide Akpata a chance to win this race, from my permutations.
The Rivers crisis has gone to a very serious strategic level. How do you see the recent vote of confidence given to Governor Fubara by the PDP Governors Forum?
The vote of confidence given by PDP Governors’ Forum is a welcome development. It is very instructive to President Bola Tinubu, the APC as a party and Nyesom Wike as a person. Nigeria is sitting on the dynamite of ethno-religious conflagration that was introduced into the political landscape and lexicon of Nigeria by APC. If any of those two ethnic groups or religion does not make the nation to be at the end of the tether, a political conflagration would take place. Hence, I said the PDP governor’s ‘vote of confidence’ is instructive. Until now, the battle seems to be Fubara vs Wike, APC and the President. Only him was in the battle against the opposition. But now, they are sending a clear message that this is not just about Fubara alone, it is about the party’s interests and they will defend their man.
Do you think the Rivers crisis could be resolved by the courts?
Absolute no! Politics is about people. This culture of letting the courts be the final arbiter on political matters is an insult to the sacrifices of people who came out to choose their candidate. The hallowed chamber of justice is no longer hallowed as it ought to be, as it has been desecrated by many factors, especially the god of mammon. The desecration that comes from there is what makes the judgment very unreliable, even if all have to swallow the bitter pill. Anything uttered from there as the last hope of the ‘common’ man. Those who are not common men who can pull their weight and strings can have their way around it.
What role do you think Rivers stakeholders could play to resolve the crisis between Fubara and Wike?
Politics is about interests. What should come to mind is what the so-called stakeholders want in all these. The underlying interests of the stakeholders will determine how the issue would be resolved. Are they fighting, negotiating or trying to resolve issues on the basis of Rivers State progress and development? Or, are they trying to resolve it along political lines, ethnic or tribal lines? Are they resolving issue on the basis of vested interests or taking sides? These will tell much to the extent they will go in achieving lasting peace.
If bye-elections are held to fill the vacancies created by the defection of about 25 or 27 PDP lawmakers that defected to the APC, how do you think the outcome will likely be?
First, our electoral process has not created the level of confidence required for citizens to be very relaxed that the process will be fair and transparent. The average citizen believes that our electoral processes can be compromised. As long as that mindset is there, it means we have lost faith in the electoral process and just doing everything out of mere formality. The impact the lawmakers made while in office will speak for them to a certain level. This, combined with how deep their pocket is, is another factor. Money is a very critical tool, but an unnecessary evil that has been introduced into the political dynamics of our nation. This is not just for campaigns as this has become normal in our political dynamics, but, in ‘buying’ people and their conscience, as against voting on the basis of ethics, values and policies. So, if the lawmakers are heavily funded from above, it implies that with the Federal Government’s involvement, support for Wike, most of the lawmakers will be back.
However, if the party structure that produced them feels maligned and thus wants to make a statement that they are factors to be reckoned with in deciding the fate of the defected lawmakers, they won’t find it easy. Except that before they defected, they carried the party structure along. But, by the party’s position, as at May this year, that said they cannot return to PDP, it needs to be seen how this plays out. The politics and elections in Rivers State will be tense. This is because, the fight for the 2027 presidency is what is at stake, and Wike who is the major brain behind the crisis will not like to lose his base and relevance. It is going to be an interesting development. We are keeping our fingers crossed.
With the deeming crisis in Rivers, how do you think the soon-to-be held local government elections will go?
River State will give us a microcosm of how the 2027 elections will go. The vested interests and dynamics going on there is an indication that 2017 will be ‘bloody’ in Rivers. Governor Fubara would like to use the Caretaker Chairmen he sworn in to secure his base and protect his interests and second term. Power is sweet and the Caretaker Chairmen, who are pro-Fubara, will want to protect their interests and ensure they remain in office. While the PDP will want to ensure that it is relevant and do all within its power to see that those who defected from it do not come back. On the other hand, Wike and his men will want to ensure that they secure their base and win the state for their party (APC) and remain relevant in the political calculus. These varying dynamics are what is coming to play. I won’t be surprised that the Federal Government under APC will be directly involved in the local government elections in Rivers State. A River State under APC-dominated state lawmakers and PDP controlled local governments will be interesting to watch as the march towards 2027 thickens. The various interests here are not ‘Moi-Moi’. We shall see how it pans out.
What is your take on the Supreme Court judgment on local government autonomy?
Honestly, it is a welcome development. This is one thing this APC administration has done so far that is worth commending, outside its poor performance on the economy and security among other Key Performance Indicator (KPI) the autonomy of the local government. They ensure that grassroots governance is determined by the people at local government levels at their own pace. The fear that it will be abused by the federal government, using its manipulative power against opposition states, or sub-national governments is not ruled out by some schools of thought. But, we believe in local government autonomy. The judgment is a right step in the right direction. It will help to drive development faster at the grassroots level.
