By Agatha Emeadi
Chief Martin Onovo, an engineer, was the presidential candidate of the National Conscience Party (NCP) in the 2015 general election.
In the runup to the 65th Independence Day anniversary, Onovo spoke with Sunday Sun. He assessed the Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration and advised the government to tackle insecurity and grow the economy.
What is your assessment of the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration?
The Tinubu administration is a complete catastrophe. Compared to the situation of the country in May, 2023, Nigeria today shows the catastrophic destruction set in motion by the represent administration. Today, insecurity is worse and poverty is pervasive. According to National Bureau of Statistics records, over 600,000 persons were killed due to insecurity in one year. In the same period, over 2.2 million persons were abducted and more than N2: trillion was paid as ransom. Also, the level of extreme poverty is unprecedented.
A few years ago, Nigeria was the largest economy in Africa. Currently, on basis of GDP per capita, Nigeria is in the bottom third of poor countries in Africa. The levels of inflation, unemployment and total public debt are unprecedented. In addition, public morality has been subverted. National unity is deliberately undermined and the rule of law has been perverted. It is a complete catastrophe. It seems clear that the Tinubu administration is in a hurry to destroy the country completely. Remember , Tinubu once said, “I don’t believe in one Nigeria.”
What area of attention do you want Tinubu to focus on?
Every administration in Nigeria should focus on security, economic development, health, education and infrastructure. Unfortunately, the Tinubu administration lacks the vision, the ethical integrity and the competence required to push for progress. Therefore, it cannot push for progress even if it focuses on one area.
Most Nigerians are passing through very hard times. What are your thoughts on this?
The hardship and poverty in Nigeria are the consequence of the corruption, waste and incompetence of the administration. The level of corruption in this is unprecedented. The cost of the contract for the lawless Lagos-Calabar Coastal Road is over 13 times the professional cost. The Tinubu administration has the highest number of ministers, advisers and assistants ever and they are also overpaid more than ever. The cost of governance is the most wasteful ever and the cost for the upkeep of officials of government is most outrageous. Considering the reckless, unpatriotic and wasteful borrowings of the administration, the hardship will continue if there is no miracle.
African Democratic Congress, ADC, recently tackled the All Progressives Congress, APC, faulting it’s FG projects report. How do you see the project report in terms of performance and impact on Nigerians?
The projects report is deceitful. The projects are mostly corrupt and wasteful. Most of the projects show minimal impacts at outrageous costs. The Lagos-Calabar coastal road and the Abuja International Conference Centre, ICC, renovation are typical of the projects. Their impacts are minimal while their costs are outrageous.
Some political and legal experts including, Prof Sagay, are advising former President Goodluck Jonathan not to dent his image by running for presidency in 2027. What is your view on this?
We think that Dr Goodluck Jonathan as an African international statesman has grown beyond Nigerian partisan politics. It may be better if he will continue as an international statesman, to take over from Chief Dr Obasanjo as Africa’s leading statesman. In that role, he can also use his experience to promote democracy and guide African leaders.
Most commentators on Rivers State politics say that the emergency rule, which was lifted about two week ago, set Rivers State backward. Do you share this view?
Yes. What happened in Rivers State was a coup d’etat. It was clearly unconstitutional and has further exposed the weaknesses of the Nigerian judiciary that failed to act when PDP governors filed a suit against the suspension of the governor. It surely set Rivers State back. It also set back the rule of law in Nigeria and set back the entire country. In addition, the military administrator set so many mines in place to ensure that the instability he represents will continue after him. Also, he is reported to have dissipated about N300B in the six months he was in office unlawfully. He must be made to account for all Rivers State funds.
APC recently accused former VP, Atiku Abubakar of instigating revolution in the country with his comments on the state of the nation, especially his latest remarks that there is no sign that President Tinubu is capable of addressing hunger. What is your take on this?
It is very clear that the Tinubu administration is incapable of addressing the hunger and poverty it aggravated. It is also clear that the situation will only get worse with the waste, incompetence and corruption of the regime. Accusing Alhaji Atiku of instigating a revolution exposes the panic in the failed administration of Tinubu, which is haunted by its wastefulness, incompetence and corruption.
Based on how Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, conducted the by-elections, do you have confidence that it can conduct free and fair elections in 2027?
INEC under Mahmoud Yakubu is the greatest enemy of democracy in Nigeria. It is a rotten organization currently. We cannot have confidence in INEC as there is no basis for such confidence yet. When the new INEC chairman is appointed, we can start to evaluate his performance. We agree with former President Obasanjo that Mahmoud Yakubu is the worst INEC chairman ever in Nigeria.
ADC members have argued that another four years of APC will be catastrophic for Nigerians. What is your take on this?
That is very clear. The past two years have been completely catastrophic. Any more time will be time for the administration to deepen the deliberate destruction of Nigeria. We have seen the approval of GMOs to poison the health of Nigerians, destroy agricultural production, destroy our environment and depopulate the country. As long as the administration remains in power, deeper destruction will continue until Nigeria is completely destroyed. As indicated by former President Obasanjo, we are in bondage to this administration with the worsening insecurity, divisive dictatorship and economic hardship.
Do you think Nigeria needs electoral reform before the 2027 general elections?
Is it electoral reform that we need or ethical integrity? Did we comply with our 2022 Electoral Act? What happened to our BVAS and IReV portal in 2023? Could the judiciary uphold the law? Have we complied with our constitution? Our constitution prohibits corruption and forbids discrimination. Our constitution upholds the concept of Federal Character but the Southwest alone has about 10 ministers while the Southeast has only about five. If the Tinubu administration disregards our constitution, why do you think it will comply with any new electoral reform? As concluded rightly by Prof. Achebe, the problem with Nigeria is a failure of leadership. So, the solution is good leadership.
What do you think about the ADC coalition?
The ADC coalition is one. We are aware of plans for other coalitions. We may also have a coalition of coalitions. The clear objective is that for Nigeria to survive, ‘Tinubu must go’. His administration is an existential threat to all Nigerians, including his party members. We are threatened by insecurity, poverty, poor medical services, road fatalities and GMOs, among others.
What should APC as the ruling party do to win the heart of the people in 2027?
Let the party confess that it lost the 2023 presidential election. Apologize for the failure of its dictatorship and start returning all public resources looted by its members.
Do you think Peter Obi can win the presidential election in 2027?
We think it is too early to say such. He won the 2023 presidential election because of the circumstances. He had significant support across the country and the candidates that contested against him were discredited, old, corrupt and failed politicians. The circumstances in 2027 may be different.
Will it ever be the turn of the Southeast to serve this nation in the office of president?
The Southeast is one of six zones. The rotational principle is not by zones; it is a North-South rotation. Though the rotational principle is not constitutional, it is popular and widely accepted. The constitution is very clear that the candidate with the highest number of valid votes stands elected. So, using the rotational principle, it is the turn of the South in 2027. So, Southeast candidates can contest with both moral and constitutional authority in 2027. If a Southeast candidate contests and wins then he can serve as President for only four years to respect the rotational principle. That is fair.
