From Romanus Ugwu, Abuja
Deputy National Organising Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Nze Chidi Duru, is a man with many caps – a parliamentarian, politician and entrepreneur. A two-term member of the House of Representatives, Executive Chairman of Grand Towers Plc, and founder of First Guarantees Pension Limited (FGPL), Duru has built himself into a big brand.
In this interview, he speaks on a wide range of issues affecting his party, especially the controversies usually trailing the conduct of APC primaries and the performance of APC in the past nine years it has been in charge of affairs in the country.
What are the takeaways from the primary elections APC conducted in both Edo and Ondo states?
There are a few takeaways. The first one, which is major and leads to many others, is that we will continue, as a party, to improve on our processes towards ensuring that primaries are robust enough to improve what we meet on the ground, in such a way that guarantees free, fair and transparent exercise.
With particular reference to Ondo, and of course, in other states where we have the incumbency factor, I would think that the time has come for the party to determine, as it is done in every other clime where we have democracy, that the incumbent will always have the right of first refusal if he has a pending tenure that he could utilise.
If a governor, local government chairman, president or a member of parliament, in the party, offers himself for re-election, the party should be in a position to offer that person, the incumbent, the right of first refusal. That is how politics and democracy develop in all climes. And that is the reason political parties pay close attention towards ensuring that the incumbents perform creditably by the manifesto of the party.
Knowing full well that the incumbent would be available for re-election and should he offer himself to stand for re-election, would largely contain the inordinate aspirations of persons who would want to unseat the incumbent. It will also ensure that the opposition will be in a better position to find a better candidate that will defeat or challenge the incumbent in a way that people would know that the incumbent in office is not left alone.
The party in power would be interested in knowing and finding out how that incumbent performs because if he didn’t do well, it means that the contestants would take him down and defeat him in the primaries. It will also ensure that party members do not walk across purposes in the state.
And that party members will work to support the incumbent to ensure that they remain relevant, part of the government and work for the benefit of the people instead of party members undermining the incumbent with the possibility of offering themselves to challenge the incumbents in the party primaries. That is a proposal I would like to push that will likely help the party.
Why didn’t you refer to the party’s management of the crisis that broke out after the primary as one of the takeaways?
I have made the point that we will continue to improve. Yes, of course, it is expected in many of the primaries that were conducted. Of course, some issues came up and those issues were not outside of the realm, the limit of the party to manage. The party manages those issues effectively and efficiently to contain those things that happened at the level that it happened.
I am happy that if you look at what is now happening in Edo State, we now have focused and concentrated stakeholders bonding together to ensure that we win the state and we also expect the same in Ondo to ensure that all the stakeholders come together, rally round our candidate to deliver our party.
We will continue to improve our processes, and continue to make it certain that a political party can conduct a transparent, free, fair primary election in a way that the aspirants will know that at the end of the day, it is just one person out of many that will be the candidate not many at the same time.
You talked about improvement, what major innovation did you add in the conduct of the two off-cycle governorship primaries?
I would like to make it very clear that the APC primary has never been rancorous in the last two years. In the last exercise conducted in 2002, leading to the emergence of candidates in the various elections, be it a presidential election, many governorship primaries we conducted, members of National and State Assemblies, you would find that in the majority of the cases, those primary elections were classified as free, fair and transparent.
The candidates that won the election went ahead to start campaigning without any person on their heels as to litigation. It was really in very few cases that the matter went to court. And in those few cases that went to court, I am happy to report that the court upheld the majority of them, and the process that led to the determination of the emergence of the candidates of the party. That is also historical.
In the last two primaries that were conducted, specifically in Ondo and Edo states, there was a democratisation of the process of the election in the sense that they were direct primaries. We know that direct primary is very expensive but the party did what was possible to find party men and women that were mobilised to vote.
At different levels in the last election, beyond setting the institutions around at the state capital, we appointed committees at the local government and there were appointed committees at the ward levels to collaborate with the centre. So, there was a movement, huge logistics moving from across Nigeria, into Edo and Ondo states.
That was significant in the sense that we have party men who could midwife the process of ensuring that the candidate or the person that will emerge from the election is one that the national can validate at the ward and the local level, culminating in the submission of the result at the national level. That was one incentive or one change that was very important and as expensive as it is, it helped in a way to guarantee that it was reasonably transparent.
How much interference does President Tinubu have in the conduct of APC primaries?
The President is the number one citizen of Nigeria and we believe that he has a lot in his hands in government in Nigeria, as a country. Yes, we recognise him as a leader of the party, but the midwifing of the process of the party primary is clearly the responsibility of the party’s National Working Committee (NWC), under the headship of the National Chairman, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje.
We conducted that exercise with every sense of responsibility, if there are scheming, if there are shortcomings, if they are applauded, it will go to the party and not to any other person.
Deep down, what are your fears for the two governorship elections?
If what we are seeing in Edo is anything to go by, we are very confident that the candidate who is loved by the people, and for the first time, since this current democratic dispensation, won in a zone that is traditionally PDP. No other political party has won an election in North Central to become a senator from that zone.
Every other zone in Edo, whether from North or South, had been won by different political parties at one time or the other. However, the Central has been considered a safe zone for the PDP since 1999. It is the first time in the history of Edo State that Edo Central voted not for PDP but for the APC. And we are confident that that person, as a candidate in the election, is somebody who can compete favourably to win the election.
Also bear in mind, that before the election, we conducted research by a team of stakeholders of parties drawn across Nigeria that went into Edo State. They worked with our secretariat to understudy and understand the sentiments, the feelings of the people of the state and they all pointed in one direction if the party offered the ticket to this particular person, then the party had the chance of winning the election.
We have done our beat and as predicted, he won the primary and now it is for the people of Edo to validate that research done in Edo ahead of the election. Then, in Ondo, we have an incumbent APC governor. It is a zone we are confident for many reasons. It is not just an APC state but one very dear to the party and the state from the same zone as Mr President.
We believe that we have the movers and shakers of the party in Ondo in the grip of APC and the majority of them have pledged to work and deliver the party, if not for anything else, but to ensure that the party remains relevant and interested in Ondo State, but more importantly as a vote of confidence in the administration of Mr. President, who incidentally comes from the same zone.
Based on your experiences in administering parties, why is it that almost all the parties are in crises, including the APC?
I don’t know about APC in crises, all I know is that APC has tried over the years to run the party as it should. I also know that there is room for improvement. Should we improve? Yes. Are there things we can do better than what we are currently doing? Yes, of course.
However, the point must also be made that as a people, as a nation and as a party, we need to create an environment that enables people to look at activities outside of the party and outside of government as an area of engagement.
When many spaces are closed against people, they only see the avenue to ventilate their grievances within the political space. And that is what we need to do. We need to encourage people to get involved in economic activities, to visit outside of government by creating an enabling environment for people to participate.
If we don’t do that, and everybody focuses on the government because that is a low-hanging fruit and no capital is required to do that, we will continue to have what we are currently having. So, there is a lot of expectation that one wants to get involved with the process that, in a way, addresses several social and economic needs. And that is something that we will need to correct.
Why did you exonerate APC from the parties facing a crisis when the leadership is breaching the constitution by not holding NEC meetings as required and other organs not functioning?
It is a development process. I do agree that the Constitution and laws are meant to be observed. And I am also one of the first persons that agreed, and indeed that several organs of the party have not been constituted. It is not for want of time, but as it is, no matter what we say, those organs are yet to be constituted.
We will continue to push and I want to believe that in no distant time, those organs of the party that are yet to be constituted, will be constituted. And more importantly, the relevant meetings that need to be held as and when due are also held because it is only in that sense that we can get the feedback and the input of stakeholders in the management and administration of their party, and that needs to be done.
What is the relationship between APC and the President especially as some people believe that the President is APC and APC is the President?
The leader of the party is the President of Nigeria at the national level. And then the party produced Mr President. He holds the ticket for and on behalf of the party. As the President of Nigeria, he is carrying out the philosophy, the ideology, and the manifesto of the party in his government.
So, there is no separation, there is no gulf between the party and the President and if anything else, it is intertwined. Our fortune as a party is dependent on the performance of Mr. President at the federal level.
Our ability to win the election, the next election, and indeed most elections in Nigeria, is again dependent on the performance of Mr. President, who is a member of the party at the national level. So, that linkage, that relationship, is very well recognised by the NWC of the party, and indeed party members across the rank and file.
They know that in symbiotic relationships and where there are concerns, where there are issues to be tabled or discussed, those matters are usually discussed in an atmosphere of openness that is transparent and that is possible for input to be derived from both the party and Mr President and his team in being able to afford opportunities for parties to be well informed as to what is going on.
Will you beat your chest and say that for almost nine years now your party has impressed Nigerians?
Lots of improvements need to be made, and those improvements are made. We believe that Mr President, in his opening speech when he was elected, told Nigerians not to sympathise with him, not pity him, not to cry for him because it is a job that he will consciously and creatively seek out and also do everything possible not to betray the confidence of Nigerians to live up to expectation.
We, as members of the party, believe that statement. And we hope that in the next few months and year or thereabout, all the things that have been put in place, Nigerians will be in a position to validate whether it is in their interest or not. Then hopefully and as we believe, because the fortune of the party is tied to this performance, Nigerians will appreciate that and continue to vote for APC.
Placed side by side, which one is better, nine years of PDP and nine years of APC?
APC will continue to do its utmost best to meet the aspirations of Nigerians. We hope that at the end of this term, we will appreciate what the current government is doing to address several issues confronting us, as a people and as a country.
Do we believe that there are difficulties in the land? Of course, yes. The ministers and the President have admitted as such. And he has continued to assure us that steps have been taken to address those issues in a way that will meet the aspirations of Nigeria.
I don’t believe that this party and the government in power will not do anything that will not win the confidence of Nigeria. Nigerians must be reassured that the government will do what is required to create an enabling environment for businesses to flourish in Nigeria, to guarantee security for the people of this country, and to also ensure that we provide a level playing field for everybody to put money and food on the table.
Why has it become difficult for APC to penetrate the South East or why has the zone refused to accept APC?
I don’t know if it would be right to say that the South East has not accepted the APC. I do not play regional politics of where you come from. What is important for me as a person is performance.
I believe that we have talent all over Nigeria that if and when given an opportunity, will meet the needs of Nigerians. Whether it is from the South East or the South West or South South, the reality on ground today is that we are first and foremost Nigerians, but more importantly is that we are human beings, meant to look out for each other.
And that is what is important. I believe very strongly that, that is the problem with Nigerians. You can have your brother as the Head of State in Nigeria but if he does not do what will help you to flourish as a person, it makes no more sense to you than if you have somebody else who will do what is right in your direction.
I think that is what we should be worried about. APC will continue to do what is required, what is necessary to bring Nigeria under one umbrella, to energise, sensitise them, and innovate ways that Nigerians show the patriotism they are noted for when we engage in a football contest between Nigeria and any other country.
You see Nigerians coming together, rallying around the national team, supporting them, and speaking in one language to ensure that our team wins the match. That is the point that we are sending out there, we need a country that belongs to everybody. Let our best foot be put forward to address the multiple numbers of things that need to be attended as a country and then to redress what needs to be done to take us to the Promised Land.
What are the chances of APC in the forthcoming Anambra State governorship election?
We believe that APC has a great chance in the state and it will become more evident as we get towards the end of this year. A number of factors like the performance of the incumbent will determine whether the people of Anambra would like to consider him again for another term.
Then of course, the performance of our party at the centre will be the stimulus that the people of Anambra State will need, and that will determine whether we need to connect to the national grid or continue to play politics of a small party in a bigger environment. And that is the two questions that Anambra people need to ask and answer by the time we get close to the election.
As an indigene of Anambra, will you say that Governor Soludo has impressed you?
It is not for me to judge and I will not. It is left for Anambra people to judge at the end of the day to determine what his scorecard is. I believe the question is for the state. And I strongly believe that several people are very clever, very industrious to know those working for them, or not working for them. At the end of the day, the people of Anambra will determine who to vote for.
How do you feel about the crisis between your national chairman and NNPP, the ruling party in his home state and what advice can you give them?
Several factors will need to be put up straight away. There has been an erroneous impression that the zoning arrangement or the election of the national chairman was done without following the party’s constitution.
We need to correct that. This is not to say that people do not have the right to agitate to make their point, but one must make his point based on an informed position. At the NEC meeting, preceeding the appointment of Ganduje, two things were made very obvious.
One was that the party recognised that the position of the national chairman of the party was zoned to North Central. And that the office of the National Legal Adviser was zoned to the North West. Based on the fact that there was a preference to have Ganduje as the chairman, the party went further to propose an amendment for the swap of those offices. We can also understand the political dynamics in the home state, Kano.
No other party or outside element, not a member of APC, as much as they will try to exacerbate a situation that does not exist will stampede the party into believing that there is a crisis. As far as the party is concerned, there is no crisis in the rank and file within the party.
We have the ability in the capacity of the national chairman to pilot the affairs of the party. I believe that in no distant time, the National Convention of the party will be held.
