Senator Sani Musa (APC, Niger East) is one of the key contenders for the chairmanship seat of the All Progressives Congress (APC). Ahead of the February 26, 2022, national convention of the party, Sen Musa, popularly known as 313, in this exclusive interview, unveils his plans for the ruling party, his position on consensus, zoning, cabal and many issues.
By Ismail Mudashir, Fidelis Mac-Leva & Taiwo Adeniyi
Why are you aspiring to be national chairman of the APC?
If you look at advanced democracies, they are quite different from what we are doing here; we are just trying to copy them. But even if they are over 200 years ahead of us, it doesn’t matter. We should be able to at least show some kind of resemblance to what they have. Here, when you either elected or become a party leader, it forecloses you of thinking of the responsibilities you have on ground. If you look at the republican or democratic parties, they all have institutes that train, research and proffer solutions. It is not only about election; they try to build membership and train the members and inculcate into them that sense of leadership training. In the course of doing that, they build leaders, and from there they get the kind of leaders they want; the requisite leadership that is desired to run the affairs not only of the party, but the country as well.
My thinking is that the foundation for democracy here has been laid, but the pillars are shaky. What are the pillars? They are not the elected representatives, but the structures that brought those elected representatives. If the structures are still shaky, those there will not do what they are expected to do. But when they are institutionalised, and once you have subscribed to be a member, you will have no option than to abide by the terms and the regulations. What are those terms? These are already spelt out in the constitution of the party, when it is about election the party’s guidelines are there and must be adhered to. With that we will not have the rancour and misunderstanding we are having.
Secondly, the party being an institution has already imbibed itself the kind of ideology it has to its members, where such members have subscribed to the ideals and programmes of the party at all levels. Membership and patronage of the party should not just be because of one’s intent to become a governor or a parliamentarian or a chairman. The party would have set up a standard and the quality of the kind of person it has in its membership that can be presented for leadership position at all levels. Attaining leadership in any strata must come with an in-depth integrity, knowledge and experience, which are qualities of having good governance. You acquire experience and knowledge over time.
I want to see how we can change the thinking in our political structure, I want to see how even those that are working in the party headquarters at all levels will have a kind of sense of belonging to believe that we have responsibilities. If you are a member of the National Working Committee (NWC), you have a schedule of responsibility that you must adhere to. You only see the relevance of party organs close to elections, and that should not be the case. Political parties should be like institutions, parties should rebuild their roles in cultivating the next generation of leaders where the parties will encourage young and ambitious politicians to prove themselves by participating in governance and community-based actions for development.
If I get you, are you talking about ideology, because the fear among most Nigerians is that there is no difference between the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the APC?
You cannot instill ideology; you create it, and how do we create it? As I told you, I want to come in as national chairman to change completely the perception of every member of the APC from thinking that once you are elected or appointed to any office, either at party or government level, you cannot deviate from what the party stands for, hence the party’s laid out doctrines must be adhered to and sustained. As leaders, we are expected to display a high degree of responsiveness and be above board, because even parents at home are trying to train their kids so that they will come up to be productive. What I am thinking is that if we try to bring the kind of vision of that positive thinking and entailing everyone in the party to concur, an ideology can be created out of it that will be known as a sustainable pattern for the APC. And once we are known to adopt and follow our norms to the latter, an ideology can be gradually built. Example, knowing the party to be the first in introducing social investment initiatives and welfarism programmess, once that can continue and be sustained, the party will be known with that ideology.
It appears that the position of the national chairmanship of the APC is always occupied by former governors; and they are even in this race as the majority, how are you going to compete with them?
When I am talking about leadership, it is not about governors, senators or anyone. Leadership are qualities you see in a person and you look at his antecedents. I may not be a governor, but you will look at my past. What has this man achieved, and it tells you what I am. I would have loved to mention something, but for the purpose of aggregating, I will tell you if I was able to initiate something that our country of over 200 million people has adopted and is being able to use for its political development, and it is been rated a success, that tells of my pedigree. The same thing if I am a governor or a senator today and I’ve do so much in terms of development and carrying out those duties am supposed to do as governor or as a senator, I will look at myself and say I am successful. So, the former governors that are coming to vie for the national chairmanship of APC assume they have the requisite experience and what it takes to be the national chairman. As a businessman who ventured to become a senator, I equally look at myself to be very ready and competently qualified to vie for the position.
Government is a continuum; I so much believe that I will come with a difference. I can tell you that I don’t want to join issues with anybody, but I have all the qualities and pedigree that will be able to steer the ship of APC. Three things go for me: I am very confident of what I do, and when I say I am very confident of what I do I mean it. Secondly, whatever we have agreed here, that this is what we should do, and I am the principal, nothing can change that. So I have to come back to the same venue and my subordinates to agree all to change anything. I believe in team work, working together brings unity and result. I will usher in for APC a participatory leadership.
If giving the opportunity to lead the party, I will completely re-engineer the internal structures and workings of the party.
Leadership is an awesome and great responsibility that requires high sense of innovation and vision as mechanisms to changing our country. If given the opportunity to lead the party I will endeavour to justify every day and my every act the trust that will be placed in me. Bringing a new beginning to our party leadership will create a new hope and direction in taking the burden of leadership of our country.
I want to provide for the party leadership that will eventually make Nigeria stronger, more tolerant, more prosperous and fairer by giving every member of our party equal opportunity. If found worthy to lead, I will devote my all in adhering to the goals and aspirations of the party, abide by the nation’s constitution, rule of law, the party constitution and manifesto.
I am going to make sure every member of the APC is given a sense of belonging so as to make contribution to the party’s development. I, as much as possible, will maintain the party’s conventions and protocols. I will equally be adaptive to positive change and accept superior arguments on any issue that is fundamental to the growth of the party and of that which can change the course of what is happening in this country for good.
The third thing that is going for me is that I am very loyal to constituted authorities. I am very loyal to all the organs of the party. I will be very loyal to the leader of the party, the governors because they are the strongest pillars of the party, but that does not mean I will leverage at losing sight of my responsibilities, because I will be guided by the constitution of the party, the guidelines of the party and every treaty the party organs can come up with. I think Nigeria is going beyond names; we need quality, and I am not adjudging myself to be the best, but I have something new to offer.
You talked about being loyal to governors as well; you know today governors wield immense influence on the party, how are you going to navigate your way?
I don’t look at it like that. I just believe that it is the press that is really hammering on governors being too powerful on the party. No governor wants to see rancour in his party. For me, once I adhere my leadership style in a transparent way and based on constitutionality, and following party by following the party’s laid down rules and regulations, things will definitely be different from what they are. My loyalty to all the organs that constitute the party, which includes the governors, will be sacrosanct.
Why is it that most of the contenders are from the North Central? Is it that the party has zoned it to the zone?
It doesn’t make any difference if the North Central will produce the national chairman or the president in 2023. The chairman will go elsewhere or the president, whichever the leadership’s decision is, I as a loyal party man will subscribe too.
Do you not think that it is unlikely considering the zoning pattern?
There is nothing like unlikely in every political calculation. Everything is possible in politics, but if the policy of the party is to zone it to us; so be it. Whatever the party decides, as I have said so many times, I will accept. If tomorrow the zoning system does not come out to favour me and it takes the national chairmanship somewhere, I will look at those contestants from those zones to see who will be the best; that has the kind of ideals as I do and I will go with him.
Are you desperate for the position?
How can I be desperate? I am a fulfilled man, hence can’t be desperate for anything. I only believe that it is a necessity to have the right change in the leadership style in the party. But again, it is not a do or die for me.
What is your position on consensus?
It makes things very easy. But consensus should come clean and all parties agreeing to work together. If the party decides adopting a consensus it is important all those that are contesting believe in the supremacy of the party and will abide by what has been agreed on. If anyone feels he’s not okay with it, it is his own right to take whatever course he wants to take, but let it be in line with the constitution of the party.
What should be the criteria for deciding the consensus?
The criteria is who is the person that can give the best. Then antecedents of each can be looked at. But I think the leadership will use their wisdom.
Do you not think it is a clique or a cabal that will say so?
We don’t have a cabal in APC. It is only you that will believe there is a cabal. But the moment you are not in agreement or believing in what some like minds are doing, you call them cabal. Thus in politics you cannot run away from having people that will have different ideals and thinking in the party, but the whole goal is that they want to see how the party can progress.
It is glaring that in Nigerian politics you must belong to a group for you to navigate your way. Which camp do you belong to?
I am not aware of any camp. I am telling you without any fear of contradiction. I am not aware that governors have a cabal or a camp. I know we have 22 governors in APC. I know we have the president who is the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and is the leader of the party.
When you are talking of cabal, I don’t understand what you mean. But you can’t stop people from doing what they want. Are you telling me among the governors you can’t find some with the ambition to be president? Or there are no others in the party that will want this man or that man to be president? We cannot all have the same ideals, if someone can convince you and tell you to come and believe in what he wants to do and you both agree, so be it. It doesn’t mean you have formed a cabal.
2022 is an important year for the party as it is going to determine not only the possibilities of retaining power at the centre, but also the future of the party. Would you say you have the magic wand to steer the party out of its several internal crises and retain the presidency?
This comes to the fundamental objectives I said I am bringing to ensure that change. It all takes one with a vision to be able to moderate and create a path that the party can take and achieve what we desire to achieve. I am coming up with three “Rs” as my cardinal objectives. That is reconciliation, reorganisation and restructuring. Party coherence and system stability will be my bond.
Some people will disagree that there are crises in APC, but for eight years or more since the existence of the party you do not have a Board of Trustees (BoT)?
This is what I am telling you. I said we need to come with a new, and the new I am talking about is every member of the party must abide by the constitution of the party. If the constitution says we must have a BoT, the day I am sworn in, I have already agreed to work based on what I’m sworn to, just as the president is working with the Constitution of Nigeria, I will do the needful. If we don’t follow it to the latter, then there will be crises. Let me be honest with you, if we go by what we have in our constitution, there will be no crises and the party will be strong. I cannot be the party chairman and I decide to do anything contrary to the constitution and party conventions. All party meetings must be at the party secretariat. That does not foreclose me going for a meeting with the party leader or a governor in his office in order to see how we can improve the activities of the party, but if it is a party meeting or something to do with the party, it has to be at the party secretariat.
Some politicians, once they leave elective office for an appointment they find it difficult to go back to elective office, do you not think by the time you leave the senatorial seat for the chairmanship seat it will be difficult for you to return to the senate; or even the governorship?
It cannot be difficult, and the reason is that, while I am at the senate representing my constituents, they will measure my performance in terms of dividends of democracy and how I commit myself to the development of the senatorial district, they will aggregate and ask themselves if I’m the kind of representative they want? It all goes down to the people, not me, not the elite or newspapers deciding, but the electorate. My constituents will be the ones to decide. Ego does not allow people to say I have reached a peak, I can’t go back. It is public service. If I am a professor and want to be a councillor in my local government area, I am going there to contribute.
Major parties leave just a slot to women (the national woman leader), what are your plans for women to have something more than that position; are you talking to women to aspire for something more than the national woman leader?
At the APC national women conference, I sent them a message and said in my plans I have the affirmative action plan for them, which is participatory politics for women in this country.
It is only in Nigeria that we have not been able to reach the United Nations (UN) charter for gender equality in terms of political participation. For me, once elected as the national chairman, I don’t mind to have a woman national deputy chairman; it makes a lot of sense as to giving women a chance. In the entire countries that practice democracy, it is only in Nigeria that you have very few number of women participating in either elective or appointive offices. I am a believer in gender equality and I am coming up with this affirmative action for the APC and Nigeria women. If elected national chairman, no woman will pay for any form to contest for an elective office. I am happy that the electoral bill that we have just passed has come up with a consensus.
Away from party politics, what is your reaction to the trillions of naira to be spent on fuel subsidy?
I don’t have the magic wand, but I can tell you one thing, by my educational qualification and background as a financial analyst and economist, I can tell you as someone that has read about public policy and management, that no country in the world that does not subsidise certain essentials to its citizens. But the moment where corruption comes in, you feel the heat. There are countries that today subsidise petroleum products, subsidise even cotton. Kenya subsidises cotton and they support cotton production. Subsidies can be removed systematically without feeling the impact. You don’t pronounce it. The pronouncement is corruption. The senate president did make a case about a certain number of figures that they said we consume daily and he disputed it. Also, the spokesman of the president made his analysis and views about it. What I will tell you is that government can come up with a plan and over a period the subsidy will not be there and you as a Nigerian like me will not even feel it or know that you’re subsidising.
But you did not correct it in seven years?
There are things you can’t jump inside and correct. The cabal you are talking about definitely exists in the energy sector. Who are the people that are benefitting from the fuel subsidy, is it you? Definitely not you.
APC ought to have demystified that?
That is where I am coming from. The same cabal you have created is haunting us today in the power sector. PDP created them and they are haunting this country today. I am not part of the policymakers in terms of the economy in this country, but I will tell you that government has a way to tackle this subsidy issue without the noise and providing the necessary palliatives that will not let the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) think of going on strike. We should start thinking deeply about the sector of the economy that can make us have it right. Definitely they are the agricultural and manufacturing sectors which are not working well. When the president came up with the issue of agriculture, did we take it seriously? But that is the only game changer.
How can we take it seriously when bandits have taken over the land?
If we had taken it seriously the bandits that we are talking about would have had something doing. Their cows would have been there, nobody would have been stealing their cows and taking them across the shores of Nigeria because they would have been engaged and multiplying them.
What is the meaning of 313?
There are things done in the Quran for prayers, and when you pray 313 times, if you do those prayers, you can navigate your way to anywhere in every struggle.
Is that what you are relying on?
I am relying on Allah and praying through it as well to Allah to accept and bless my wishes; just as I work hard too.
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