Reconciliation won’t save PDP this time around – Sen. Musa

Weekly Trust: How do you view the   rebellion by the G-7 governors and the involvement of the National Assembly in the ongoing PDP crisis?
Senator Musa: The current rancour in the PDP is a blessing to Nigeria because for a long time now, they (PDP) have held the country to ransom. For long, the government is not doing anything to better the lots of the citizenry. There is no electricity, no drinking water, a lot of things are not happening in this country. So, the crisis is a blessing in disguise for Nigeria.
Don’t you see the crisis going beyond the PDP to negatively affect the nation’s democracy? This is the PDP’s problem, not Nigeria’s problem and it is even restricted to some active players in the party. This would definitely bring changes and by 2015, it will further manifest into the APC defeating the PDP and taking over government.
Assuming the PDP resolves the crisis and waxes stronger, where would that leave the ambition of the APC?
With or without resolving the problem, the PDP is already  gone. Let them reconcile, it makes little or no difference, the masses of this country are tired of the PDP.
Where do you think the crisis would lead the National Assembly?
It is the PDP members of the National Assembly who are being divided in the sense that some of them are supporting the old PDP and others are supporting the new PDP. Some people are over flogging the issue, but I don’t see it to be any problem. It is a sign of a good things to come. They have held the country hostage for 16 years, but with this rancour, something positive is about to happen.
How would you and the opposition treat the impeachment threat against President Jonathan over the crisis?
No, no. Is it the PDP crisis that would make the National Assembly want to impeach the President? This is not an impeachable offence. There are many impeachable offences committed by President Jonathan like the implementation of the 2013 budget. There are lots of resolutions from the National Assembly that he (President) refused to implement and which constitutes impeachable offences. So, the internal crisis in the PDP is not the problem of the National Assembly.
What is your comment about the threat of Niger Delta militants to Nigerians and declaring former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and some Northern leaders as persona non grata over the PDP crisis?
It’s not long that  Dokubo was abusing the President, so  why would you bother yourself with someone like that with double standards, he should not be taken serious. He is just there to get money and he does not want the money to stop. He can make threats, but Nigeria is bigger than anyone.
If you remember when the late Ojukwu tried to secede, did he succeed? And Ojukwu was better and more forceful than people like Asari Dokubo. I don’t think we should bother ourselves about him, he is a miscreant. How can someone just pardoned now come to threaten the country and the North?
But their threat boils down to the quest for power shift to the North in 2015 and that President Jonathan should not contest again….?
If they believe that Jonathan won the 2011 election free and fair, let them allow him to contest the 2015 election and see what happens. Politics is a game of numbers. He (Jonathan) won the 2011 ticket courtesy of the northern governors, who denied one of them, Atiku the ticket and supported Jonathan.
As an elder of Niger State, how do you see the role Governor Babangida Aliyu is playing in the crisis?
He is my governor, when it comes to my state, I would be involved, but since this is a PDP affair,  I would  like to leave it at that.
Do you see INEC given Nigerians a credible and transparent 2015 election?
It is possible and I think Prof. Attahiru Jega must have learnt his lessons from the 2011 elections. I would say he was sort of being naive then. He must have learnt his lesson and re-strategise for 2015.
How do you see the call of APC asking the new PDP governors and National Assembly members to decamp to its fold?
As for me, I am not keen in seeing them in our fold. With them or not, the APC has come to stay. Their coming into the party is not what we should be bothering ourselves with.
There were insinuations of problems when it comes to sharing of offices in the APC and also on the agitation for generational change in the leadership of the party. How do you see that especially as it concerns party leaders like Gen. Muhammadu Buhari?
I hope he (Buhari) should contest as I cannot see any better candidate for now than him. He should contest the 2015. Buhari is generally acceptable to Nigerians, for anyone to be groomed, he (Buhari) must serve at least for a term to clear all the mess of the PDP and  thereafter, if he decides  to even pick you, Nigerians will vote you. This is what I believe. Buhari is the only person the PDP fears, we know anywhere we gather with the PDP members, you hear them saying opposition should not bring Buhari, as he is a factor. If Buhari is going for campaigns, he does not need to spend money, unlike me that would have to spend my money for campaigns,  he is the candidate to beat.
How about the age-long prejudice that Buhari is not acceptable in the south?
That is not true and it is so even in South South where they don’t conduct elections, immediately you win the PDP ticket that is all. They go with guns and chase away people, take away the ballot boxes and thumb print. South-South, South-East, these two places, they don’t conduct elections and I stand to be challenged by anybody. Nobody wins free and fair elections, all you need is to spend a lot and secure the ticket from the primary. You cannot tell me everybody will vote for the PDP in all elections, it is not possible.
How is the APC coping with minority leadership positions in the National Assembly?
There is no problem of sharing the positions, even as at now the PDP still has the majority of the seats. The status quo remains as at now. It is only when the ‘new PDP’ members decamp to the APC that the issue of leadership comes in.
The National Assembly once threatened the president over budget implementation. Soon we would be in the last quarter of the year. What do we expect in that regard?
Let us wait till we deliberate on it, as we are just resuming.
How then is the budget implementation affecting your zone especially on constituency projects?
Even some of the constituency projects for 2012 have not been implemented and even for the ones implemented,  the contractors are yet to be paid and we are now implementing the 2013. I have projects executed by the contractors in 2012 and their monies have not been paid,  not to talk of 2013. Not a single of my projects for 2013 has been awarded.