Why I want to represent Kaduna North Senatorial District —SDP candidate

Adamu Rabiu, popularly called ‘Bakon Dare’ is the Social Democratic Party (SDP) senatorial candidate for Kaduna North. In this interview, the founding member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), says he has 95 per cent chance of winning the election.

You were a member of the APC from inception, why did you decamp to the SDP?      

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It’s a long story, and it so happened that l was initially with the APC. Things weren’t going as expected during the first four years of the party in government, but then, we thought it was because other parties were playing politics with the good plans and manifesto of the APC.

So, we thought they were trying to disrupt the APC’s progress and we said okay, there is another four years and we were sure the 2019 election will bring opportunities for Nigerians to rally round and do away with that set of people, so that those good policies of the APC will be visible. But to our surprise, we found that those people were still using the system to derail the plans that had been set in motion.

What are your chances especially since you will be contesting against candidates from more formidable parties?

SDP by itself hasn’t been able to hold any political office since the election won by MKO Abiola was annulled and so the party has not been able to establish offices across the country.

Why we think the APC and PDP are formidable is because the parties have ruled over Nigerians and used state funds to establish party structures everywhere. When the APC came, they didn’t have any particular structure but gradually they set up governors around the country, offices and structures.

Basically, SDP never had that opportunity; it is a people’s party, whoever you see in SDP is a card-carrying member who pays their monthly dues to help run the system.

If elected, how would you bring good representation to your constituents?

The Senate basically has two major responsibilities; make suitable laws for the Nigerian system and secondly, oversight the executive.

Senators are supposed to make sure that the government stays on track, but the government has not been staying on track and these problems start with a new government due to some loopholes in the constitution.

For instance, the president is supposed to bring his list of ministers to the National Assembly to review their antecedents; whether they fit the Nigerian psyche and if they can deliver on the mandate.