Hon Charles C Anike is the National President of Eastern Union (EU), a foremost Civil Society Organization (CSO) in the country.
In this interview with our Correspondent, he gave a deep insight into the ordeal of some opposition political parties, allegedly orchestrated by the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC).
Excerpts are presented below:
How do you see the current crisis in African Democratic Congress (ADC)?
The current crisis in ADC is artificial and the handiwork of the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC). Therefore, it left for the leaders of the ADC to be vigilant, diplomatic and to play safe.
The leaders of the party needs to be mature and keep their guards.ADC leaders must remember and understand that it was the same circumstances that brought the Ruling APC leaders together in 2014, that has also brought them together under one umbrella. The only difference is while Jonathan’s government was very tolerant of the opposition, the current APC leadership under both Buhari and Tinubu are very intolerant of any form of opposition. And using every form of unorthodox means to fight and frustrate oppositions.
We believe that Atiku, Amaechi and others who spearheaded the formation of the APC should tell better.The truth remains that there is really no crisis in ADC from within, what we are witnessing is autocracy towards redirecting the Country into a one party state. The purported crisis in ADC is engineered from the outside, especially when Mr. Peter Obi decamped into the party. The said crisis is nothing but a ploy to destabilise the Obi growing growing popularity which has spread to the north and that situation doesn’t go down well with the APC which considers Obi’s swelling followership very dangerous to their fraudulent dreams of continuing in power beyond 2027.
The Obi’ swelling followership alongside other influential leaders joining forces in ADC is really giving the APC camp sleepless nights. So the APC leadership believes that the only way forward for them is to plant and fuel crisis in the major opposition parties, the same way they used the old crook, Lamidi Apapa and Julius Abure to disorganize the Labour Party, which was the reason Obi decamped to the ADC.The recent video clips that has gone viral of President Tinubu’s chief of staff, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila charging and encouraging their political moles in ADC to stay strong in the party to ensure that they scatter the party, that has left no one in doubt that leprous hands of the APC are very visible in the purported crisis, there should be no pretence.
Would you say that the ruling APC is behind the crisis in other major opposition parties?
Just like we already highlighted above, the APC is at both top and bottom of all the crisis in ADC and other parties.
The APC leadership has successfully planted political moles in all the parties. This is to ensure that they generate crisis and sustain it in the parties, and further ensure that the parties’ leaderships are distracted from presenting strong candidates that will unseat Tinubu come 2017. You can see the Wike’s activities in the PDP. Wike as Tinubu’s agent has successfully destroyed the PDP beyond redemption.
That is the same method and the same strategy used to destabilize other political parties. And those agents main assignment is to cause crisis that would destabilise and disorganize the leadership of the parties with already compromised courts, using long legal procedures and tussle as a means to their ends.If there is really anything the APC leadership desire most, it is to ensure that Peter Obi will not appear on ballot box, and that of course is already a hecullian task and impossible mission. Tinubu and his APC knew very well that Peter Obi is the red card in hands of the suffering masses of Nigeria to send Tinubu back to Lagos.
Going by the events so far, do you think Nigerians should trust INEC under its current Chairman, Prof Joash Ojo Amupitan (SAN)?
Please there is just no way Nigerians can trust the INEC under the leadership of Prof. Joash Ojo Amupitan, how can they? That would be a blind trust. Evidences abound of Prof Amupitan’s involvement in the political history and activities of President Bola Tinubu.
He was also alleged to be a card carrying member of the APC. He was also a notable member of the legal team that defended Tinubu’s scandalous 2023 rigged election. So, with such a history, how can he be trusted now that he is the umpire of the coming elections?.The current INEC Chairman’s body language so far has shown that he there only to play the scripts already written. Those who knew and worked with him at several offices has and are still raising red flag about his appointment.
They are raising objections based on his zero integrity and willingness to always ready compromise.The only way forward is his voluntary resignation, otherwise this pretext will lead us nowhere, but deepest political impasse. There is just no way anyone can be a judge in his own case and you will expect neutrality. If the INEC Chairman loves the Country, and have any iota of integrity, he should voluntarily resign because no matter how he pretends we already know him.
What is your take on the Court’s declaration of Mrs Esther Nenadi Usman as the authentic National Chairman of the Labour Party?
The court’s declaration of Mrs Esther Nenadi Usman as the authentic National Chairman of the Labour Party means nothing much to us. This was possible because Mr. Peter Obi has decamped from the party, so who is fooling who?
The broad daylight robberies and judicial manipulations of the APC since inception are not new to Nigerians. But atleast robbers always cover their faces.The judiciary under the APC governments lost its sacredness and credibility. Some judicial officers became extremely shameless, lost prestige, lost the sanctity of their offices. They completely lost trust of the citizens as a one time last hope of the common man.The compromise level of the judiciary became monumental and scandalous and that of course has devalued the sanctity and sacredness of their positions, especially in our democratic history.
Would you say the Labour Party as it is currently constituted can be a rallying point for Ndigbo seeing the current state of the PDP?
Both the Labour Party and the PDP or any other party can never be a rallying point for Ndigbo, rather the rallying point for Ndigbo is the quality of an individual candidate presentased by a political party. As at today Mr. Peter Obi is the rallying point for Ndigbo as it stands.
That’s not to suggest that some Ndigbo are not on the other side, l mean that many are in different political parties and playing great roles and even supporting other candidates of their choices. But what we meant here is that majority of Ndigbo are supporting Peter Obi because of his legacies, integrity, credibility, humility and verifiable track records of achievements in leadership.There are very big difference between Ndigbo and other tribes, when it comes to politics. Ndigbo cannot be compelled or coarsed like others, into supporting just anybody for elections.
They take their time to study and evaluate the candidates and then take an informed independent decisions, unlike others whose leaders dictates and compels and compel them into supporting anybody who agreed to their terms, whether he or she can or not deliver dividends of democracy to the people. So not even APGA that are assumed to be a tribal political party created for Igbo’s interests, can’t be a rallying point for Ndigbo, talk less of Labour Party already polluted by Tinubu’s men.
How do you rate the performance of Abia State Governor, Alex Otti?
Our rating of the Abia State Governor, Dr. Alex Otti, can’t be different from how other sincere Nigerians across the Country and beyond are rating him. Our rating for Gov. Otti is very high because he comfortably enjoys the front of the best in the performing governors in Nigeria. He has no comparison amongst his contemporaries in government houses.Many took time to visit the state to be sure his praises are not business as usual. His giant strides in leadership has left a wide gap between him and his predecessors.
Gov. Otti remains a testimony in the mouth of Abians in particular. He his developmental strides has further proved that Nigerians will fare better if citizens are allowed to elect their leaders, instead of selection and imposition of charlatans on the vulnerable poor masses. Otti’s developmental gaint strides, his humility and compassion for his people has continued to torment and humiliate his predecessors, who squandered their own opportunities on the altar of corruption and embezzlement of public funds.If what Otti has done so far and which he pledged to continue doing can be replicated in other states in Nigeria, and if Nigerians can regain their independence and allowed to elect who governs them, the lost glory will be restored.
With the general elections drawing closer, why do you think Gov. Alex Otti will be easily returned as a Governor, bearing in mind the increasing popularity of APC in Abia State and South-East in general?
Do you really just said ‘growing popularity of what, APC?. This is very ridiculous and laughable and we are advising you not to continue with such deceitful mindset.
We can tell you for the records that APC is having no growing popularity or influence in the South-East believe it or not. Let nobody deceive himself or try to deceive others, APC has rather lost the little notice of their presence in the South East during Buhari. Those little presence of the party is gradually disappearing, just like in the present day North.Maybe Tinubu and his APC are being deceived, because the governors and some politically irrelevant individuals that decamped to the APC for their own selfish reason.
Those that decamp lacked sense and political wisdom about the voting pattern of Ndigbo. Most of them will forever regret their actions. I think they erroneously trust and believed that Tinubu’s magic of 2023 will continue to work and will see them through, but of course that magic cannot be sustained because Nigerians has become wiser in 2026 than in 2023. The Nigerian masses and especially the youths has become more aggressive and committed in their resolved to take back their Country from political criminals.
Let us assure most of those governors who joined the APC that they are likely to lose their re-election, because they have on their own committed political suicide. They will soon realize that they jumped into a sinking ship. It’s very possible that outsiders are being deceived because of the setting up of the so called ‘city useless boys movement’. There is just nothing with the group, rather than avenue to waste Nigeria’s money. The group only exists on social media, and our people has tagged them ‘Hungry Billionaires’.
Let’s emphasize that Gov. Alex Otti will be re-elected seamlessly. He does not need to spend much money to campaign or share rice and salt like the APC. His giant strides in development of the state and rapid response to the needs of Abians has already finished the campaign, ‘na who no like better thing?Abia State governorship election is a game over already. Anyone who wishes to run against him from any other party, only want to take a title of being referred to as ‘one time governorship candidate, nothing more.’ Gov.Alex Otti’s records of achievements speaks volumes for him across the length and breadth of Nigeria, many states wish he becomes their governor. _How do you see the recent appointment of the wife of Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu to a top position by Gov. Alex Otti, knowing fully well that Kalu is the Governor’s political opponent who is also eyeing his position?_ That is a show of political maturity by the Abia State Governor.
And we can assure you that the appointment must have been borne out of hard work and merit of Mrs Benjamin Kalu and not the usual APC appointments of compensations. The APC at all levels, since the time of Buhari based all their appointments on either compensation for roles played during stolen mandates or for tribal or religious considerations. Under the successive governments of the APC, the word merit disappeared. And that is the main reason why we have not witnessed real and genuine developments in about 12 years of APC leadership of the Country.
The appointment of their cronies who don’t know the value of public service, but rather they always sees their appointments as rewards and pay back for their criminal roles during elections. So, they used the opportunity to loot the treasury and ofcourse they are aware that the so called EFCC will always pretend and keep a blind since they are members of the family. The appointment of Mrs Benjamin Kalu like stated earlier, must have been on merit and not for any political consideration. Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu is very free to eye the Governor’s office but as a politician he is very much aware that there is no vacancy in Abia State Governor’s office. Except he also just want to add another title to his other titles as ‘one time Abia State Governorship candidate,’ but we advise that he should rather struggle to remain where he is.Of course the good people of Abia State cannot go backward to Egypt, after they had successfully landed in the Promised Land.That will be ‘imposicant’.
With the crisis in ADC and presence of several Presidential materials in the party, do you think Peter Obi stands a chance to get the party’s ticket? If not what is your advise to him?
Yes the presence of political heavy weights are very visible in the ADC, of which many of them are nursing presidential ambitions. They all wish to be flag bearers of the party, but everyone of them also knows that it is not just a matter of just winning the party primary but someone who presently have the capacity to win the general election for the party and Nigerians. If really most of those Presidential Aspirants in ADC mean well for the Country and the party, they should unanimously hand over the party ticket and rally behind Mr. Peter Obi, who currently and unarguably enjoys overwhelming massive support of Nigerians across the Country, especially the Nigerian youths who are very determined and also very desperate to send Tinubu and his cohorts packing out of the Villa.
The truth is that none of the other Presidential Aspirants enjoys such large support and followership like Obi. With Mr. Peter Obi on the ADC ballot, the game will be over for Tinubu and the APC come 2027. In fact that will mark the existence of the APC in the Nigeria political history.It is important that other aspirants should understand that at this critical time they don’t have to gamble, therefore a lot of sacredness are required from them, if really they mean well for the Country.
They should also recall that in 2014, a lot of more qualified people than Buhari also sacrificed their ambitions to support him because of Buhari’s overwhelming popularity then, which today cannot even match or equate that of Peter Obi. We appeal that there should be further sacrifice once more, to support and rally round Obi to get the APC monster out of our way.
Presently Obi is the only reason Tinubu and his APC stalwarts are restless and having sleepless nights. In other words, if for any reason Obi is not in the ballot, Tinubu will sleep and snore.Thank God crisis is over in the ADC, except if the APC decides to sponsor another one.However, if Obi is denied the ADC Presidential ticket, our advise for him is that he should move on to any other party that will give him ticket to contest the general election. Nigerians believe in him and would follow him to wherever he goes.
Though Tinubu has planted his boys as political moles in all the parties, nevertheless Obi can even go back to the Labour party, now that Tinubu has pretentiously changed focus from the party after his gangs caused Obi to decamp. If they deny him ADC ticket, Obi should take up another political platform and we assure him that Nigerians will go with him.
Recall that in 2023, without even one state governor, or member of any house, talkless of a Senator, Obi still won the 2023 general election against the APC. Obi’s chances are higher now that Tinubu’s yokes have multiplied and become heavier on the people.The name Tinubu has become leprous and very detasteful to average Nigerians.
