Daily Independent (Lagos)
5 November 2008
interview
Yahaya Ndu is a member of the National Committee of the African Unification Front (AUF), a group which advocates the transformation of Africa into a federation, with a Pan African Parliament as the highest government overseeing key institutions, including a single currency. He has also been very prominent in the cause of reparation for Africa. In Nigeria, he is best known as the chairman of the African Renaissance Party (ARP), one of the radical political parties calling for a people's Constitution.
In this interview with SNR REPORTER, AUSTIN OBOH, he expresses his disenchantment with leaders of the opposition and the state of the nation.
Exerpts:
What would you say have been the major difficulties for small parties in the country?
The major difficulties facing so-called small parties in Nigeria are legion. I will name some of them.
1. The ruling party - which controls the machinery of government (the PDP) is anti-people, anti-Nigeria and has no respect whatsoever for the Constitution of Nigeria. As a result, the nation is run at the whims and caprices of the PDP. This means that there are no set rules for anything as can be seen in the conduct of the 2003 as well as the 2007 general elections.
2. The media in Nigeria - is generally as corrupt as the police. It is true that once in a while one comes in contact with a media correspondent with some conscience and some sense of patriotism, but this is clearly the exception and not the rule. As a result of this a party does not get reported if it does not give money to reporters.
3. Government-owned media such as NTA, FRCN, and VON - do not give any reasonable airtime to parties that are not in government at the various levels.
4. Elections - are only elections in name but selections in fact, as the whole world observed from the conduct of the 2007 elections.
5. The resources of the state - are used without let or hindrance, to further the goals and interests of ruling parties , whereas even constitutionally provided assistance to opposition parties are withheld. This is why since Yar'Adua came to power, INEC has not released even a kobo to opposition political parties.
6. The National Assembly - is not patriotic, as can be seen from the fact that it has done everything humanly possible to frustrate the African Reparation Bill sent to it since 2004, by the African Renaissance Party [ARP].
Are these difficulties the reasons your party does not have nation-wide following or make national impact yet?
Despite the difficulties, the African Renaissance Party has nationwide following, even more than the PDP. This can be seen if a free and fair election is organised in Nigeria. The ARP is such a pacesetter that you see it being imitated. The ARP was registered in 2002 by the INEC. And, as at the time it was registered, it was the only party in Nigeria with Africa to its name, but shortly after that, the African Democratic Congress [ADC] and the African Political System [APS] came on board. In fact, even the All Peoples Liberation Party (APLP) had to change its name to African Liberation Party (ALP).
INEC has claimed that some parties have been unable to keep its accounts very well. Has this affected funding of your party?
The claim by INEC regarding improper accounts keeping by political parties is stupid. The constitution requires INEC to publish audited accounts of political parties. Why has INEC never done so? When was INEC ever audited, and by the way, has Nigeria forgotten that some time in the past when a Director of Finance of INEC died, we saw two of his wives fighting over billions of naira in one of the man's accounts? So who is fooling who?
How would you assess the performance of electoral tribunals so far?
Justice delayed is justice denied. The mere fact that Matters arising from the April 2007 election are still before election tribunals, up till date says it all. Individuals and political parties that do not have millions to pay lawyers cannot even dream of approaching the so-called tribunals. So many of the supposed judgments of the tribunals conflict with one another. Tribunals refuse to even admit evidences that are matters of public knowledge.
What specifically would you recommend as proof against election rigging in Nigeria?
Your question is a very interesting one, and my answer is this:
There must be clear Voters Register. There was no real voters register for the 2003 election and none for the 2007 elections.
INEC must be dissolved and reconstituted in such a way that all political parties are represented in its running.
INEC must be funded from the consolidated revenue fund.
Finally, all state electoral commissions must be dissolved and reconstituted in such a way that all political parties in the state are represented fully.
What do you think is the best approach towards solving Nigeria's constitutional problems?
A Nigerian Peoples Conference. Since 1914, the people of Nigeria have never really had any tangible input into the constitution-making process of the country. All previous constitutions have been imposed. The British imposed the 1960 Constitution on us. We slammed the 1963 Republican Constitution on ourselves, in the sense that it was an elitist affair through and through.
The military slammed the 1979 Constitution on us. The 1995 Constitution was no different.
The 1999 Constitution of Gen. Abdusalami Abubakar was, by far, the worst ; for it remained a secret until made into law. Naturally, and as common sense dictates, a Nigerian Peoples Conference is imperative and inevitable. Right now, people who got into the National Assembly through a process that the whole world adjudged to be the worst in human history are even trying to remake a constitution for Nigeria. How imponderable!
What's your party's basic ideological offer, and how would it resolve Nigeria's ailing economy and political dilemma?
As the name goes, the African Renaissance Party is a party that fundamentally believes that we as a nation must be self-reliant. African Renaissance is about Africans learning to solve their own problems. Nigeria is one of the most richly-endowed nations on earth and we should have no reason to be complaining of anything at all. The people of Nigeria are about the most industrious on earth. This is why you find that anywhere you find them in the Diaspora, they are pacesetters. A Sudanese friend of mine once told a joke that when African nations were being created, that the Almighty was putting all imaginable resources in Nigeria and other African countries were complaining. But that they were told to wait and see what type of human beings will be put in Nigeria. Indeed, the human beings we have governing the nation are a special breed of people who should be studied in museums.
A deeper truth is that the system of government we operate as a people is programmed to fail. We must evolve a system of democracy suitable to our perculiarities as a people. As long as we keep borrowing from other nations, the system of government to operate, our problems will never end. In fact, even the name Nigeria needs to be changed. Nigeria was a name given to us by Lady Lugard and we have never sat down as a people to decide on what name to be called by. Gold Coast was changed to Ghana, and most countries on attainment of independence changed their names. What is wrong with the most populous black nation on earth? Why is it that 48 years after independence we are still preoccupied with the search for the ever-elusive unity? African Renaissance Party will Restore Our Dignity in every sense of the word, and teach us to look inwards for solutions, as our forefathers did.
Some say leadership is the trouble with Nigeria, others say it is corruption, while yet another group believes it is inappropriate political structure which is over-centralised and yet highly centrifugal (that is, dominated by sectional and ethical biases): what's your opinion?
The number one problem with Nigeria is its defective political structure. Nigeria claims to be a federation when it is operated as a tight unitary state. Unless, and until, we get the politics right, which must begin with a Nigerian Peoples Conference where the people of this country will freely work out a formula for amicable co-existence - forget it. Any economic reforms without first a political reform is doomed to fail. It is like trying to attract foreign investment in the Niger Delta without negotiating with the militants.
Be the first to Write a Comment!
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
