From Jude Edu, Abuja
The internal crisis rocking the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) even with the resignation of its National Chairman, Senator Abdulahi Adamu, seems not to be over.
Outspoken APC chieftain, Dr Garus Gololo, in this interview told Sunday Sun that a house full of trouble will soon erupt if Hon. James Faleke of Lagos State is chosen as the replacement of former National Chairman, Senator Abdulahi Adamu.
Gololo argued that Faleke is representing Lagos State at the National Assembly and not Kogi State, saying that he should remain where he registered as a party member.
He also advised President Bola Tinubu not to toe the style of former President Muhammadu Buhari who surrounded his administration with cronies and relatives and ended up achieving nothing.
He also warned that there may be more trouble in the party if President Tinubu abandons party loyalists who contributed to the victory of the party to favour other people. Excerpts:
Now, that Abdullahi Adamu is gone, what is next and who do we have as next in line?
Yes, since Senator Abdullahi Adamu sent in his resignation, I have been celebrating because he came not to help the party grow, but to feather his nest. Like I said before now, Abdullahi Adamu has no reason to be a party chairman, having started as a party executive back in the 70s, from the time of NPN during Shagari administration. He later became governor during the time Nasarawa and Plateau states where together. He later became a Senator for another eight years and a party chairman. What it means is that Abdullahi Adamu has been holding political appointments since he was born till date. Is it a heritage? Can someone play professional football up till that number of years? By now, he should be clocking 85 years and then should retire. From all indications, he has lost sense of judgment of anything and that was the reason he was not keen to add value to our 2023 election campaign, which gave rooms for losing many states and Nasarawa his own state in particular. He fled office immediately after resignation because the secret police were looking for him to give account for the campaign funds more especially millions of naira gotten from the purchase of nominations forms. But where ever he may run to he would account for it because it is not an individual thing. Iam happy as he honourably resigned because he became a stumbling block to Mr. President. Two captains cannot be in a ship.
We know that the chairmanship position remains with North-central, so who is the party caucus positioning for a replacement?
Yes, the party caucus has shortlisted those likely to replace him, whom they think are also credible in nature to change the narratives. We have Senator Tanko Al-Makura, the former Governor of Nasarawa, also Mr Silas Agara, his deputy then. Also we have Senator Sani from Niger State, as well as Hon. Faleke from Lagos.
But as I talk to you, we may have a problem because Faleke as I speak has not changed his party registration from Lagos, which he represents at the National Assembly to Kogi. That makes his case very complicated. We knew that during the time of the late Prince Abubakar of Kogi State, Faleke was allowed to contest for deputy governor in Kogi, while still a member of House of Representatives representing Lagos and even as we speak, he Faleke is in the House of Representatives representing a constituency in Lagos State. So, in party constitution, I do not think that a man can possibly have party registration from two different states in a country. And come to talk of it, Faleke did not work in Kogi State during the national elections. He did election work in Lagos. Please ask him where he did his civic participation of casting votes? Was it not in Lagos? and I think that Faleke coming on board for the national chairman of the party may brew more trouble for us. Unlike me, I am from Gololo town in Garma Local Government of Bauchi State. I cannot claim FCT because I’m already identified as a person from there with all my details. I can no longer claim Kaduna State or Katsina State. As far as I am concerned qualified candidates here are Senator Al-Makura and Senator Sani of Niger State. Silas Agara has been appointed to manage a football club and he should do with that for now. And for Faleke he should concentrate on the parliamentarian duties, because he does not represent the North-central.
And when you talk of his party registration, I felt you are even going far, because even before he contested election in Lagos to become member of House of Representatives, he must have been a card carrying member of APC with registration ward and state from Lagos. So such a person cannot just magically contest for party chairmanship in Kogi State, which is in another zone entirely.
It is on record that Hon. Faleke has been a close political ally with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu long before now, any one can remember, what if he insists to use presidential fiat to bulldoze himself in?
We are not disputing their relationship. We are not disputing the fact that he cannot bulldoze his way in Lagos, but not for what belongs to the North-central. Because in line with party constitution he cannot do the miracle. The fact is that Hon. Faleke is not the only one close to Tinubu. Even when we know him and what he can represent. We worked with him during the presidential election and we had his records. So, this job of a national chairman of a ruling party is not for the juvenile, let’s just leave it that way. I worked with the former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila. We know the personalities and differences. Above all his party card and party activities, including the office he represents now reads Lagos, so he should stay there because Mr. President is from Lagos and the party chairman cannot come from there. It is not his heritage. And if this happens, we may have another problem in the party.
Nasarawa State is about to present another candidate after Abdullahi Adamu for national chairman while we have other states from the North-central like Kwara State and FCT?
In the case of FCT, I can say that no body has shown interest in the office of national chairman or any national position apart from Angulu Dobi who contested and lost Senatorial election under APC and being considered for ministerial appointment since the FCT people have been agitating for that. And so unfortunately that among the indegenous politicians who contested across party divides failed to secure any national election. All the Senatorial seats were won by non-indegenous people. Just recently, we saw Gbagiyi people staging protest over non-representations, but we ask them why they even voted out their own indigenous people who can now represent them in the major parties like APC or PDP. All those who won the 2023 election in FCT are from labour party so sometimes when they complain, we advise them to go back to the drawing board. We are actually trying to press it on Mr. President to consider an Indegene of FCT for ministerial appointment, since they have lost everything. It is not also bad to consider those governors from other parties who worked for APC victory during the presidential election like Nyesom Wike.
There is this rumour that President Tinubu may appoint ministers across all parties. What is your take on that?
Well, what I know is that some of us are working towards making this party worthy of emulation. But if he goes that way, we may kick against it because leaving behind those who contributed to the victory of the party may spell doom. However, we are also looking at members of other parties, those people who fought for APC and gave us victory in their states like Nyesom Wike.
But I am against those people made suggestion about, Bauchi State governor, Bala Mohammed, because he never worked for us so Mr. President should not create that division. I root for Isa Yuguda because he is a party man and with a good track record as former governor. During the campaign we touched every town and village, he merits a ministerial appointment. We can talk of Matawale and Mallam el-Rufai, those who worked for the party and with the assurance that they would deliver. So that with the zeal, the party would continue to have active loyalists. You don’t expect me to work and the appointment goes to another people. When next time I might not be loyal to the party or I may chose not to work. So, I maintain my stand that those who sacrificed both with cash and in kind should be given chance so that this wouldn’t be a repeat of Buhari’s eight years where those who worked were not appointed even to manage a pure water company and they lost huge amount contributed in supporting the party.
Do you think that the APC is heading to where every decision for appointment is carried out by the president without contribution from other party heirachy?
Like I told you earlier, that might be another round of party insurrection. Well, if President Tinubu feels so, he should do it for the survival of the party. But I hope it might not get to that level, where those who sold their companies to sponsor party lost friends and family, number of hours and years working for the growth of the party, are left for frivolous things. Let me tell you that people actually committed their personal resources to fight for APC victory in 2015, 2019 and 2023 and the party is aware of it. So, such should be acknowledged or it may cause us a great deal. You don’t expect me to keep quiet, after working for the party with commitment of resources and appointment are shared to non-party members, which means that I should wait for another eight years, to restart again. If such is going to be the case then we shall resist it. The party is supposed to be for all party members. We have worked in the kitchen and the food is ready. So, those who worked should taste the food first.
It is no longer news that the Presidency would be buying SUV to all the House of Representatives members as well as Senators, from the N500 billion palliative. What is your take?
I don’t get it at all. It seems we are only going to repeat what former President Buhari did. To me, Tinubu was not advised properly and I am getting nervous about this kind of advisers. Okay, let’s face it, in which part of the world is members of parliament takes care of themselves before the masses, it is in Nigeria right?. How can you propose N8,000 for poor Nigerians monthly those that should have become a priority than Senators, who are already rich. Now check the number of Senators, House of representatives members and compare to millions of Nigerians, who are more vulnerable? No, it is wrong because we need those poor Nigerians who suffered to cast their votes for APC to reap the benefit of democracy. I think it would be better to spend the money in putting up a very viable and well organised transportation system to help mobility of the masses. It is better to reorganize the refineries and make fuel available for local consumption. It is better to channel it into education for at least primary school to secondary level to be free. So, I do not get it when they announced that Nigerians would get N8,000 for six months? Does any of these Tinubu SAs spend just N8,000 on their children in a month or do their wives cook soup with just N8,000 monthly? I advise him to reverse this decision of payment of 8,000 and repair roads, increase the salary of workers and equip the security agencies who have cried out so many times of lack of ammunition to confront the insurgents and give fertilizer to farmer for better yeilds. Is it not better for Nigeria to practice what is obtainable in nearby Niger Republic, where citizens buy items with their National ID card on government price. You can subsidize so many products and with national ID card one can buy and I think it is better than given paltry N8,000 or haven’t you heard that it was alleged that the CBN was giving a minister in Buhari’s administration about N500 billion monthly for poverty alleviation? Now tell me whom have they alleviated from poverty. It seems some people are out to enrich themselves while others stay and watch them.
Do you think it is economically viable for Nigeria to buy SUV from a foreign country, whereas other African countries patronize Innoson Motors?
These are some of the things we are talking about. You see promoting economic growth and development should not be a lip service. If you ask me, no member of parliament in the 10th Assembly would kick against this because these are benefits for politicians across party divide. Now, ask me where is the promises we made to Nigerians? These are what politicians say during campaigns. This encourages capital flight and kills the economy. So, I would again suggest they make a reversal and order the cars from Innoson Motors to add to the growth of the economy. So that they contribute in job creation because if all Senators and Honourable members got a unit, the amount of money for importation would reduce and strengthen local companies for job creation. The question is, why haven’t Japan and China bought our own goods? They always bringing down theirs here for us to buy and improve their economy. Countries like Mali, Ghana and other African countries come to patronize Innoson Motors, but Nigeria runs outside just because of what goes into our pockets, it is bad economic plan.
Do you think every other APC member sees things differently like the way you do when things go wrong?
Let me tell you one thing, my name is Dr Garus Haruna Gololo, I do not know what other person bears as a name and what his or her name stands for. I do what I think is just irrespective of party divide. Even during my career as a uniform man, I stand for justice. So, whenever I see things going wrong, I cry out in defense of those suffering. And I believe that we all would die one day irrespective of what association we belong to today on earth. And when I die, I should be able to stand before the creator to justify my decisions on earth.