Why I closed Buhari’s campaign office in Oyo – Shittu

Barrister Adebayo Shittu is the Minister of Communications. He was one of the governorship aspirants of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo State and was disqualified by the party. Shittu believes that the party’s national Chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, unjustifiably disqualified him. So, he headed for the courts to seek justice. In this recent interview with correspondents Shittu speaks on the chances of the party in the presidential and other elections in Oyo State. Tony Akowe reports.

Nineteen years after the return to democracy, how would you access the journey so far

The Nigeria project is no doubt the project of everybody.  If you don’t have a good government in place, you cannot do your work well.  We know that the role journalist play in a democracy cannot be compared with anything. We do know that democracy is about the people  and about choices and till tomorrow,  there is no alternative to having democracy. When we are talking about democracy, it must be realistic and sincere and a fair one where all parties and all stakeholders are sincere. We have had democracy in practice for about 19 years now. We have had ups and down and the Nigerian people cannot say that they have gotten the best out of it. But one will consider the fact that we are still in a learning process and that things will continue to improve if all stakeholders approach democracy with patriotism,  selflessness,  incorruptibility and a desire to contribute to good governance.

Recently, there were reports that you stopped campaigning for President Muhammadu Buhari in the South West when you closed the campaign office you opened in Ibadan. What is the true situation?

I think that whole idea that I stopped campaigning for Buhari is nonsensical.  I was the first cabinet member who started campaigning for Buhari’s reelection. I am still part of this government and part of the APC.  In fact,  I am a foundation member of the APC and my interactions and relationship with Buhari is not just starting. I was his party’s governorship candidate in Oyo state in 2011 and President Buhari has continued to earn my respect and adoration because he is one President who was either the first or the second to willingly reduce his salary by half. I think the first leader to do that was Murtala Mohammed who is late now. If he can reduce his legitimate salary so that the Nigerian state can utilise that second part for the good of this country,  why would I do that? I think the story is mere mischief.  We had a rented apartment which is not my property.  We rented it for N3 million per annum and we simply could not afford to pay that and the landlord was impatient with us.  He said we either pay or get out and we simply took the most sensible option by vacating the place.  We are in the process of looking for another office space for the campaign. We hope to get something cheaper. So, it is not true that for whatever reason, I would say that I am no longer campaigning for Buhari. It was the handiwork of mischief makers and a section of the media cannot be exonorated from that.  They started carrying that report without seeking my own side of the story. That is simply not patriotic.  It is self serving and politically motivated.

You tried to be the governorship candidate of the party but could not achieve that.  Will you support and work for the party’s candidate in Oyo state?

I will be a bastard to be defrauded out of a primary process and then simply behave as if I am a slave. It will not make sense.  I am a foundation member of the APC and twice, I aspired to be governor.  In 2011, I aspired and was defeated by the incumbent. In 2015, I was defrauded from the primary at that time and I challenged the process which gave Gov. Ajimobi a second term. I went to court and was still in court when my appointment as Minister came out and I had to abandon that case.

Instead of the Governor thanking his God that he was relieved of the case, he started campaigning against my confirmation by the Senate.  He was blackmailing me and asking the Senate not to confirm my appointment. At the end of the day,  common sense prevailed and I was confirmed. Since then,  he has continued to attack me.

He tells people close to him that if Shittu succeeds him, he will be in jail. Why he think so,  I simply don’t know.

So, the party announced that those interested in the various positions should apply and pay N22 million, and they didn’t advertise any condition outside those provided for in the Nigerian constitution.  After we have paid, got screened and certified, the Chairman of our party unilaterally and in violation of the constitution, got me out of the way so that they can impose a new comer on the system. Somebody who is barely two months in APC was foisted on the party. Of course, you cannot expect me at my level to support such candidate.

Don’t you think that would amount to anti-party?

What is anti party. They had an opportunity and they missed it and the party will certainly have to pay for it. With all sense of humility,  I have gone past the stage where any party will threaten me. I am in court and if the party think that they have better basis for what they have done, let us meet in court.  You don’t start threatening someone who feels unfairly treated thinking you can get him out of the justice system.

Don’t you think all these will affect the chances of the President?

Let me assure you that by the grace of God,  on the 5th of January 2019, we are going to inaugurate a coalition of grassroots campaigners for Buhari/Osinbajo re-election in Oyo. It is a coalition because all those who were frustrated out of APC either through the congresses which were held earlier or through  the primaries and who have been forced into other parties invited me to provide leadership because they want to work for Buhari. They want me to form a coalition at the grassroots to campaign for Buhari’s re-election. The personality of Buhari goes beyond party. He has supporters in all the parties including the PDP and all these supporters will be galvanised into one campaign force and by the grace of God, we hope to be able to gather 2 million votes for Buhari in Oyo  state.

 Buhari is the leader of the APC. Don’t you think he has a blame in all that has happened within the party so far?

Like you said,  Buhari is the leader of the party.  But that position does not confer on you any extra ordinary power. Buhari ensured that he operates like the exact opposite of the dictator that Obasanjo was in PDP. You would recall that with Obasanjo as President, the National Executive Committee of the PDP became a toothless bulldog. It was Obasanjo who was calling the shots and ensured that the NEC was under his jackboot. That was a violation of the democratic credentials of political parties.

So,  Buhari as a symbolic leader, has no role in the constitution of the party to over rule what the NEC of the party decides. You must understand that Buhari was also an aspirant like the rest of us.  As an aspirant in a clime, you have to be very careful in dealing with some executives of the party who might even jump boat and embarrass you. He had to behave in a way contrary to the way Obasanjo manipulated. I don’t blame him because I know that he sympathises with those of us who have been unfairly treated.

Less than two months to the general elections, the party is yet to put in place a Presidential Campaign council. What is responsible for the delay?

In the 2011 presidential election, Buhari scored over 12 million votes across the country while the PDP gave itself 22 million votes. From that votes that Buhari got, solid 12 million came from the north, while less than one million votes came from the south. In 2015, Buhari got 15 million votes while the PDP got 12 million. Of the 15 million votes of Buhari,  12 million votes came from the north while the whole south produce three million. The PDP got 12 million across the country and you wonder where the short fall of 10 million went.

That will show to you that for all the years it was in government,  the PDP was never popular, but cooked up figures. For the last three and half years, everyday of the performance of his ministers,  we are in campaign. Today,  on top of the 12 million sure votes,  we have 500,000  who have benefited from N-Power, and you can be assured that those families will make appreciable figures in votes.

Secondly,  during PDP governance, rice consumed in Nigeria was 90 percent imported. Today, following the reforms in the agricultural sector,  only 10 percent of rice is imported and about 8 million new jobs have been created in the agric sector. Members of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria have committed themselves saying all their members will vote for Buhari. Thirdly, before Buhari came,  the last budget of the PDP on roads was N20 billion and not a single kobo was spent on road construction.  In 2017, the government spent N265 billion on roads alone.

What would you say is the heaviest pain the loss at the primary inflicted on your political career?

On three occasion,  my mentor,  General Buhari was frustrated in his desire to become President of this country. He contested elections three times and the elections were massively rigged.  He went to court and was also frustrated in a conspiracy between politics and the judiciary. At the end of the day,  at God’s own time, people who were frustrating him were taken out of the way. I always tell people that if God loves the people of Oyo state, he will make me the governor irrespective of whatever impediment mischief makers may bring.

I know that if I become President,  I will make all the difference because I have a lot of experience.  I have been in politics for over 40 years and I learnt politics from Chief Obafemi Awolowo who has been the greatest political leader in this country. Working in the communications ministry, the experience I have now, nobody in Oyo state has that. I will use ICT to develop Oyo state. So,  temporary loss is not mine, but the loss of the people of my state who deserve the best they can get.

The case you instituted, will pursue it to its conclusion?

Just be patient. We are in court and I have given a commitment that I will pursue the case to its logical conclusion. I am not the judge and I am not the one who is going to give judgement. I will pursue the case to show to everybody that the fact that you are a national Chairman of a party, or that you are a governor does not mean that you can engage in impunity and get away with it. I think that is the point we should make for the development of our democracy.

The NCC, which one of the agencies under your ministry promised to achieve 30 percent broad band penetration before the end of the year. The year is almost ending. What is the situation now?

Statistics show that we are about 28 percent gone.  The duty of the federal Ministry of Communication and the NCC is to provide the enabling environment for stakeholders to operate in deploying telecom infrastructures. As a government, we don’t have business in business and NCC does not have business. All that we do is to license operators.  It is the operators who lay the cables.

Government has, through the galaxy backbone, intervened to take care of e-government master plan in relation to all government offices across the country.  Today, Galaxy backbone has more than 2000 km of fibre optic cables as intervention and not for business. With the phase two project of galaxy backbone, there will be extra capacity to lease out to private sector operators when it is completed. The objective is an ongoing one.  We are working hard to even use satellite communication because it is more important to have internet connectivity. As of today, nigcomsat covers about 57 countries,  but we do not have enough back up and so we are taking our time.