Pharmacist Samaila Burga is the Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Bauchi State. He spoke with RAUF OYEWOLE about the crises rocking the party at the centre and how the Bauchi governorship candidate for the 2027 election would emerge.
With the leadership tussle in your party (PDP) at the centre and defection from major stakeholders particularly the Delta defection, do you see the end of PDP?
The only political party in Nigeria is PDP. All others are mergers. Maybe the few ones that are very inactive. But the only active political party in this country is the PDP. Can't you see now, even in the ruling APC, the CPC bloc is going out, the likes of el-Rufai and all those that you have seen with former President Muhammadu Buhari, they are worrying about going to his house and coming back. They are the crops of the CPC in the merger that produced the APC. But what I want you to know is that most of these people that we have seen today in politics, either in APC or in PDP, are initially PDP members. Why you are seeing this jumping is because people are not looking at the future of Nigeria and Nigerians. People are looking for their own personal interest. If I cannot get it in this party, I should move to that party. So this is what is going on there. We in the PDP, as far as we are concerned, anybody who is having that tendency or attitude should go. We will still sit down and realign ourselves and make sure that we forge ahead as a political party. So, to us, that one is not a problem at all.
Are you aware that some other governors in your party are making plans to move to other parties?
That is what I have told you. It is basically not because of their own state, they are doing it for their own selfishness. You are voted into power in a political party, for one reason or the other, you are moving out, probably for fear of being intimidated by the government in power, using the apparatus of government —the ICPC, the EFCC, and the rest. So for fear of that, you move to have a cover. That is what is going on. Okowa was the running mate of Atiku in PDP. He produced the governor. Now that they have started intimidating him, they have arrested him and released him, probably on the condition that if you don't come back to us, we are arresting you again. Is that the interest of the Delta people? Or is it personal interest? It is all personal interest.
The former Governor of Delta, Ifeanyi Okowa said that he regretted being a running mate to Atiku in 2023, what do you make of that?
What do you want him to say? What is he doing today? He's looking for a cover-up. It's just like somebody is bringing an axe to hit you, then you have to put your hand and protect it. To the best of my understanding, Okowa is looking for a cover-up. And that's why he's moving, and he cannot move alone. Probably that person I have fixed as a governor in PDP should follow me. Let's go together. I have friends in Delta who are local government chairmen, party chairmen and who refused to go there with them. We are forming another structure in Delta. Okowa has gone. What do you expect him to say? Yes, he said I'm going because most of the Deltans were not interested in what we were doing. They didn't want the presidency to move out of the South. Was former President Goodluck Jonathan not from the South?
Why did Obasanjo challenge him? Was he not from the south? Why did Tinubu challenge him? To the point that there was a protest in Lagos against the candidature of Jonathan. He was equally from the south. So, the likes of Wike, who vied for our party’s ticket and couldn't get tried hard to be picked as vice, he couldn't get so he moved with his pack of money and everything into the APC for him to have a cover. He is getting a cover as the minister of FCT with the condition that you have to destroy PDP. We are watching. For everything that stopped must have an end. Don't worry we are not dettered.
What do you make of these talks about coalition particularly by Atiku Abubakar?
As long as 2003, Atiku started working for himself. Not North Eastern Nigeria. Not Northern Nigeria. He was challenging his boss, the then president(Obasanjo)! He and Tinubu went to form Action Congress (AC), not too long ago, they met in an airport. Tinubu said Atiku we formed AC together and I left you to contest and it is now my own time, please leave your own interest, come over. The same person that you are saying is planning to leave PDP, He is used to leaving PDP. We are still there. In 2014, what happened? Prior to the election of 2015. He went with seven governors, later two retreated back —Lamido and Niger. They went with him and made sure that we lost the election in support of Buhari. But because they could not get what they were expecting to have in that house, Atiku came back and we gave him a ticket again, foolish of us, in 2019. We couldn't make it. We still arranged and arranged and gave him another ticket again In 2023. Now, maybe he is not more comfortable that he is going to get what he wants as a person not for us. Atiku who wants to be president at all costs. He is now probably trying to leave the PDP to go and form another merger, because the merger was able to suit Buhari. So probably if he merges again, he may have it. I think since 2007, or thereabout, Buhari was contesting and contesting until merger produced him. So that was probably his thinking. His thinking is not for PDP, not for Adamawa, neither it is for North East or Northern Nigeria. Not only moving out, some of us are of the view that he should allow other crops to contest for the presidency.
With the issues you have identified, how prepared is PDP to challenge APC in 2027?
We still have 20 months. Within these 20 months we are going to see alignment and realignment. Have you not seen what is happening with NNPP in Kano? It was the second opposition party we were looking at, the Federation. Some crops of the NNPP people in Kano who are elected now moved to APC. But mind you, the APC Headquarters itself is saying it should be bye-bye to Ganduje, the Chairman of the party legitimately should come from Central. They are thinking of Al-Makura. Are we the only one having problems?
There is a speculation that Governor Bala Mohammed is planning his defection to the APC, will you defect with him?
Personally, I'm not aware of that. Why will he defect? To where? I'm not expecting him to start thinking of that, I'm not expecting such a move. Because opposition must exist for corrective purposes, we cannot just go one line, you need somebody to tell you that your house is leaking for you to correct it up. If there is nobody to tell you that the roof is leaking the whole house may end up collapsing, in that case we need strong opposition. I believe he (Bala Mohammed) is a strong person that can lead the opposition. I'm not aware of his defection to any other party.
There are so many interested aspirants in your party from different zones of Bauchi State, how do you balance the agitation from Bauchi North and Central zones to grab power under the PDP platform?
PDP is ready for anybody but what we are interested in is a capable candidate who can deliver the victory from any local government areas and zone in the state.
Will PDP give its ticket to candidates from any zone or keep it in Bauchi South?
Ideally, we have been doing that, not now, it has been like that for long.
Bauchi South has been in power since 1999 and others have supported the region, what will change this time?
Was it a calculation or a plan by our Party to keep it here, no. It is the people who decide not the party alone. In 2015, we threw to the North and we lost. This was done through a primary election where we had a lot of contestants –including Ali Pate (current Minister of Health), late Babayo Gamawa, Adamu Ibrahim Gumba, Auwal Jatau (incumbent Deputy Governor), Ahmed Iliyasu and others. We voted clearly on a table and Auwal Jatau won that Primary from Bauchi North. We were unable to get the victory because people decided who they wanted.
What lessons did your party derive from such defeat?
What lessons are you talking about, inasmuch as someone from Gamawa again emerges as the best candidate and decided by our party members is the person that would lead. God gives power and takes it away whenever He wishes. We are not going to say until we get somebody from a particular place.
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