In this interview with TUNDE ODESOLA, the former Acting National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Chief Bisi Akande, says the party will not use zoning in choosing the next president of the senate among other issues

What’s your view about zoning the post of the Senate president?

Zoning is very, very strange to the All Progressives Congress. There is no zoning in our constitution. We don’t want to copy the Peoples Democratic Party in whatever we are doing. We want to be very wary of zoning. We have the best of brains and culture among our leadership. We want the best for Nigeria. Because of this, we don’t want to entertain zoning. It is true that sometime after the general elections, the (party’s) national chairman wanted to toy with the idea of zoning and unanimously we said no, we don’t want to zone. We are taking over from a delinquent PDP administration and one of the most prodigal institutions of that administration is the National Assembly. A former Central Bank Governor, Lamido Sanusi, said the recurrent expenditure of the National Assembly was N10bn and that it rose to about N150bn. Their personal income is prohibitive and secretive. This created the scramble for the leadership of the legislature and we don’t want our party to be involved in the prodigal nature of the National Assembly. In order to tone it down, we need to do a lot of compromises and sacrifices and we need to select from among the leaders who are in the Senate that would be able to control the culture of the Assembly according to the policy of our party. Because of this, we want to be careful about zoning. But we want the leaders to use their experience to manage those who are trying to occupy those positions, five for the party in power and four for the opposition. We don’t want those who will trade off those who will vote for us. We don’t want the principal officers of the Assembly to be sold out to the opposition unwittingly. We want to be careful about zoning. Zoning is a culture of the PDP.

But the North-East and North-Central senators are fighting for the Senate Presidency?

Honestly, I wouldn’t say yes or no because anybody is free to fight for the Senate presidency. We want the best man to occupy the position. But the trouble is that some people have been talking about zoning and we are asking questions. Is it zoning according to nationality? Within the North-Central alone, there are so many nationalities. Is it zoning according to religion? So, we want to be very careful so that we don’t introduce into our system what had not been there before. If you remember, during the Shehu Shagari era, Alex Ekwueme was the vice-president, Edwin Ume-Ezuoke was the Speaker. Both are Christians and come from the South-East. The one we are running now, Namadi Sambo and Aminu Tambuwal are from the same region. This can happen. We don’t want to say Christian, Muslim or Ibo or Yoruba. We want to be careful, otherwise, we won’t be able to produce the best. We are trying to select the best man. We don’t want to entertain what brought the PDP down.

What about a consensus candidate?

At the meeting I attended some few days ago, we had a consensus against zoning. It is possible to have a consensus candidate. The elders are very shrewd and trying to manage the situation.

Are you not worried that your refusal to follow the zoning pattern would affect our federal character?

We are talking about the Senate Presidency. Once we pick the Senate President, others would follow suit and they will say, since the Senate President is from so and so zone, then the deputy senate president can’t be from there; that he should be from elsewhere. But we must choose the best person first.

What are the qualities you are expecting from the next Senate President?

All the good qualities are not difficult to find among the leaders of the APC. In the Senate, there is this ranking system which they use but I don’t buy their ranking system because it is among these ranked senators that we find those who aided bad governance. The Senate was supposed to have oversight power over the executive. Anything the executive was doing badly, if the Senate never collaborated, they would have exposed them. We don’t want to do it the way they were doing it before. We want to do it the way it should be done so that Nigeria would benefit.

Many believe that those that moved into your party under the name, New PDP, have been marginalised.

The APC is made up of many tendencies. We have the ACN tendencies, the CPC, the ANPP and some part of APGA. We also have some PDP members joining us and since then some other people have been joining. APC is a replica of what Nigeria is today. If we managed the party through the national congress and when we changed our name, among other challenges, which we have overcome, how could there be crisis now when we want to select the leadership of the Senate?

What would be the role of the party’s supremacy and discipline in the selection of Speaker or Senate President?

The role of the party is numerous. We are very careful because we are just starting. We don’t want to handle it the way the PDP did. At the same time we want to do a lot of talking among ourselves until we get an answer and we will get an answer before May 29.

Don’t you think that the PDP can take advantage of this? There is a rumour that Senator David Mark is throwing his hat into the ring and planning to come back as the senate president. Probably some disgruntled APC senators may vote for him?

Our system will not allow that to happen even if we zone, zoning cannot prevent David Mark from throwing his hat into the ring. Some people said some have been spending money. If it is a matter of spending money to buy positions like the vogue of the PDP, can’t he (Mark) use money to buy some of our members? That is a possibility which we will not allow to happen in the APC because we are a disciplined party. We don’t want to use the PDP idea. Many of the APC senators don’t know one another. We are using this period to bond together so that we will be able to choose the best.

What mechanism will the party use to achieve this?

The crisis mechanism we used to get ourselves registered and wade through our congress and through our primary without crisis is what we will use.

Insinuations are rife that Buhari’s associates are fighting the National Leader of the APC, Bola Tinubu?

Honestly, I’ve never heard about Buhari’s associates before. But I know Tinubu and Buhari are best of friends. I don’t know about Buhari’s associates if they exist. But I know Tinubu and I know Buhari. I know the two of them are in the best of relationship today, that much I know.

What about the ex-PDP members being sidelined?

We don’t remember where you come from as soon as you’re admitted into our party. Once you register to be in the APC, we don’t care if you were APC or CPC because there is no mark to show that. Once you join the APC you drop the old rags and picked up the new garment.

Obasanjo has presented a blueprint to Buhari. What do you make of the blueprint?

If the whole or a part of it is in line with our manifesto, so be it; we will adopt it. If not, we will throw it away. This is because we promised Nigerians a lot. If somebody who is not part of us brings a blueprint, we may consider it. Any aspect in accord with our manifesto will be adopted.

In the face of repeated looting of the treasury, would you support the call for the refund of stolen wealth by politicians?

As we move on, if we discover any thievery, we will highlight it and we will hand it over to those who are supposed to investigate it. If there is any of such, we will just highlight it and make it available to those who would investigate it or deal with it or prosecute it. We wouldn’t allow it to distract us. We will not be on a witch hunt against anybody. We go about the business of governance. If the accused says we should take it easy and that he will return the stolen fund, it is allowed in a civilised society.

Which ministerial post is your party considering you for?

Even if I am offered, I will not accept. I am an old man. I am supposed to be a father of the party. I can serve the nation in many capacities. I can become a minister in the kitchen cabinet of the President. But I think we should respect this age a little.

People say the South-West would regret supporting Buhari; that Fulani people cannot be trusted with power.That had been the statement from some 200 years ago when there was Jihad in the caliphate. With education and technology, we should be better in our thinking and not to accept such an assumption. That was the beginning of what led to the merger. So with the modern way of thinking, we are friendlier. Technology has changed everything.

You believe former Governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola, rigged you out in 2003 governorship election in Osun. How are the two of you relating now that you’re in the same party?

Oyinlola is my younger brother and I have been saying it since 2003 that I can’t take my younger brother to the Election Petitions Tribunal. He is still my brother. We are relating well.

What parting shot do you have for President Goodluck Jonathan?

Jonathan is the worst President Nigeria has ever had. When we go to bed in the night we are not sure what would happen in the morning, whether one is going to be carried away by kidnappers or assassins. I didn’t see any transformation agenda. If you want me to go anywhere now I am afraid. No security. As a President, if you cannot handle security you’re a failure. Nigerians ruled him out.

What’s your opinion of the President’s wife?

I don’t want to comment on anybody’s wife because I didn’t bring my wife to the fore when I was governor. She never contested election. She can behave according to the latitude allowed by her husband. Like husband, like wife.