•Says it’s 3-horse race among Tinubu, Atiku, Obi •Escalating insecurity my greatest fear for next year’s polls •INEC must use off-cycle guber polls to redeem image, make bold statement for 2027
From Romanus Ugwu, Abuja
The Labour Party (LP) candidate in last year’s Anambra State governorship election, Dr George Nnadubem Moghalu, has built an impressive career, spanning business entrepreneurship, public administration, and active politics, having spent many decades in public service and nation-building.
Fielding questions from Sunday Sun in Abuja, Moghalu, while appraising the recently conducted party primaries across political parties ahead of next year’s general elections, described it as scandalous and embarrassing.
A founding member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), he expressed fears over the possibility of the escalating insecurity in the country affecting the 2027 general elections.
The former Managing Director of the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) described next year’s presidential election as a three-horse race among President Bola Tinubu, Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi, explaining that it will be one of the most keenly contested presidential polls in the recent time.
How will you reappraise the primaries conducted by the various political parties?
The fact is that the party primaries for the 2027 general elections raised a lot of concerns because across board, the whole exercise looks scandalous and embarrassing. We know how long the primaries took place, but up till now there are no confirmation as to the candidates who won the exercise, despite the fact that results were publicly announced at the collation centres.
The situation may be based on the positions of the party leaderships that the final decision must come from the NWC, which is right. Since they must follow the constitutional provisions to provide room for the Appeal Committees to meet where there are situations of concern, take decisions, to forward to the NWC to come out with a decision.
Generally speaking, the process to the primaries is of great concern. Some of the ones we saw on the televisions, including the scandalous nature of the counting of the votes, for me as a politician who is involved, I felt very embarrassed. But what can you say again?
The truth is that every other political party must urgently do a lot to redeem their images, but as to whether the primaries are something one can rely on, it is a no, no, no, one cannot.
Comparing the primaries with the ones you conducted as a member of the national leadership of APC, how do you put them side by side?
That was why I said that I feel so concerned because I really don’t understand what went wrong completely. I didn’t participate in these primaries so I may not have the full information to be able to do the comparing and contrasting. However, if I remember the primaries we conducted while I was in the party’s leadership, there were quite a world of difference.
There were situations we conducted primaries on Saturday, the Appeals Committees met on Sunday and by Monday the results will be out. Decisions were taken, emergency sessions were held by the NWC, and then came up with final positions so that if there was need for reconciliation, there will be enough time to do so.
If there are concerns, you will be able to address them, and then be able to move forward. So, there is quite a lot of concern. I am really worried, because it does not impact positively on our polity. It does not at all because it paints a very gloomy picture.
Do you share the sentiment that the 2027 presidential election will still be a three-horse race among the incumbent president, Bola Tinubu, Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi?
It is not far from the truth to claim that next year’s presidential election will still be a three-horse race comprising the same candidates that contested the 2023 presidential election. It is not wrong to describe it so. It is practically not wrong because that is actually what it looks like.
President Tinubu on one side, former vice president Atiku Abubakar on one side, and Mr Peter Obi on one side. That is actually what it looks like now. Granted that other political parties have candidates, but these three have an edge over other candidates, reason being that they have been tested, having gone through such elections previously.
Apart from these, other candidates that emerged from various other political platforms, good as they may be, qualified, experienced as they may all be, they have not been tested on the national plane. What anyone cannot wish away is that the presidential election is going to be quite competitive.
This is because the incumbent will come with his message, in addition to presenting his report card. Atiku will also come with his own message, banking on his experience to puncture whatever the incumbent presented. It is the same thing with Peter, who will be coming with his experience, knowledge of the system, and to what extent they can criticise or condemn what the other has done. It is practically going to be the three candidates.
What would be the strengths and weaknesses of the three candidates?
In every political outing there are aspects that are advantageous to the competing candidates. For the incumbent, his major advantage is that he has so many things to say. He has a report card to present. When I took over, it was like this. This is where we are, this is where I am projecting that we are going to be. This was where we were before I took over, this is where we are today. This is where we are going to, and things like that. So, the incumbent has that advantage, which is performance-driven, and deliverables.
As for Atiku, he also has advantage. He will bank on the strength of the massive votes from the North. If you look at the political equation now, it tends to confirm that he has serious advantage as the only viable presidential candidate from the North.
It will be foolhardy for anybody to erase tribe and religion from our polity, no matter how much effort we all put in place. Bad as it is, nobody should encourage that, but these are the realities on ground, which you cannot wave off with the left hand.
These are realities on ground that also stand as an advantage for him. He also has his experience to market. He has equally built some bridges across the country when he was in government, since he left government and across the political parties he has moved to. He has actually built bridges.
The same thing is also applicable to Peter Obi. He also has some experience that you cannot take away from him. He also has the youth momentum, which we saw in the 2023 presidential election. It was clear that there was a momentum by the youths who want to make a statement.
We saw what they rightly described as Obi wave in many parts of the country. You cannot also rule out the possibility of it coming up again in 2027. It is not a case of an unknown quantity, but a case of a known quantity who has a constituency whose loyalty he can bank on.
These are realities that we are going to face as we go into 2027 presidential election. And for me, I see it as around the corner we are talking of six months away, which in the life of a political pursuit in a life of an administration of four years, is not long.
Very soon, active politicking will start, and then people will start expressing concerns, expressing views, and presenting areas of advantage because we are talking about numbers, politics and voting are about numbers. We will also look at the sentiments of the people, and be able to address them.
Having followed the political activities, especially the build-up to the 2027 elections, what are your biggest fears?
One of my biggest fears, worries and concerns, is certainly insecurity. We are in a very precarious situation now as to the issue of insecurity, and it is giving me great concern. I am worried, I pray about it, I ask questions as to how we can address the issue and put it behind us because we can’t be talking about a stable economy, and stable polity in an insecure environment.
I feel very concerned about it because it has become very difficult to travel by road to several parts of the country. This is the kind of concern a lot of people have, I am very worried about it and the fact that the news about our nation is consistently in the negative, which has to do with issue of insecurity. It is of great concern and worry today as we approach the election season and the election proper.
Yes, the government, from what I read in the media, since I am not part of government to be able to be very knowledgeable on the workings, is making efforts, but it must increase it.
My prayer is that it materialises in practical terms, so that the impact of all these efforts can be felt in the lives of our people. Insecurity has actually become issue of great concern that something drastic has to be done to overcome it.
How do you rate INEC so far in the preparation to the 2027 general elections?
For me, every election provides INEC an opportunity to redeem its image. INEC has a responsibility to itself and to Nigerians to do everything humanly possible to win the confidence of the people. And the only way it can do that is by organising free, fair, credible and transparent electoral process.
Unless it does that, it cannot win the confidence of the people. Somebody asked how we can address voter apathy and I said that it behoves on INEC because it is when INEC performs, and seemed to have performed in this election, people will now say if this is the case, why don’t we get involved?
These off-season elections provide INEC an opportunity to make a statement, but if we complaint after every election, if people feel their votes don’t still count, how then do you get the electorate to actually participate? We also complain about vote buying, ballot box stuffing and snatching, mutilation of results among others. They are not in INEC’s favour.
It is of great concern to quite a lot of Nigerians that INEC must do everything possible to redeem its image. There are by-elections and two off-cycle elections, for example, the Ekiti and Osun governorship polls before the general elections in January that INEC needs to make a statement through their activities.
The commission needs to use the election to convince the Nigerian electorate by deploying whatever it takes to organise credible elections for people to applaud it for doing very well. When it happens, it gives confidence to the people that their votes will count.
It will also motivate them to be involved, or that their involvement will be appreciated. When we find ourselves in situations like this, we can guarantee it. So, INEC has a responsibility to itself first and to Nigerians who are watching.
Have you come out of your self-imposed sabbatical after losing the Anambra governorship election?
I am no more on sabbatical. I have actually started engaging politically, talking to people, and people equally consulting me. I am going to be fully involved in the preparation for the 2027 elections proper and you can take it to the bank. I have already returned to the APC.
Some people will wonder if you are turning your back against Peter Obi by returning to the APCs?
I can’t turn my back against Obi because we have personal relationship, even though we have never been in the same political party ironically, except during my short stint with the LP in pursuit of my governorship ambition. That was the only time we stayed together in the same political party. Otherwise, all the relationships we had; have always been at different parties.
In fact, we contested against each other in 2003 while he was in APGA and I was in the ANPP. We have never been in one political party, but that has never infringed on our relationship. We have always kept our relationship because for me, I see political parties as platforms for the realisation of individual ambitions.
Honestly, truth be told, the defining line in terms of ideology between political parties is not there. That is why people can be in party A today, and party B tomorrow in pursuit of the same ambition, because if you look at it, generally speaking, of all the political platforms, the people are the focal point.
The people appear to be the ideology and the binding force for all the political parties. It is a matter of name, it is a matter of platform, it is a matter of vehicle to get to the desired destination like I tried to explore the possibility of using LP to get to my desired destination, having been unfairly treated in my party.
I didn’t join APC, I was a founder, I was among those who founded APC, but at a point I was not fairly treated. I considered it the height of disrespect and betrayal. Then I had to look for another platform to express my ambition, and when I couldn’t succeed, I returned to my party, following the involvement of quite a lot of people that talked to me, including APC Deputy National Chairman South and North, and our leader, Dr Chris Ngige.
People started talking, and telling me that I cannot build a house and abandon it, and then after due consideration with my supporters, we agreed that I should return to the APC.
As a founding member of APC, is this the APC of your dream?
This is a very complex question. Why do I say so? It is because not all the founders share the same dream, but one thing binding us is the desire to create a political platform that will stand the time, pursue democratic principles, nurture democracy, and a platform that will stay over time.
That was the common denominator among us, apart from what the individuals have in mind with regards to ambitions. The truth about it is that in as much as I will not want to criticise or condemn the present leadership, or the extent they have gone, there is quite a lot of lacuna.
There is quite a lot of deficiencies that can be resolved. It is a learning process. The political party is a human organisation that has life on its own and that is adaptable to changes.
As we get along, changes can take place, but there is quite a lot to be done to actualise the real ambition of the founding fathers, which is to build a solid, democratic platform to nurture democracy to full manifestation.
Eleven years down the line for APC, has the party been a blessing or curse to Nigeria?
My perception is that the party has done its best, and will keep doing its best until the desired objective is actualised. I would not want to say that APC is a curse to Nigeria because there are good things the party has done in some areas, just as there are failures in some areas.
I must be honest to say that all the promises that APC made have not really materialised. That is the truth, but there are also areas we have to commend the party for what it has done. There is room for improvement.
As a stakeholder in Anambra, what is your assessment of the performance of the state governor so far?
If I am not happy, what choice do I have? That is the problem with presidential democracy. Every presidential democracy has a fixed mandate; we are now faced with four years. My position is that the governor is doing his best, I can only encourage him. I can only support him since everything about my ambition is about the people.
However, there are things they are doing which I would have done completely differently, and that is why we have different views about policies. But we are faced with accepting his own views concerning the issues on ground.
As a citizen of our state, I will not say that I don’t have access to the governor, because I know if I call him, he will pick, I know if I book appointment to see him, he will grant my request. What that means is that if there are areas I feel things are not working the way they should, I can develop policy statement as a document, and give him when I see him.
If he wants me to defend it, I will defend it, and then be able to encourage him and advise him, because nobody knows everything. If we desire to go to Onitsha from Abuja, while some will go through Lokoja, some will go through Nasarawa, but the mission is that we are meeting at Onitsha.
How will APC come out from the challenges of the primaries it conducted?
The most important thing is to admit the challenge. The moment you appreciate that you have a problem, the solution becomes nearby. For me, the solution to all these challenges is openness, being able to get people together, brilliant minds, being honest about your own intentions, you must be honest about your own intention, because the party is in a position to help government to succeed.
It is the party that produced the government, so there is crisis and there is no doubt about it. It is written all over the place. There are too many aggrieved people and you must open up a channel for discussion. You must appreciate there is crisis, and that there are many aggrieved people. And then start reaching out to them. That is the only way for a political cohesion.
Any need to apply sanctions?
It depends on what the offences are. If you strictly follow what is written in the constitution of the party, then better for you, because you can have a fall-back position. But the moment you want to cut corners to please Mr A or Mr B, you run into a problem.
The party should be strong enough to support the government to succeed, because the party birthed the government, but if you try to turn the circle around for government to be able to support party, then it becomes an anomaly.
As a Buhari person, how do you feel when Nigerians say that they did not feel any positive impact of the eight years of his administration?
Some people are missing him, some people are not missing him, which is like their entitlement. I had a personal relationship with late President Buhari, because I had access to him, served under him. So, for me, I miss him. He made impact to Nigeria politically, in everything about him, because one thing you cannot take away from him was his honesty of purpose.
No matter how you disagree with him, you cannot take away the fact that he has integrity and honesty of purpose. He was somebody you knew where he was standing on any given matter. There were no grey areas. It is either black or white.
So, for me, that endeared him to me. If I have issues or things of concern, I went straight to him. I told him, we shared it, we discussed it. He would tell me why he was taking the portion he took.
Do you share the concerns that the National Assembly members are the worst hit in the APC primaries?
My prayers are with them. The only unfortunate thing is that they never knew that the web they were knitting for someone would also catch them. My prayers are with them. I sympathize with them. I wish them well.
What are your thoughts on the escalating insecurity in the country?
It is really very painful. I feel sad. I feel disturbed. I am very worried, but I plead with everybody, let us not politicise the menace, because it goes beyond that. I feel very worried especially when I remember the last two incidents of kidnapping of the school children in Oyo and Kebbi states and what they are going through.
It is quite painful. How do you explain to those traumatised children in the forest even after they have regained freedom? How do you explain this to their parents? What are you going to tell the family whose husband, father were beheaded? So, it is very sad.
Today we are no longer talking about the Chibok schoolgirls, yet they are peoples’ daughters. They have been forgotten because new cases coming up on a daily basis have eclipsed it. I weep secretly and pray that the mercy of God will locate them and touch the hearts of these kidnappers.
The children didn’t do anything wrong by wanting to go to school, their parents, the teachers didn’t also do anything wrong by trying to train and bring up the children. They should rather be encouraged, but this is the way we are paying them back. It is very painful.
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