Sani Ahmad Gwamna Mayanchi, the state Publicity Secretary to the All Progressives Congress (APC), Zamfara state chapter, in this interview with our Correspondent, Ibrahim Sidi Muh’d, examines the political calculations and submits that Zamfara remains an APC state by 2015. Excerpts:
The APC has come to stay in the nation’s political circles, being an executive of Samara chapter, what is your view on the development?
Well, even before the formal merger of the three or four political parties to form the APC, we in Zamfara state have the merger of three political parties comprising the defunct ANPP, CPC and ACN already since the coming on board of the present administration of Governor Abdul’azeez Yari Abubakar. All these three political parties in the state have a number of representatives in the kitchen cabinet as government of unity. So, for us here, the issue of merger of the political party is not something new to us and we don’t have any problem. I believe even at the national level, the merger would hit the target.
So, do we say APC in Zamfara as a party would spring surprise come 2015 general election?
By God’s grace, the APC would give the opposition, particularly the PDP a great surprise in Zamfara and the entire country come 2015. Everybody knows that since the coming of the fourth republic in 1998, PDP had never won to form a central government in the state.
ANPP remained the winning party, and by God’s grace, APC would maintain the history by winning the 2015 general election in Zamfara state.
What would you say is the agenda of APC in view of the challenges confronting Nigeria today?
Well, APC as a party has come up with agenda aimed at salvaging the nation from its present predicaments. Nigeria is faced with many challenges pertaining to insecurity, unemployment, corruption etc, and by God’s grace, all these challenges put together would be made a history by the government of APC by 2015. If you look at the caliber of people that graced APC, you would agree that they are the people of integrity, sincerity and to cap it all, are the people that have the zeal to move this country forward. So, there are many of the positive aims like I said, and I believe if APC forms the next government, a common man will get the blessings.
How do you react to this notion by PDP that the registration exercise for APC membership card was done in order to manipulate and rig the 2015 general elections?
Well, PDP is only saying this because they are afraid. That is why they have started launching accusations as early as they could. Everybody knows how PDP manipulated elections through riggings in this country. By the way, why would PDP start to cry of rigging? Well, all I can tell you is that the APC has no other thing other than to ensure that justice prevail in this country.
There is this allegation by some members of your party that APC has been factionalized in Zamfara, how true is it?
It is not true, and those that are spreading such an allegation were doing so to cause confusion within the most peaceful party in the state. I want you to go round Gusau and its environs, I believe nothing of such will be discovered. APC is one and all our members, as well as our elders, are their brother’s keepers in the state. Our political father, Senator Ahmed Sani Yarima, as well as Governor Abdul’aziz Yari Abubakar and the interim officials of the party are serving the same purpose. I don’t know whether there is another APC executive again apart from the popular one we are running.
But some supporters of a member House of Representatives, Eng. Ibrahim Shehu representing Gusau/Tsafe Federal Constituency who, before now was a member of APC, but recently decamped to PDP, had accused party leadership of denying him and his supporters their right to register as members of the party. How true is the allegation?
This is not true too, because the supporters of Eng. Ibrahim Shehu Gusau, always want to raise dust within the party. Look, you know whatever good you have done to a person, one day he may disregard it. Every member of our great APC was asked to go to his polling unit for registration. The question here is that, did they go to their respective polling units and witnessed denial for registration? So if Eng. Ibrahim Shehu accused us of something wrong, I think he is not fair to us. Like you know, we are in a democracy and everyone has the right to express his mind. Recently I read in one of the national dailies that Eng. Ibrahim Shehu was to decamp to PDP, which he already has done few days ago. I don’t know whether he happened to be one of those members that were spurred by the Federal Government in a corruptive way to contain them, because before the defection of some APC members of the House of Representatives, the Federal Government was alleged to have set aside hundreds of millions of naira to any member who decamps to PDP in order to achieve majority in the House of Representatives. Now, Eng. Ibrahim Shehu has defected to PDP that means he collected the bribe.
So, you have closed the door for PDP in Zamfara?
Of course yes, in Zamfara state, APC has closed door for any opposition party and also those parties who were dreaming to capture the state in the next election should forget it. See, as far back as 1998, if you go back to history of Zamfara state elections records to date, mPDP had never won and it would continue to fail as far as APC flag is propelling. Zamfara is APC territory and it will succeed itself come 2015.
