PDP hasn’t changed but we’re the ones trying to outsmart one another, says Makarfi

 

In this interview with LEO SOBECHI, Senator Ahmed Makarfi, a former acting national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), claims that the party's current crisis is the result of constrained political agendas and emphasizes that it is preferable to work toward reconciliation rather than draw a line.

Makarfi asserts that you should not select a presidential candidate.

• Obi's problems were self-inflicted, and Kwankwaso was determined to leave

How do you feel about the idea that PDP has strayed from its core values as a founding member of the party?

You must clarify what you mean by "dropping the ball" for me to respond appropriately because different people may take that in different ways. Please be as clear as possible.

PDP initially considered zoning when allocating offices, but more recently, zoning has come under scrutiny for a variety of reasons.

PDP is still the same as it has always been when it was founded. The issue with us politicians is that we all try to play fast and loose with one another. Recall that the party's constitution calls for zoning and the rotation of power. Power comes from being elected, not from being nominated. According to the power rotation theory, who was the last president of the PDP because the candidate has no authority but is pursuing it? If you only consider the fact that it was Jonathan, power rotation and zoning are the only options.

In light of this, a committee was formed by the party to deal with the zoning issue. For whatever reasons, the majority of people believed that the chairman would be zoned to the southwest. Then something changed abruptly. Some people argued that we need someone in the north right away when they stated, "Oh, let it be the north." We need a governor from the north since there are more governors in the south. Let's leave the presidency up in the air since we aren't talking about the presidency; if the president-elect is from the south, the chairman is already in the north, so there's no issue.

See, someone could be popular, almost on the verge of taking power, and events  change. This is politics everywhere in this world. Before I nominated my presidential candidate in the last Congress, I was very open about power distribution and zoning. If a general consensus or majority allows the use of a majority, you can have a 51% consensus as the majority,  because political consensus is not about 100%. That is the majority consensus. 

 Now we have reached consensus. That's 100%, which is hard to achieve in a democracy like ours. I was open-minded, and so were many of us. 

 If the majority consensus favors the one from the North, so be it. Now many of us are open and it comes down to who can build a majority consensus and there are many factors involved when it comes to making people comfortable and you making people comfortable. increase. What to do psychologically. 

 When you're not doing what you need to do, you  can be the most capable, the most educated, you can be whatever I have a problem. 

 I'll take the  time to explain. It is some political gimmicks and game play, which started long before the convention to elect national offices. So, if you could convince everybody, let chairman come from north, we will decide the presidency when the time comes and it doesn`t matter whether north or south, after winning then we can now sit down before inauguration, hold a mini-convention and do ABCD; you can`t change the goal post in the middle of the game.

In politics,  you say something and everyone makes plans. Whatever your plans, you'll come up with something. Someone may be ahead of you on the plan, but you never know. , every politician of a party seeking power should know, first of all, that everything comes from God. Second, they need to act in a way that increases their chances of getting what they want.It all depends on how you play it. 

 As far as  I can tell, it wasn't that much of a rupture and there was consensus within the PDP that his Atiku would win the presidential election. If anyone says they want to break this agreement, we don't stand by it. Because I know that it is agreed in principle that the president can choose any position of national leader if  the presidential candidate-elect happens to be from the North. The party can then hold a mini-convention to make any necessary changes to the statute and choose the right person for the situation at hand. 

 However, some stakeholders recall that  some members left his PDP in 2014 because it was North Korea's turn  to produce Jonathan's successor. How do you tie this rebellion to the rotation of power you're talking about?  was what we followed. That's the problem with breaking the gentlemen's agreement. 

 It is the understanding and agreement of all of us that you have described the current situation. What the governor said at the time  was that he also agreed to move north after Jonathan's full term and  the remainder of Omar Yar Adua's term were completed. That was the deal, and that deal was broken. 

 In other words, if you lose a certain understanding, you get into trouble. Even if they had that agreement, I was a senator at the time, so I wasn't in a position to be a power broker, but they had that agreement. , it took a lot of effort to get the Zoning Commission report approved.

If that was achieved and some people didn't like it, how would you go about it now? , is only temporary. It was an agreement that we would focus on everything, win elections, sit down before taking office and do ABCD.When that principled agreement was reached and  certain territorial issues were approved before God and man. , for heaven's sake, how can you  try to create it with a different story? Having shuffled the party  and soothed frayed nerves, you were promised the party's presidential vote. How did you react to the returning defectors, especially to the promise you made? You see, that's why I said that whatever we do, we should have principles. At the time, influential people said that  even if that person came back the  day before parliament, you wouldn't do anything. because it accepts 

 Yes, heaven and earth may have been promised, but  power comes from God. I have been close to power many times but  God said this is not my time or I will not do it so I will not  kill myself over it. Greater than interests, my political party interests outweigh my personal interests. That's my principle. 

 Well, there's nothing personal about someone who promises something concrete. It is God who gives, not his power. Win or lose in politics, you don't always win.

The PDP has claimed the presidency for some time, but with this internal discord and talk of reconciliation here and there, why  such an effort to specifically reconcile them prior to the 2019 election? Didn't it? The party owes me nothing. I know it was promised  in 2007,  before the election. Even before the formal meeting to nominate a presidential candidate, I was asked to vote for what I wanted. it wasn't me. Am I  sad, upset, or refusing to continue? But the important thing is that we are all part of a team to make Nigeria a better place. What if I wasn't there? I try to keep track of things like this, but when it's gone,  put it behind me, what's next? we continue. I'm telling you I have seen a lot in this career since the transition in 2007, but I have never taken it personally.

 Adamawa Waziri, Atiku Abubakar and  Rivers State Governor Nisom Nisom Current polarization in his PDP during Wyke. What do you think the party will be like in the future? Everyone knows my personal opinion. First of all, Governor Wyke, and basically every other human being, should know that everything comes from God. It is God who gives and receives life itself. Wealth, God gives and takes. No matter how much money you have, your health is in God's hands. Of course, your money can put you at ease, but  ultimately God will decide when you leave this earth, whether you are okay or not. 

 Now, based on that, one should aim for something, but when the result is known,  should one accept God's will, take a breather, and say how to proceed as a family? Those who are successful should  know that it is from God and that many people have come together to do it this way. That's my principle. 

 Unable to retrieve achievement details. But  knowing that politics was local, I was stationed in my home state of Kaduna and worked legally in every way to win back Kaduna in both  presidential and state elections.My Note 99% of the are directed there. In the end, if everyone is  back to normal, we win. We are not going to gather in Abuja  and do politics. It doesn't work.

But some people just need to know what's going on in general. I  still stick to my principles. As I said before, please contact everyone. You can't just point to Governor Wyke. Others have fought, but they all need to be dealt with and dealt with. But if some people have been approached and accepted and you're still not satisfied, then of course you have to move on. 

 I don't know what really happened or what didn't, but anyway, I still believe that reconciliation is better than drawing the line. No matter what someone does wrong or does right, reconciliation is better than drawing a line. 

 We didn't win the election, we can win the election. Elementary school is easier, and general elections are a whole other ballgame. From Kaduna he can give  100 percent delegates, but when the general election comes, he may not be able to give  30 percent. I might be able to give you 70 percent. Things are changing. Therefore, our approach to general elections must be different than our approach to primaries. that is the truth. 

 If anyone slandered or insulted him (Wyke), in the end it offended the leader and even the Prophet. If you don't want to be named or insulted, don't hold public office. Whether you are a religious leader, a political leader, rich or successful, people  abuse you for one reason or another. 

 Therefore, I continue to urge him and all other afflicted people to  give peace once again. I will also listen as best I can and fully support  our party, our presidential candidate, not just to Governor Wyke, but to all other victims of our party. We need you all. I'll have to try and see if it works, and if it doesn't, I  told you  my state and what I do, but politics is local. Everyone needs to go home and do the work of submitting the state to his PDP.

Some argue that  presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar and the party leadership have not done much to resolve the crisis... 

 First of all, the country's leader told me that he had spoken to all  the groups. The national chairman (Ayu) told me that he had spoken with the people concerned. I'm not in a position to say that, but I  have no reason to deny what he told me, not through a third party.  

 I like history. It is important in the sense that it forces us to do what we should do now, instead of sticking to history and  doing nothing. If you did that and it didn't work, do more. Waziri Adamawa, our presidential candidate and by the grace of God the next president Atiku Abubakar, elected Peter Obi in 2019  and has seen governor rebellion, abuse of all kinds.Counseling I was told no. Now he is taking advice, which some might think means making decisions for him. We never make decisions on behalf of our clients. Now that he's consulted, that's another problem. 

 He  tried to become a democracy by running away from what he did in 2019, but he soon witnessed an uprising and was forced into two levels of committee consultations and other consultations, as well as consultations with other national leaders. and accused him of no. Perhaps the realization that decisions must be made on his behalf. Decisions are never made in favor of candidates. I can only advise candidates. 

 But I don't think the complainers or the losers will get hurt. If I was one of them, it might hurt a little bit, but  push it away and what's next? The problem is, nominating fellow campaigners is step one, but managing the aftermath is another. 

 So I don't think the people who have problems are mainly angry because they didn't get any comrades. How they were approached, how they were guided, how they felt comfortable, that of course can matter. In my opinion, that should be the problem, but I could be wrong, but you might think that it could be.

So if your past efforts don't work out, let's redouble our efforts and let all of us who are dissatisfied know that you can't get everything you want. Once in, don't let go. Overall, we never know what God has in store for each  of us. Patience will be rewarded. 

 Now, across the full spectrum of all these transgressions, Southwest claims to have been denied leadership of the party on several occasions. It was Southwest who turned it down at the last tournament. In fact, the powers of the southwest had already adopted Prince Oragunsoe Oinola, and their aim was to reconcile him with some of those who were dissatisfied with him. Suddenly, her political permutation changed. So what I said is that even if you change, it doesn't mean that what you think will work. Some things  may not matter. We shouldn't be gods to tell what will happen tomorrow. You should  do things based on your beliefs and principles, knowing that things come from God.