PDP not a violent party — Gani

Mr. Taofik Gani

The Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party in Lagos State, Mr. Taofik Gani, in this interview with TOBI AWORINDE, blames the All Progressives Congress for the recurring political clashes in the state and other parts of the country

The All Progressives Congress at national level is said to be strategising to win over the South-West, come 2015. Is this a threat to the Peoples Democratic Party?

We see such as the ranting of an ant; we see them as daydreaming. In any case, they never won any election in the South-West through the ballot. The only claims they have were given to them by tribunals and, eventually, the Court of Appeal, through Justice (Ayo) Salami. It has become their abacus, because, rather than people liking them more, the people now see them as pseudo-democrats and reactionaries who are only interested in amassing wealth meant for the public in the South-West. Thus, people are so disenchanted with them; those of us in the Lagos State chapter of the PDP are particularly happy that this has happened to them.

People have been able to assess the type of leadership they (the PDP) can give to them (the people). That is why we are, more than ever before, confident that the implication of their poor governance is that Lagos State will get out of their reach and the PDP will win Lagos State. That they are even contemplating regaining those states they have lost shows that they are clowns in politics; they are not realists. And maybe they are also saying this to deceive and give false confidence to their members. Even the national leader of the APC knows that all is not well. That is why, for the first time in recent history, they cannot come out fully to say, ‘This is my candidate.’ He did that boldly when he gave us Governor (Babatunde) Fashola. He said this arrogantly and nobody could challenge it.

But today, as we speak, the national leader of the APC is not even confident about his control of Lagos’ votes and this is because the people have risen against his leadership. The okada (commercial motorcycle) people have risen. The market women and the elite have risen. The people who have been so pulverised have risen against the pseudo-democrats, who have continued to change their names because they do not want to retain an identity that they think people can always castigate. From the days of the Alliance for Democracy to the Action Congress, to the Action Congress of Nigeria, and now the APC. Only God knows, maybe they will have to change their name again as we approach the 2015 elections. The PDP in Lagos are therefore saying the greatest asset that we have today is the liability that the APC has become today in our politics.

Is the PDP open to a consensus candidate in Lagos State?

The idea of having a consensus candidate is theoretical and practical. Practically, if what is tagged a consensus is for people to unanimously agree that the person in question can deliver, then the PDP will not be so reactionary as to discard that option.

As I speak to you, we are sampling the public. We are sampling even people in the opposition. We know what and who they are expecting; we know the type of leadership they want and that is going to influence our modus operandi—whether it will be a consensus in theory, or in practice, where we will allow everybody to go and vote.

Definitely, there will be a level playing field, which the National Chairman of the party will validate. Everyone will have a level playing field; the guidelines for would-be delegates are out and everyone will exercise their right of choice. We will allow these to play out in the Lagos State chapter of the PDP.

Violent clashes seem inevitable when elections approach. Why is there so much desperation to win?

Violence in our politics is condemnable. And every well-meaning Nigerian, not politicians alone, should condemn it. There is no reason why people should resort to violence because they want an opportunity to serve. It means they have ulterior motives. That is one of the reasons why I think there is this desperation. I agree in totality that the reason why violence occurs is because there is desperation to want to take over an office or continue in office.

If the purpose of being in office is to serve, there is no reason why anybody should be desperate to want to be in that office. But we must also be very careful when we discuss this issue of violence. I want to say without being partisan that the violence in the South-West, especially in Lagos State, has always been propelled by the so-called progressives who have been in government. I want to be practical. From history, you know that before Rauf Aregbesola became Governor of Osun State, he always organised a programme they called Oranmiyan. Every time that happened, there would be killings and maiming.

This also happened in Edo and Ekiti states. As soon as they became the ruling party in those states, all that became history. The same thing is happening at the national level, where card-carrying members of the APC, who call themselves opposition, have become slaves to political violence by their utterances. It can be traced to a particular tendency and this tendency is more in the opposition. A militarised opposition, like we have in Nigerian politics today, is not good and it’s condemnable.

It was reported yesterday (Tuesday) that some thugs attacked some members of the PDP. This was exactly the same thing that happened when President Goodluck Jonathan visited us at Tafawa Balewa Square. As our members residing on the Island were leaving, APC thugs attacked them and killed two. And this is a state that is controlled by the APC. Yet, Fashola has not said anything about it. There is violence every day.

Speaking of the recent attack in Mushin, which you mentioned, the APC is indicting your party, saying the PDP at national level has the machinery to carry out such attacks. What is your reaction?

Lagosians know better. Nigerians also know better, especially in those states where the APC is in control. It is always easy to blackmail the PDP because the Nigeria Police and the Nigerian Army are supposed to belong to the Federal Government. All these security agencies have strong links with all state governments of the APC. That is why they also find it convenient to have special security outfits.

With due regard to the security agencies that are up to the task, objective and sincere in carrying out their activities, I want to say that the majority of these federal agencies have been compromised and they have been bought over by the APC governments.

The APC has also pointed out that its members were arrested during the Ekiti State governorship election, which the PDP eventually won. Does this justify the APC’s claims that the PDP is responsible for the recemt attack in Lagos?

Anybody who was arrested, especially in Ekiti, was duly arrested. Were those arrested registered voters in Ekiti State? In the case of (the APC Publicity Secretary) Lai Mohammed, who was arrested in Osun State, what was he doing at 12:15 am on the eve of the election? Is he a registered voter in Osun State?

We should call a spade a spade. What is wrong is wrong and what is sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander. Today, the PDP controls more states. But if all its state officials were to be directed to go to any state conducting elections, the state would be so populated. If you Google, you will see that a statement by the National Secretariat of the APC was issued, instructing all its officials—National Assembly members and governors—to move into Osun State. Why? That is wrong.

What measure is your party taking to ensure that the safety of lives and property is ensured?

Today, it is a fact that the only party that has a democratic institute is the PDP. The Peoples Democratic Institute is a constitutional provision of our party and we have it in Abuja. At the institute, for those of us who attended the seminars, we have been told that there must not be any reason to choose violence. Even as a spokesperson, I have been told that there is no reason why I must tell lies; that I must state the truth always. I don’t need to lie to make my point. I have attended at least two sessions like that and I am happy that we have this in the PDP.

The PDP is basically not a violent party and we have reoriented, more particularly, the youth groups, the women groups and other relevant groups in the party. They know that violence does not guarantee votes; it will rather deter people from voting for you. We want to also admonish the other parties to tell their supporters to eschew violence. The Lagos State Government must come out and tell us the links they have with Team Lagos, a dreaded group. A popular Fuji musician has been chosen as the head of the group. Motor park touts and the like are members of the group known for wreaking havoc.