Former Executive Secretary, Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF), Alhasjio Yusuf Hamisu Abubakar is one of the political gladiators in Kaduna State. During the 2003 governorship election, he aspired against the then governor, Senator Ahmed Mohammed Makarfi.
He became a household name with his nickname Mai Rago. Mai Rago, who is currently aspiring to go to the Senate in 2011, on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) spoke with GODWIN ISENYO in Kaduna about his ambition.
WHat is your reaction to the shift in the electoral timetable being sought by the Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC) for the 2011 elections?
I believe that a shift in the election will be good, not only in terms of providing us with time for INEC to have a very credible election, but also giving Nigerians the opportunity of knowing their candidates and also for the candidates to talk on issues that are affecting Nigerians. The short period of time that was given for us to conduct our primaries, I don’t think that it was enough for people to make informed judgement in terms of their choices. But now, I believe it is a good time between now and when INEC will come up with their timetable and when the candidates within and outside the parties will be elected, it will be proper for all candidates at all levels to come up with their agenda and defend their records and their own position. This, I think will help us to have the right kind of election which Nigeria critically demand at this point in time.
But some people are of the view that the shift will cause crisis considering the fact that both the constitution and the 2010 Electoral Acts have been amended.
First, I think that the critical thing that we have to recognise is that laws are made for man and not man for the law. In terms of what you have as good laws, any law that has the support of the unanimity of the subjects that it is supposed to address means that there is the need for the law to reflect the wishes of the people and I think that we have gotten that unanimity from the political parties who are the interested parties in this election and the general public.
We have also recollected what happened. The electoral act and the constitutional amendment are all products of the cry of the people in terms of the legitimacy of the 2007 election. These are the product of trying to solve the problem of the 2007 election and we cannot solve that problem by creating another one. Since two wrongs do not make a right, you have to make sure that you do the right thing. It is not all the aspects of the constitutional amendment and the Electoral Act that will be affected by the shift in date.
The only aspect that will be affected is the shift in date of election and I think this can be solved through consultations with legal experts. Those specific clauses can now be suspended or another law can be passed. I think that the most important thing that everybody has accepted is the fact that May 29 is the hand over date. Once that is done, I think we are going to have such a credible election that every Nigerian will truly feel that the election can stand the test of time, both locally and internationally. Today, anywhere you go, people tell you that your representatives are not true representatives of the people and that is the bane of all our problems.
Why the sudden change in your aspiration considering the fact that you once contested for the governorship election in the state?
Change is normal in every human endevour. Outside that, there are the dynamics and changes in our polity which one has to take into account. Beyond that, I am not fixated in being the governor, but in trying to contribute my quota to the development of our society and I do think that at this point in time, considering the critical nature of our legislative arm of government, this is a place that I could bring to bear a lot of impact considering my professional training and exposure as well as the challenges facing our democracy.
We are all aware that the legislative arm, more than any other arm of government has played a very critical role in the entrenchment and sustenance of our democracy. Like I said, there are a lot of changes that are taking place and sometimes, we don’t recognise them, such as the heroic stand of the National Assembly in 2006 when they defeated the third term agenda. It is so important and forms a water shield in our polity. There is also the issue of constitutional amendment. For the first time in the history of Nigeria, a democratically elected National Assembly is amending our constitution.
So, people have started believing that things can happen in a democratic process. So, it is important for people who have the experience and are well equipped in terms of their intellectual capacity to move into the legislative arm of government. Again, people are complaining of a lot of abuses within the executive arm of government. You must have people who are independent and are committed in the legislative arm of government so that agenda can be properly set out and things are done properly.
The issue of zoning is no doubt a controversial matter. In fact, some of the leading lights in the region said they are not going to support the President in the 2011 presidential election. What is your take on this?
You see, when politicians speak, sometimes, it is only politicians who understands. These are all issues of negotiation in terms of power struggle. In 2004 or 2005 when there was the Southern summit when the leaders of the South met in Enugu, they came out with this position that if the presidency does not remain in the South, there will be no Nigeria . The Nigerian nation was called to question. In 2007, we had an election and Nigeria was still there. So, protagonist and antagonists of the various positions are right in coming out with what they feel is important in pushing forward their case.
The issue of the zoning arrangement is something that is debatable and I believe that the contest is finally going to be resolved and whatever happens, I believe PDP will still remain one party and everybody will ultimately rally round who the flag bearer is.
With the array of aspirants in the race for the same senatorial seat, how sure are you of getting the PDP ticket?
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