Honorable Seidu Akawu Salihu popularly called SAS is a member representing Kogi/Kotonkarfe at the Kogi State House of Assembly. He contested the House of Representative Primary election under APC where he lost to the incumbent Hon. Buba Jubril.
In this exclusive interview, SAS believed he could have won the primaries but the delegates acted like a scavengers of crumbs.
He disclosed that Nigeria may seize to be a country if the ruling PDP remain in power and the chances of APC to take over the power in Kogi State and Nigeria with other sundry.
Read On:
What is your impression about the just concluded APC Primary Elections in Kogi State, especially in your constituency ?
The primary election in Lokoja/Kogi Federal constituency was peaceful and a lot credits goes to the security personnel because they really created an atmosphere for election to take place. Secondly, the executives that were the delegates, they talked and they talked wisely, they voted, and it was peaceful, whatever might have being the motivation the way they voted is a different matter. But they acted like a “scavengers of crumbs”.
Between Lokoja and Koto, there is an outstanding agreement, and the first beneficiary of this turn by turn was Buba Jubril, and its still Buba Jubril. And its the truen of Koto, but both the delegates of Lokoja and Koto voted for spices motivation of crumbs, they didn’t vote based on political reality between the two local government. So my impression about the primary was the delegates were given the opportunity to vote, and they voted according to the way they were motivated.
Do you intend to change from APC to other party to achieve your aim of representing your people ?
No, no. I’m not a quiter anyday, and I’m not thinking of leaving the party. For you information, I just left the PDP. And I left based on the conviction that there is need for change nationally and at the state level. I left PDP for APC with a desire for genuine change. If you look at the country today, we are drifting. As a matter of fact if the PDP continue in the next four years, we don’t know what the country will be, we may not even have a country. With the state of insecurity, the high rate of unemployment without turn in our economy, we don’t seems to address the core issues of development and as such, the need for a change is paramount. So I came into APC based on the opportunity of a very strong merger that gave strong opposition to PDP because that is what has been lost before the party. So I came into to join hand with the progressives to effect these qualitative things at all levels both national and state, so I’m not leaving. I want to join hands with other progressives so that to wrestle the power from government from national and state levels so that the APC will be able to run its program for the betterment of this country. So for me, Saidu Akawu Salihu, I am not leaving. I have accepted the result in good faith and I will contribute my quota to making sure that the change which is the slogan of APC I’d effective both at the federal level and the state level.
Q: How do you think APC can wrestle the power from the PDP ?
A: Except people believe in a very perverse manner, if not the situation of the country now is that everybody is suffering, majority of Nigerians are suffering and it is only rational to expect that a change is inevitable in 2015 and my hope is that people will be ready for that change. So what APC need to do especially in a vulnerable states, you see Kogi, Benue and some of this states that their vulnerability is very glaring, all other APC governors should support the movement for change in some of these states. If they leave it to the state alone, these power of incumbency of the PDP can overwhelm the people, and already we have established that the people are weak, I mean financially people are weak, poverty has really de-humanized everybody. When you just throw a little carrot you see people behaving abnormally, just like what happened in our constituency primary. There was no we went that the people did not complain about the incumbent, the lack of performance, but again it is the same delegates that voted for it. So you begin to wonder the abnormality in the state of poverty. So I think the coming together of various parties and government to form APC should an advantage to confronting the state of abnormality. Other states must come up to support the political activities of these vulnerable states so that APC can win more states and must be stronger to be ready to wrestle power with the octopus PDP.
Q: What are your expectation towards 2015 General Elections ?
A: Yes, my expectation is that PDP will go down. The APC need to be up and run a very robust campaign, put the issues at the front burner because there seems to be general frustration in the land. As I am telling you now, after the primaries of APC that produced General Muhammadu Buhari, I know of many PDP members who have confided in my that they are going to vote for Buhari, because even under the PDP that they are, life is just getting worse by the day, so we have general frustration in the land that gives room for a genuine change. And with the kind of antecedents people know of Buhari, I mean we need an honest leader, a leader that does not boast of corruption, a leader that is fearless. And I think today we have a candidate that well sell. So I enjoined the APC to start campaign in earnest, to put structures in every states in earnest because we are running against an incumbent who have been used to power for 16 years, so its not going to come on the platter of gold. So APC must be prepare to build bridges to make amends and should try to reconcile with the people who are aggrieved from the primaries as quickly as possible so that the house can be in order to confront the PDP. And I think something is going for the APC, that is frustration in the land, I mean the PDP government at all levels are vulnerable and I think they will eventually fall.
Q: As a former strong member of PDP, do you believe APC can take over Kogi State in the next Elections ?
A: I believe that the government of Kogi State is for APC to lose. All indicators are clear that this is failing government. You can see the general dissatisfaction in the society, in the infrastructural decay and inability to address it. The state capital is like a glorified local government headquarters, you can see it yourself. Up till now the local government staff have not been paid, the state government seized the fund that they were going to pay 100%, now we’ve started hearing another song, its two months now. The teachers just came out of crisis of non-payment. So I have never seen a more vulnerable government to fall than Kogi the way it is. So its unless APC does not put its house in order, I think Kogi State is for APC to take.
Q: As a lawmaker in the state,what has been the activities and achievement of Kogi State House of Assembly ?
A: I’ve at the state house of assembly for the past three years, and over the years, we have passed state budgets which is the fundamental responsibility. The implementation may be another thing, that is the responsibility of the executives. We have carried on our oversight function. We’ve been able to passed several billed which are supposed to empower the executives in the various sectors. Health, education, revenue generation, youth employment. These are legislation to really empower the executives over the past three years, we’ve done that. So within the limit of our capacity, I think we’ve been able to do much. But I think the next assembly by the grace of God, if this amendment is passed through, and the assembly is giving its autonomy, I think they will do much more better because what has been happening is that we have been like tied to the strings of executives. If you need any kobo at the assembly you have to go to the executive. Even the funds to work with, we are always cap in hand looking for money to work. If you go to our chambers and see the state, you will be sorry. We have been calling for the renovation of that complex. No committee rooms, when we have the house committee meeting, plenary will have to stop because we have to use the main chambers. So we’ve done our best within the situation we found ourselves and I think the next assembly will be better when this amendment is passed through, that’s when they will have their resources and control them, then they will be able to carry out their oversight function without fear or favor. We have been trying our best. we’ve passed the appropriation bill into law. We’ve tried to support the executives where necessary by way of approving facilities for them to work with so that they can act. Like the issue of the bond we approved. We approved it based on the patriotic zeal to see that the state moves forward.
Q: What can you point as achievements to your constituency in the last three years as a lawmaker ?
A: Well, I just had my stewardship forum where I itemized and addressed people for what I’ve been able to do. By way of constituency outreach, I’ve built a hospital to a community, and that is functioning right now in a community called Okpaka in South/East ward of Koton-karfe, I’ve sank bore-holes across all the zones, I’ve dug wells across all the wards, supplied computers to secondary schools, I’ve supplied dual sitting benches to both community secondary schools and even primary schools, as we talk today, I supply diesels on a monthly bases to the only general hospital in the local government and I intend to carry it to the end of the tenure by the grace of God. I employed and have been paying the three security men at the Premier Secondary over the last three and half years, I facilitated employment at federal and state agencies, I’ve secured admissions for our children in higher institutions and I’ve given informal scholarships to our indigent students. And that was why they clamored very high that I should take a shot at the House of Reps, but unfortunately, the excos of the party who are the delegates disappointed the people, because what is happening today is a state of despondency. They couldn’t believe that our people will throw away the golden opportunity. But again that is the way of delegate election where people who are pauperized by poverty. They go for crumbs. The excos in Lokoja/Koto behaved like a scavengers of crumbs.
Q: Do you intend give it a shot at other level of election ?
A: No. Not at all. I’m having my time now to represent my people, at the end of this tenure it goes to another zone. We have three zones in our place and this rotation is almost a convention in our place. I’ve played my part, but I will continue to be in politics and learn my ways to aspirations and quotation of our people in whichever capacity. We will hope that we form government so that we can get to our people, to be fully represented in government. My life has been the life of service right from student days I have been a community worker. Of course I am proper son of the soil so there is no way I can divorce my life from the people, so we will continue to make ourselves available to the best of our ability. It not be I have to contest election first.
Q: Who is Seidu Akawu Salihu, S.A.S ?
A: Just like you said, I, Honorable Chief Seidu Akawu Salihu, I was born about 51 years ago to Odache ruling council of Koton-Karfe. I am the Ogazuma Ogbanyi, that is the Galadima of Koton-Karfe. I’ve served this state at the level of state executive council as Commissioner for Budget between 2003 and 2005, as Honorable Commissioner for Water and Rural Development in 2005 to 2007 and today I’m in the state house of assembly. I went to Ahmadu Bello University, ABU and I had BSC honors in Sociology with second-class in 1987. I went back to ABU in 1997-98 to have my Masters in Public Administration, with specialization in Development Administration. And since then we’ve been in this game of politics. I was a foundation member of the PDP in Kogi State. Today I’m a chieftain in APC based on the fact that we got disappointed with the way PDP was going. The lack of internal democracy, imposition of candidate, appropriation of party structure by individuals who do not have the electoral value. So we got frustrated and left taking advantage of the merger that produced an alternative platform in the APC. So then we’ve active with the APC and I’m a member of stakeholders’ forum. We’ve doing our bit and I just come out of the primaries elections. And my quest for that election was to give a focus, a perfect representation to our people, unfortunately the excos thought otherwise and of course there is nothing we can do about it. We are all in politics, we only leave tomorrow for Allah.
Q: Thanks for you time and sharing this moment with Kogi Reports.
A: Its a pleasure, you’re welcome.
