The National Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Sam-Daddy Anyanwu, is one politician who knows where the dry and fresh bones of Nigerian politics are buried, having served in various political positions.
Fielding questions from journalists in Abuja, the opposition party’s chief scribe addressed a whole lot of issues bedeviling his party, including its bright chances of winning the 2023 presidential election, his readiness to sacrifice his position to restore peace in the party, giving assurance that the governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, will not abandon PDP for any other party.
Excerpts:
Why have you not joined any other party apart from the PDP?
When APGA was formed and Owelle Rochas Okorocha took away Ikedi Ohakim, they wanted me to join APGA, but I refused. When they formed APC, I was among the three musketeers in the House of Assembly. There was nothing Rochas did not do to buy us over to the extent that he went to Iwuanyanwu, brought and offered me N100 million to buy me over to join the APC, but I told him that I am not a political prostitute. I made it clear that no matter the situation, I want to remain in my party, the PDP because things must certainly turn around one day. Since I joined politics in 2000 till date, I have not thought of joining any other party. I have remained constantly with the PDP. It is in PDP that I contested and won the Senate.
At the upper chambers, I was the first fresher to be given Committee Chairman on Ethics and Privileges when nobody wanted to touch it because they believe that it is not one of the juicy committees. Interestingly, my concern was not what may be coming out of that committee, but how I can make impact for the world to know that somebody like me is existing. I did my best in that committee and became the first Senate committee chairman to receive award from colleagues and the first to be given standing ovation in the red chambers for my activities in that committee. I used the committee to bring succour to many Nigerians. I wanted to return to the Senate, but what happened now belongs to history. God used good men and my friends like Governor Wike, Ugwuanyi, other Southeast governors and leaders to nominate me as National Secretary of the PDP zoned to the region.
When it was micro-zoned to Imo, they resolved to get a strong-willed person since the state is an APC one. But my choice didn’t come so easy especially from those who saw me as their political enemy. Even as the National Secretary, it is not my plan because my training and experience is to run and win election. I told them during the Imo PDP stakeholders meeting that nobody should think that the position is the end of my political career because it is just coma, not full stop. It is only when someone dies that we can put full stop.
Will you contest the Imo governorship election when the window opens?
I have looked at Imo State and felt that when they open the window for governorship, I will still have a shot at it. I have done it before, and I will try and do it again. It is not because I am hungry for power, it is not that I am not financially comfortable, but because I feel that the most important thing in life is to ensure that hungry Nigerians get succour. Some of us that have come out publicly are overwhelmed with demands from people who will make you cry after reading their text messages over what they are going through. My interest in Imo is to bring a new life to the people to make them happy even if they have not eaten unlike what we see today where nobody is happy both the rich and poor.
The blood of young men has been wasted. There are villages today you cannot get a young man below 40 years. All that are left are elderly men of 80 years and above. The young men have all ran away because of insecurity. The situation is man made that can be avoided and stopped. There is hopelessness in Imo. I know that making them happy is not a rocket science, but about articulation of ideas. It is about interest, and resolution to make the people happy. At the appropriate time, I may consider bringing that happiness to the people of Imo when the window for election is open. But right now, I am the National Secretary of the PDP. Like every other political party, we are going through some turbulence.
What has been helping you to manage a troubled party like the PDP?
By character and by conduct, I work very well under pressure and regardless of the circumstances; I don’t lose focus or my mind. I know very well that in everything in life, there must be a distraction. Even while reading in your library, your child can distract you. I don’t create enmity. I make sure that the people around me are happy.
As somebody close to Wike, what is his mindset about his next plans for the party?
Let me say that I am not God to know anybody’s mindset. Again, Wike is a man of his own; I can tell you that for sure because he is my good friend and will continue to be my friend. However, our friendship does not mean that I control what he does or predict what he will do next. He has, however, maintained that he is still in PDP and I know that he will not go anywhere. He is not fighting our presidential and vice presidential candidates, Atiku and Okowa, but he is asking for equity and justice. He is not a pretender; he says out his feelings. If he is angry, he displays it and if he is happy, it will also reflect on him too. Let me confirm to you that Wike does not backbite, neither will he work to destroy the PDP.
Are you ready to sacrifice your position as National Secretary if the restructuring Wike is demanding is granted?
We must know that the PDP NWC is a product of the constitution of the party. If there is going to be any restructuring of the NWC, it is going to come through a mini convention. As a matter of fact, as a Christian and a peacemaker, even if it means resigning my position for peace to reign, and especially for the PDP to win this presidential race, I will gladly do it. I know that such sacrifice will not be too much for the party because I know that I will certainly leave the position one day.
What are your fears for PDP in the 2023 presidential election?
To be honest with you, what I can say is that the election is not going to be business as usual. Election is no longer what it used to be in the past. You know that in the past when you get PDP ticket, you can go home and sleep. But it is no longer the same today because lots of interests are coming up and new political development has also evolved. All I pray is for our party to win, but we need to work very hard, we need to be together, there should be understanding, there should be tolerance, and there should be sacrifices to be made. If we can achieve all these, I can sleep and wake up with hope that victory is sure for the PDP next year. I know that there will be no peace in a quarrelsome home.
How deep can the crisis in the Imo PDP affect your mission to contest?
Imo PDP ought not to be divided in the first place. Human being has whatever interests they want to protect. The major problem we have is someone with an entitlement mentality. Party is not run that way. We call it a party because it is for everybody. We should also eschew this mentality of using advantage against people. As the National Secretary of the party, all the state chapters of the party in Nigeria are under me. But I am aware of the biblical verse that a prophet is not honoured in his home. There are areas that will require a sledge hammer and at other places, you use a light weapon like a broom. We have to understand that we need to work together. Divided we fall and united we stand. We must know that if we don’t kill bush meat, there will be nothing to share.
If God forbid, PDP loses the presidential election tomorrow, nobody will talk about ministerial, and other positions because it will be a case of to your tents O’Israel. But, if we succeed and win, everybody will feel the impact. We must work together in most of the state chapters where factions still exist. As for the Imo PDP, I want to strongly believe that before the governorship primary, things would have gotten better. The truth of the matter is that Imo is predominantly a PDP state. But the problem is that Imo people are resisting constant display of arrogance by an individual, insisting on running for the same position when there are so many other people. What the insistence means is sending the wrong signal that PDP does not have other people qualified to contest the position. What people are demanding is for the party to allow a level playing ground so that the candidate can emerge through the love of the people to brighten the chances of PDP winning if it runs against the ruling party in the state. However, I can never predict doom for a party I am in charge of its affairs. I am already optimistic that the PDP is going to win the next governorship election in Imo State. I also believe that there is no crisis that cannot be resolved.
The process of reconciliation is in progress, and I want to assure you that we will team up with whoever gets the ticket of the party. One thing is to get the ticket, but another is to win the election. The era of business as usual is gone. People want to choose who they want. We have to eschew sentiment in picking who holds the party’s ticket. We must field candidates that can win elections. This idea of boardroom conspiracy, backstabbing, blackmailing, and gossip to get the party’s ticket has far-reaching consequences. We must know that politics is local not played in Abuja. As for the fears that tendencies of the candidates polarising the party with loyalty to either Wike or Atiku will affect our state party chapter, I will say that as the National Secretary of the PDP, I belong to no camp. Wike is my friend, Atiku is my candidate and friend too because we knew each other before now even when I first ran for governorship. My job is to play the role of statesman to bring people together. It is on record that Wike is not in enmity with Atiku and the party, he has his own message he is sending. It does not mean that anybody who associates with him is an enemy of the party.
What will the PDP be campaigning in the face of the animosity from the other parties against 16 years of PDP administration?
On the campaign weapon and instrument that we are going to use to reach Nigerians, I want to ask you a simple question of whether your condition is better now under APC era than few years ago under the PDP? Things are no longer normal in the country. APC came with change mantra, they actually changed, but they changed to worse situation. It is just barely eight years since the PDP left power, but everything has degenerated. Look at insecurity in every part of the country. Can those using buses to travel to Kaduna, Imo and other parts of the country during the PDP era try it now? People don’t go home again in Imo and Anambra and if they must, it will be with a battalion, but even sometimes they still kill despite the fortified security. Nigeria and Nigerians were more secure under the watch of the PDP than under the APC.
This is a country where Nigerians have taken the protection of their lives into their hands and that is why many states are now forming combatant security outfits. The security agencies seem to be overwhelmed. What is the rate of unemployment in Nigeria today compared to the PDP era? Most Nigerians can afford to send their children to schools abroad under the PDP era, but it has become unaffordable to many today. What is the exchange rate today compared to when the PDP was in power? Look at the humongous level of corruption going on in the country today. What about the vessel carrying several volumes of crude oil burnt down?
Are you worried about the incremental losses PDP has recorded in the Southeast which hitherto was the stronghold of the party?
What is happening in the Southeast also happened in the Southwest. Before now the whole of Southwest was APC, but today PDP has Oyo and Osun states. Let me assure you that PDP is determined to regain all the states in the Southeast apart from Anambra that the election has been held and that is structurally an APGA state based on Ojukwu factor. As for other states, how are you sure that our brother and friend, the Ebonyi State governor, will not return to his party? In Imo, we are working hard to reclaim the state. By our calculation, we are working hard to ensure that by the end of the elections, PDP will claim four states in the Southeast. I know very well that the South Easterners love PDP very well. They prefer PDP to other parties, but I also know that things have happened over the period, especially about the manners of fielding candidates. If a party brings out a good product in a sellable candidate, people will buy it.
