Hon. Iliyasu Ibrahim is a former chief whip of the Kwara State House of Assembly. In this interview with SAMINU IBRAHIM, he says that the principal officers of the House of Representatives must speak up on the raging issue of budget-padding currently rocking the House. He also argues that the challenges being faced by Senate President Bukola Saraki is borne out of nemesis and scored the All Progressive Congress-led Federal Government very low in its performance. Ibahim further speaks on the crisis in the PDP and other issues. EXCERPTS:
What is your view on the Federal Government crusade against corruption?
I’m one of those who do not believe in stealing public funds. I do not do it and I do not encourage people to do it. I have stepped on so many toes because of my hatred for corruption. I welcome the fight against corruption by the Federal Government. But from all indications, they have to be very honest and sincere. They should avoid witch-hunt and allow the law take its normal course. Let whoever has stolen Nigeria’s money be brought to book. That is my position. Corruption is a bad habit, it does not allow for progress and development.
As a former lawmaker, are you happy with the controversy over 2016 budget between Speaker Yakubu Dogara and Honourable Abdulmumin Jubrin?
You see, most of the principal officers of the National Assembly always feel they are above everybody. Instead, they should be of carrying everybody along and operating an open-door policy, showing transparency.
Now back to your question, I would not want to talk about it because I have not got the details. Having said that, the Speaker has to clear himself and if Jibrin is found guilty, the worst that could happen is for him to remain as an ordinary member since he has been stripped of his position as the chairman of Appropriation Committee. It is the people who elected him that can recall him and without that, there is nothing they can do to Abdulmumin Jubrin.
As a former lawmaker, do you think the doctrine of separation of power is being adhered to in the present dispensation?
There is supposed to be separation of powers between the three arms of government. But the problem is that here in Nigeria, we have a long way to go because even the people at the helm of affairs, the legislature, at times go beyond their boundary.
Similarly, the Executive wants to control the legislature. I want to believe that the judiciary, which is an arbiter, that is supposed to be independent, yet, look at the way things are going on in the country.
Let me recall my own bad case in Kwara state, where Senator Bukola Saraki moved from one party to the other. Saraki, at the time, was moving from PDP to APC. And out of 24 members of the Kwara State House of Assembly, 23 defected with him to APC, but I refused to move.
But because of my action, Saraki connived with the Speaker of the House and I was suspended from the house for three months without salary. The three months stretched to 23 months without salary and was also barred from coming to the House. To date, I have not been paid. I went to the high court to seek redress. I won, but they appealed. Yet, I still won and they went as far as the Supreme Court; again, I won. And till this moment, they have refused to pay my emolument.
I went back to the court again to file a motion for contempt against the Speaker and the deputy Speaker for disobeying court order. We started that since June 2015 and till now we have not been able to move, because the hearing came up on July 2015 and up till this moment the court has not sat.
What do you think is the implication of the trial of Senator Saraki for our democracy?
You see, some time when I read in the papers where Senator Bukola Saraki complained of persecution, intimidation, impunity in his trial at the court, I just laughed, because this is a man who practised what he is complaining against.
In Kwara , whatever he says is final. Nobody dare say any other thing. If he says something must be, it has to be. You have no right to question him. For example, in 2011, he went and brought somebody that has no legislative knowledge or experience and imposed him as Speaker of Kwara State House of Assembly.
When I raised an 18-point allegation of mismanagement of House funds against the so-called speaker, and when we were all dragged before former Senate President, David Mark, Saraki ordered my one year suspension. He (Saraki) refused to listen to me when I alleged corruption against somebody under him. I never knew that he will also come and face this kind of situation.
So, all these cries of persecution, intimidation by Saraki are just a ruse. He doesn’t even believe in the rule of law. I mean look at my case, where the courts cleared me of any wrong doing, the court said I have not committed any offence, but up till now I have not been paid. And they ensured that I did not go back to Kwara State House of Assembly on the orders of Bukola Saraki. So, the day he took oath as Senate President, I knew God has placed him there so that He can show him He is the creator and is supreme.
What is the solution to the crisis rocking the PDP?
The problem in PDP is that people are not contented with what they have. People do not believe that it is God that gives position to whoever He likes. In my opinion, when Senator Ali Modu-Sheriff came in, there was an agreement that he will be there for three months and the terminal date was 21st May, 2016. But immediately Modu-Sheriff got there, instead of doing the job and sanitising the party and organising good congresses and convention, all he was planning was for him to remain as chairman till 2018 when he will use the position to clinch PDP presidential ticket in 2019.
He, however, has forgotten that God is watching every move of human beings. Because if not, why can’t he complete his three months assignment and go. I was happy when the Makarfi committee came into being and I have confidence that they will put the party on a sound footing because you can see that the government in power has no plan for this country.
But Modu-Sheriff has said the governors came and begged him.
If the governors had begged him, the question you should ask him is was there no term of reference? Can he deny that he was not given 3 months’ tenure? If that is the case, yes we begged him to come and organise our party for us but does that mean that you will now use that position to perpetuate yourself in office?
So, the issue is very clear. 21st of May was the terminal date. While has he refused to go? And the day he came out to say he has a mandate and that mandate will expire in 2018, I was ashamed of myself. Who gave him that mandate? It was the governors who gave him that mandate. I think the man has some problems.
It is one year since APC came into power. What is your assessment of their performance?
APC has scored zero. Zero in the sense that today in my community I know how many teachers have died, because eight months salaries have not been paid.
There is no month a teacher will not die. Some of these teachers have various ailments such as hypertension, diabetes and it is out of their monthly salary that they buy the drugs. But the issue is when you are not paid, how do you buy the drugs to control the ailment? Everyday, people are dying of hunger.
As a public person and politician, I know how many people call me to tell me they have not eaten for certain number of days. The situation is so bad, and it is the same poor people you say you want to help that are suffering. As far as I am concerned, he has made a lot of promises, which up till now he has not met. The whole promises have failed, President Buhari has failed this nation.
However, I have no regret for what is happening in PDP. At the end of the day, the party will come out stronger than what anybody can think of. That is my assessment of the situation in PDP.
For the APC, I know there will be no alternative in 2019. APC themselves know that they have failed this nation.
What is your view about claims that there is an involvement of external forces in the crisis rocking the PDP?
Honestly, when you look at the attitude of Ali Modu Sheriff, you will believe external forces are giving him support. I know there was a time the chairman of the caretaker committee accused him of having a meeting with an APC governor. He has not denied it, and I’m sure they want to continue to use him to weaken PDP so that they will not have a stronger opposition party between now and 2019. I know there is an element of external forces in what is happening in the PDP but I know with time PDP will bounce back.
