A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and House of Representatives candidate of the party for Dekina/Bassa Federal Constituency in 2023, Austin Okai in this interview with Only Big Story, addresses the speculations about former president, Goodluck Jonathan’s possible comeback in 2027.
The Kogi-born political activist said President Bola Tinubu can only be defeated in 2027 if all opposition figures realign and join forces to produce a single candidate that will face the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, in the presidential race. Excerpts!
There have been speculations about the former president, Goodluck Jonathan’s possible comeback in 2027, do you think this is possible, especially with the current reality in PDP?
Can PDP even win any elections as it stands right now? It is not about his (Jonathan) decision to return. Sometimes we overate things that are not necessary.
Elections are more of structures. Yes, it is the duty of parties to supervise the activities of their candidates and as it is right now, is PDP well structured to win the 2027 elections?
Even Sule Lamido who is saying Jonathan is the best candidate, do you know he is working for Atiku even in PDP? There is what we call the Wike style of politics. It is a kind of politics where anti-party activities are allowed and that is what most of them are doing.
Unless otherwise, the current PDP cannot win any election so who are those that will do the job for him (Jonathan). Among all the PDP governors, the only person I know that supports Jonathan is Bala Mohammed and how influential is he?
Wike and others, who worked for Jonathan at that time are already working for President Bola Tinubu now. The South South has already gone the way of APC so what are we talking about?
The North is not even reliable. They always talk like this before the election but when the election comes, the voice changes especially when people start pushing out money.
Are you saying that PDP, which was once the biggest political party in the country has no structure to deliver Jonathan if he decides to contest?
The party is currently infiltrated. So many bigwigs in the PDP today are on the APC payroll. So many of them are shouting PDP, PDP today, are they not collecting money from APC? Let’s stop lying to ourselves.
Who are the PDP people promising Jonathan that he will win the 2027 election? Which structure are they hoping on?
Jonathan should maintain his integrity and forget about 2027. He has lost the chance. When last did he participate in a PDP meeting?
The North seems not to trust Peter Obi’s one-term promise, doesn’t that make Jonathan the best candidate to contest against President Tinubu?
Who even told Nigerians that the North decides who becomes the president? I am also a Northerner, I think we the younger generation need to rewrite this story. Which North is deciding who becomes Nigerian President?
The core Muslim Northerners? They don’t decide for Bauchi, they don’t decide for Taraba, they don’t decide for Benue, Plateau, Southern Kaduna and so on, so when we are saying the North will not accept, which North are we talking about?
The North is divided, the elite and the masses are not together. The masses no longer believe in the elites. Look at it very well, why is it that the past leaders from the region have not been able to solve their problems?
Former president, Muhammadu Buhari couldn’t solve the problems. They have the population but how effective is it? Kwankwaso and others are trying to contest. How does that even show unity?
Can the opposition beat Tinubu in 2027?
The opposition can only beat Tinubu on one condition and that is only when all the opposition figures come together under one umbrella. As it is right now, with Atiku eyeing the ADC ticket, Amaechi saying his own, Jonathan planning a PDP ticket, the opposition can’t beat Tinubu. Baba-Amhed may likely become a Labour Party candidate because the party is throwing Obi out.
Currently, I can tell you authoritatively that Obi has no party. So the only way to beat Tinubu is when all the opposition figures come together and support a single candidate against the APC.
With what we are having here and there, I can tell you that all the efforts are a waste of time. Remember that as an incumbent, he already has an advantage over others. So it is only when all of us come together that we can beat this man
If you think Atiku will contest, Obi will contest, Kwankwaso, Jonathan, Amaechi will contest and one of them will defeat Tinubu, it’s a waste of time.
He can only be defeated if the opposition adopts the strategy APC used in 2014, all the powerful opposition parties came together to fight the incumbent president.
Analysts are blaming the lack of unity among the opposition figures on former vice president, Atiku Abubakar’s presidential ambition, what do you think?
Atiku, like any other person, has the right to contest as many times as he wants. Look at Donald Trump, if he didn’t fight would he be the president of America today?
How can they say that someone, who has the constitutional right to contest should go and rest? Is it because he is sick or what? Or is it because he has no money?
That is why it is an election. Election is a competition, if you don’t want him, you can push him away through the polling units, but you can’t stop him from exercising his right.
You seem to have lost hope in your own party or are you no longer in PDP?
I am still a member of PDP. I am not part of the coalition. There was a time they invited me for a meeting and I honoured it. But when the PDP said they are not part of the coalition, I backed out. I have not left the PDP. It is the likes of Governor Makinde that are even sustaining the PDP currently.
Away from politics, what can you say about activists and journalists facing constant arrest and intimidation by the law enforcement agencies, especially the police?
While I advise activists to ensure that there is modulation, and journalists to ensure that they verify their reports before taking it to the public, the government should stop hiding behind the cybercrime act to harass them.
In a democratic state like Nigeria, you can’t suppress the voices of the opposition. The government needs to be informed that the freedom of information should be respected at all costs.
While we are respecting the cybercrime act, the government should also respect the freedom of information act.
