2019: APC panicking over Atiku’s growing acceptance – Saraki

Director General, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Campaign Organisation and President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki, says the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) are in panic over the personality of PDP Presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, and his acceptance by the people. Saraki speaks to journalists in Abuja on issues surrounding the party’s campaigns and the 2019 general election. OWEDE AGBAJILEKE was there.

How will the Council tackle the perception that the PDP Presidential Candidate, Atiku Abubakar, looted the treasury while he was Vice President?

I think those are all propaganda. And these are names that they have given Atiku Abubakar. And it has not stuck in any manner. It is clear to us that those are just propaganda. And that is why I said it is name calling and it cannot work because Nigerians are more intelligent to understand that that is not the issues. If there are any issues of corruption, we all know that there are no cases that he has before him. He has a clean bill anywhere and those are just innuendos and propagandas.

We have seen a lot of campaigns, especially on social media that are not issue-based. How will the Council respond to campaigns that are not issue-based?

We know that the other side is not going to talk about issue-based campaigns. They are just going to be using words and so on. The most important thing is for Nigerians to know at the end of the day, what is the need for me? Because when you go out and vote, it is all about making this country better. It is not about calling people names. They will do that but we are going to stay on the issues. When they go low, we will go high.  We are not going to go low with them because that is where we believe that it shows the responsibility of this party. This is a party that we believe that we have come out reformed, more focused and we believe what is important is: how is the average Nigerian life going to be better? Who is going to make that better, who is going to make the economy better? Who is going to make the country more secured? Who is going to make the country more united? When Nigerians answer those questions, they will choose the person they should vote for.

Today, a lot of people want a more united Nigeria. Who will unite Nigeria better, Atiku Abubakar or the President Muhammadu Buhari? Who will provide better security in ensuring that the country runs more efficiently and who will fix the economy? If you look at those three issues, we will show over the next few weeks that Atiku Abubakar can do it better and you also ask yourself that in the last four years truly, has the country worked? And if those answers are also no, then we must stand and do what is right by voting for a better country.

Just recently, Information Minister, Lai Mohammed, urged the American Embassy not to grant Visa to your presidential candidate. How would you respond to that?

I think it was a panic action by government. How does granting somebody visa equate to endorsement? These are more like a panic action because government is panicking. They believe that if that happens it will send a wrong signal. They should not interfere; they should allow the normal process to go. But again as I said, that is a panic reaction of a government that is scared and worried that it is about to lose election and is trying to see how they can muscle around. And that is a desperate act to go along those issues.

The same questions asked by the then opposition APC in the buildup to the 2015 elections, are the same questions being asked by the PDP today. It appears these questions were not answered. How will your campaign answer these questions from an issue-based approach?

That is the whole purpose of the campaign. What we will be saying to Nigerians is that it is our belief that with our candidate, we have a candidate that understands what is required in moving the economy forward. Because I asked some questions: is the economy better now or is it worse than it was in 2015?  Are people suffering more now than they were in 2015? And to do that, the reality is that you need a candidate that can drive investments and bring the factories working, bring the economy working.  That is the reality. Government alone cannot do it. And government has tried to do it for the last few years and it has not worked and unless you have a President that people believe that the investment climate is conducive, you are not going to see that investment.

We believe that Atiku Abubakar has the background, has the understanding and knows what it takes to address those issues. That is why even in his economic policy you can see somebody that has a grasp of the issues. And that is why we are also hoping that there will be an event where he will discuss his economic views so that when you see him talk and explain those issues, you will understand that he has a firm understanding of where we are coming from. That is the issue.

Secondly, we need somebody that will unite the country. We believe again that Atiku Abubakar has shown that by his background and antecedent, has shown that yes, he comes from the Northeast but guess what, he is a Nigerian. Every part of the country feels that he will represent them. There is no doubt today that that is not the case and he will be able to do that.

Thirdly and more importantly, you also talked about a sense of belonging where people also have inclusion, where people believe that there will be rule of law, where people believe that there will not be selective fight against corruption. Again the antecedent shows that he is somebody that will carry people along in doing that. Largely, the most important issue today in this country is: are we better off? And the answer comes back and will always come back to the economy and for it to come to the economy you must be a President that understands, that will create employment for our youths.

And to do that it is not just by government spending money, it is by somebody that understands the environment where people will be ready to come and invest and I believe that Atiku Abubakar and his background and the time he has spent as vice president, he will be able to do that.

Some of your state campaign coordinators in the 2015 election were arrested by the EFCC over campaigns. Going into another campaign, do you think your members will be comfortable collecting campaign funds from the party knowing what happened to their predecessors?

I think the campaigns regarding where the issues of whether monies are being funded by the Federal Government, that is a different matter. We are not in government here and it does not apply to us.

What is your reaction to Federal Government’s disbursement of Trader Moni close to election? 

In 2015, I did not see the Vice President going anywhere to give anybody Trader-Moni. In 2016, I didn’t see the Vice President going anywhere to give anybody Trader-Moni. In 2017, I didn’t see the Vice President going anywhere to give anybody Trader-Moni. But all of a sudden in 2018 the Vice President is going about giving out Trader-Moni.

And the worst part about it is that he goes with the Woman Leader of his party (APC), governor of his party. At least if you are going and it is Nigerian money, you should have Woman Leader of all the parties because the money belongs to Nigeria. But all I see is APC Women Leaders. It is wrong, it is morally wrong. It equates in a way to sophisticated vote buying, because if it is not vote buying, you should have been doing it since 2015. In 2016, you didn’t go. In 2017, you didn’t go. Then all of a sudden in 2018, that is the biggest programme.

And when you go, you carry APC governors beside you, Woman Leader of APC beside you, collecting PVCs. Nigerians are not going to be fooled by that. It is not based on sincerity. If he had been doing it since 2015, 2016, 2017, then you can say that. But to us, it is sophisticated vote buying. And next time he goes out, he should carry people that represent the community, not just one party or political association. It is either they stop it completely or they expand the space to ensure that it represents all Nigerians. Because the money when it was appropriated, we did not put beside it APC appropriated money. We said it is money appropriated for all Nigerians. When they go for such events, it should have all Nigerians present. And I am sure they if they are going, they can invite neighbouring states or even the political leaders of other parties in that state to participate in the event, not just the ruling party.