MALLAM Ahmed Moyo Jaji,
a former banker is now a
politician. He is the Secretary of Never Again Group as well as a member of the
opposition All Progressive Congress, APC.
In this interview with
EMMANUEL UDOM, Jaji spoke on how Olabode George, former chairman of the
ruling Peoples Democratic Party for south-west frustrated him out of the party
and his romance with opposition All Progressive Congress. Excerpt.
Can we meet you sir?
I am Mallam Ahmed Moyo
Jaji, a political activist. I attended University of Ilorin, where I obtained a Bsc
in Political Science. I worked for years in the banking sector, where I rose to
the position of Assistant Manager before quitting the banking world. I decided
to return to my terrain, which is politics.
I have written lots and
lots of articles on political, social and other issues in various newspapers,
talked on televisions and radios as well as write on the social media.
So, which party did you
joined?
Initially, I joined the
ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, where I served as campaign manager to a
notable senator in Lagos as well as secretary of PDP and later the then AD.
But, I later left PDP for APC.
Why did you leave PDP
for APC?
Bode George; former
chairman of PDP for south-west frustrated me out of the party
How?
You see, I was one of
the founding members of PDP. When George came on board, he was uncomfortable
relating with blunt, vocal and outspoken persons like me.
So, he used his connection with former
president Olusegun Obasanjo to bring in a stooge and promoted, so to say the
person above me. So, I left PDP in frustration for APC.
What really attracted
you to APC instead of other political parties in Nigeria?
APC is today one of the
dominant political parties in Nigeria. Get this message very, very clear. In
our country, there is no ideology.
My ambition was to align
myself with personalities that could take every Nigerian promised land. And honestly speaking, I found these personalities in the
opposition party.
In specific terms, name
these personalities?
The first person is
Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Tinubu is the last man standing. He has the midas
touch to everything he does. He was the one that rescued south-west from the
rampaging PDP during the regime of Obasanjo.
Today, APC is
comfortably ruling in Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Osun and Edo states. Tinubu is a true Yoruba
leader. Segun Mimiko governor of Ondo state cannot pretend not to know the
legal and financial contributions of Tinubu to his political successes.
The next person is
Muhammed Abubakar, the former military head of state.
I love this man for the
discipline and sense of direction he instilled on the country and
Nigerians. I am still angry with Ibrahim Babaginda for the planning and
executing the coup that overthrew Buhari.
But there is this
impression that APC is a party made up of strange bed fellows and Buhari and
Tinubu are poles apart?
I must admit that during
the merger of the then Action Congress of Nigeria with Congress for Progressive
Change and other political parties to form APC, this strange bed fellows and
poles apart theory were the greatest threat.
But, let me tell you
here and now that Tinubu and Buhari have blended perfectly well and are working
harmoniously together to build the party.
Therefore, this strange
bed fellow’s thing is a fallacious analysis. It is not real.
Yes, Buhari is a retired
military man. But, today, he is a democrat, while Tinubu is a political
strategist. In Nigeria where there is no political ideology, there are no
strange bed fellows anywhere.
Can Muhammed Buhari floor
Goodluck Jonathan at the presidential poll?
It is only in Nigeria
that people think the sitting president cannot be defeated. This is not
correct. In Ghana, a sitting president was humiliated at the poll, heaven did
not fall. So, why not Nigeria.
Jonathan should tell us
in clear terms what his administration has achieved. People should not
bamboozle us with power of incumbency theory because Nigerians are getting
wiser each passing day.
But, APC despite the
media noise generated on the registration of members does not have formidable
structures on ground?
Political structures are
about people in a given locality, community, state or nation. With the
exception of Ondo state, APC is effectively in control of states in south-west.
Though there are one or two challenges here
and there, the opposition party is not doing badly either.
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