Ogbonna Nwuke is the spokesman of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Campaign Council in Rivers State. He is a former member of the House of Representatives for Etche/Omuma Constituency and onetime Rivers State Commissioner for Information. In this interview by Amaechi Okonkwo, he speaks, among other things, on the recent clash between supporters of the PDP and the All Progressives Congress (APC) during a protest at the office of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Port Harcourt.
What is your impression on the recent incident at the INEC office and the ongoing protest of your party at the commission’s office?
The gathering on the streets of opposing political forces is something that ought to have been avoided. As you can see, what is happening on the street, which has attracted the attention of the Nigerian people, including those of us in the PDP, is at the instance of the APC.
Men who were not found in the field when it mattered most; men who ran lackluster and uninspiring campaigns are now tigers on the street. What a shame! We are on the streets for two reasons: First, to defend the official mandate of the Rivers people and two, to ensure that those who are planning to tamper with the materials used in the last election do not have the opportunity to secretly contaminate evidence under the guise of forensic examination or physical inspection of documents. This is why we are equally insisting that all parties must be present during the inspection of all documents given to the PDP and defend their sanctity.
Do you think, in all honesty, that the PDP was right in its action?
We are justified in every sense. As a political party, we are honestly acting within our rights. These rights, as you know, are guaranteed by our constitution.
What do you make of the insinuations that the PDP carried out the protest in order to frustrate the attempt of the APC to get the Certified True Copies of election documents to file their petition?
That is complete hogwash. Anybody can think what he wants. Our concern is not the APC. It is the defence of our party’s interest. The placards you saw carried different messages. Most of them carried by our people asked INEC to release the CTCs to us. They asked INEC to ensure the joint inspection of the materials. The way the APC want the CTCs so they can file their objections in court, is the same way that we in the PDP need the said CTCs to enter our defence.
But has there been anything like joint inspection of election materials by political parties? And is there any record that the PDP applied to INEC for the CTC of election materials?
In a country where everyone is suspicious of the other, is there anything wrong in having joint inspections? What is wrong with that? Shouldn’t there be witnesses in order to guarantee the integrity of the materials which are already objects of suspicion?
If people were to inspect materials together, the fear of crass manipulation taking place will be minimised. Before materials leave for the field, they are jointly inspected. So, why will it be wrong to inspect result sheets jointly?
If people can appreciate why the APC moved to take over INEC, why is it difficult for the same people to understand why the PDP came to INEC? Our mission at INEC has nothing to do with the APC and its frustration.
We are focused on our goal. Our goal is to obtain materials required for our defence. Our mission is to ensure that no desperate politician enters INEC to ‘sex up’ documents. This is within the exclusive preserve of the legal team. So, my advice is that you speak to them.
Let me say that I have had the benefit of serving in an elective position. I have also had the opportunity of appearing before an election tribunal as a candidate. INEC which organised the elections presented CTCs to back its results. The winners relied on CTCs to prove their case and those who lost argued their cases, relying on discrepancies found in CTCs obtained from INEC. I hope this gives you a deep insight of what happens. You can try lawyers if you have any doubts.
Are you not concerned about the disruptions in the social and economic lives of the wider spectrum of the society?
Why did you not ask the same question when the APC took over the place? I have been there to see things for myself. We are not blocking the traffic flow. We are not disrupting people’s businesses. We are not even interfering with the work of the commission. We are peaceful and sellers who are doing brisk business are comfortable. Thank God for the flyovers built by Governor Nyesom Wike. Vehicles using the overhead bridges are flying over easily. If there are social or economic consequences, those are coming from restrictions imposed by INEC or security agencies posted there to protect it.
What is your assessment of the role of the security agencies, especially the police, in all this drama?
I think the security agencies have done and are still doing their best. Sometimes, I think policing is such a thankless job. Look at the risks that they take, the name-calling they suffer and sleepless nights they go through. At times, they are killed in the line of duty. As a person, I rate them highly. Without them, it will be impossible to record some of the successes that are taken for granted. Although we are looking forward to more improvement, it will be reasonable to give them a pat on the back.
What is your advice for political parties and all affected by the outcome of the election one way or another?
There is no such thing as a perfect system. We shall keep working on it, especially with INEC, to ensure that we curb some of these imperfect imprints that are being complained about. I do not believe that we have Angel Michaels in our politics and in our political parties. This tendency to act as if a party stole a mandate because you kept to the rule book should stop. Everybody does the same thing. Period! Let’s tell ourselves the truth. It is either some people are more adept or luckier than others.
Even in the United States, there are manipulations. It hasn’t led to the denigrating of the entire system that they have. While we work on those things that lead to widespread suspicion and do so sincerely, we must learn one or two things from sportsmen. We must learn to be good sportsmen. Where we have come, men are not even willing to invest confidence in the judicial system. On what should we invest confidence if we don’t trust the judiciary? Is it self-help? You must have read what Professor [Wole] Soyinka said to the remark of the Labour Party’s vice presidential candidate. I agree with him that politicians are beginning to take extreme steps. On the whole, Nigeria is bigger than an individual and whatever we do as Nigerian politicians, the interest of Nigeria should be paramount.
Every four years, we shall return to the polls. It is my hope that INEC will master its art. It is my hope that politicians will find loopholes to election manipulations and it is my hope that the people will help the process in their own way. We are all victims of the system. No one man is a victim. We must put an end to a system which has the capacity to turn all of us into victims. Democracy is a way of life and we all must grow with it in order to enjoy its benefits.
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