Former commissioner of Information of Edo State, Prince Kassim Afegbua, recently petitioned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practice Commission (ICPC) to investigate the national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mr. Uche Secondus for allegedly mismanaging the party’s funds. Afegbua who isn’t new to controversies insists in this interview with, KEMI YESUFU, that the leadership of the main opposition party should give account on money raised by the party. The former commissioner also speaks on President Muhammadu Buhari’s handling of the challenges facing the country, saying the current administration is adverse to criticism.
You petitioned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and Independent Corrupt Practice Commission (ICPC) to investigate alleged fraud by the national chairman of your party, Mr. Uche Secondus. Have you gotten any response?
It’s one thing to petition EFCC and ICPC, it’s another thing for them to act. As anti-graft agencies, they study a petition sent to them, they will look through the allegations and then assign the case. The ICPC has called to say they’ve received my petition and it is receiving attention. I petitioned the anti-graft agencies because of our national chairman, whom in my estimation has not been transparent. I believe that as members of the party should know how much was raised and the expenditures made. We need know if expenditures made followed due process. It is left for the anti-graft agencies to take action.
As a member of opposition, aren’t you worried about your national chairman being indicted by the anti-graft agencies? His indictment could also mean his removal as chairman…
I even want him leave. As national chairman he hasn’t given the party bite. PDP is a party with structures in all of the LGAs and states of the federation. The party has very strong presence nationally, but we have a national chairman that lacks capacity to contend with topical issues, position the party to earn more respect, position the party to gain the support of the electorate-he hardly talks. He hardly visits radio or television stations to speak on topical issues or express his opinion on the aspirations of the people. I don’t see him taking action to place the party on stronger pedestal to contest for power. I am of the position that instead of tolerating the national chairman’s obvious incompetence, it is better for the party to overhaul and retool itself by easing out the national chairman and all other non-performing persons.
Could it be your bias, your perception of the Mr. Secondus that influenced your petitioning EFCC and ICPC?
Have you forgotten that the national auditor of the party wrote a memo which he (Secondus) tried to paper down and sweep under the rug? In that memo the national auditor made accusations of financial impropriety. The office of the national auditor was practically sidelined and so he raised these issues. We cannot continue to sweep issues under the carpet, when we as opposition should hold government accountable. As opposition, we shouldn’t be guilty of the issues we challenge government on. I am helpless as a member of the party; this is why I have approached the EFCC and ICPC to scrutinize the finances of my party.
Your party has replied you, saying you don’t have your facts right. The party said what was raised was about N4.6bn, but you accused the national chairman of mismanaging N10bn…
The response that what was raised is N4.6 billion should be seen as us making progress. They should tell us how the money was spent. Accounting for funds is key to probity, it’s critical to earning the confidence of the people. You can’t achieve this by gathering some people to pass a vote of confidence on you. There are a lot of questions to answer. The party directorates are budgeted for, the money is released but it doesn’t get to them. I am not new to the party; I was a foundation member of the PDP. I know how the finance of the party is handled. My worry is that you cannot just wake up as the national chairman of the opposition party, agree to the use of consultants’ accounts for the sale of nomination forms for the 2019 election. I also bought forms for House of Reps, but the money wasn’t paid into the party’s account because they said it had been Garnisheed. We are interested in knowing how many people bought forms, how the N4.6 billion that they said was raised was managed. I am not a scaremonger. I am not afraid of being sued. I will not be intimidated. I am not scared though I have received threats. Even the national publicity secretary of the party Kola Ologbodiyan threatened me on AIT’s programme on April 20, saying, ‘We will deal with you”. This is Nigeria where people are murdered and assassinated. So, I told my lawyer to petition the IGP based on his threat. But we will continue to interrogate the process.
It seems you have been a torn in the flesh of the PDP since you returned to the party. You worked against the PDP governorship candidate in Edo State, Gov. Godwin Obaseki. Now, you have approached the EFCC and ICPC to investigate your national chairman.
I haven’t been a thorn in the flesh of my party. Rather, I am a lover of good causes. I like to pursue good causes that enhance the principles of fairness, equity and justice. My position on the Edo governorship election was very clear. You cannot change the goal post in the middle of the game and because the national chairman is fond of the kind of conduct…we had concluded the sale of nomination forms for governorship aspirants. We had concluded congresses, we had concluded submission of forms, everything was going smoothly, until, they said it is Obaseki….. They postponed the convention by a week. After contestations, ‘kuru-kere’ movements here and there….You remember Gov. Wike saying NWC members are tax collectors…. That was how they said Obaseki is the candidate. They did this without consultations, you just select a few people to speak to and you think they represent the soul of the party in Edo? A man cannot come into your party and you surrender all the rights and privileges of your people because they believe Obaseki has deep pockets as governor. Rather than hide and pretend that all is well and vote against my conscience, I took a stand. They told me what I was doing was ‘anti-party’ activity. But they didn’t think it was ‘anti-party’ to force the phlegm that was Obaseki down my throat. Obaseki was sworn-in last November and this is May. This is seven months he was sworn-in, yet he hasn’t named his cabinet. Party members and the people are complaining.
The country is facing unprecedented security challenges, even as the economy isn’t in good shape even with Nigeria dubbed the poverty capital of the world. How do you think President Muhammadu Buhari should respond to the major issues?
The President doesn’t take advice beyond his cabinet. You could see the statement issued by the presidency against Gov. Samuel Ortom of Benue State. You can see the statement and articles written by Femi Adesina, saying people can make noise, but the President will not be distracted. Who are the noisemakers? We are discussing our passionate feelings about the misrule of the current administration, you call us names. You brand us noisemakers because you believe Nigeria starts and ends with Buhari. It’s unfortunate we found ourselves in this situation. The president is no longer strong. This is obvious because he embarks on medical tourism from time to time. He declared when he was 72 that his old age will affect his performance. Now he is older and he is challenged healthwise, when you have this kind of President managing a country described by Bloomberg as the sickest in the world-this is a case of double jeopardy. What kind of advice do you give to a system that churns out insults and hauls abuses at you because of criticisms? Criticism is ingredient in driving positive development in countries where democracy has taken firm root.
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