You just met Mr. President. What did your meeting with him centres on?

Well, I have come to meet with Mr. President. You know, our engagement with Mr. President is of continuous one. And as a leader of the country and as leader of our party, there are so many things that we can come here to consult with Mr. President, had engagement with him on the current situation, in the National Assembly. We are doing our budget and we hope that by the middle of December, or before Christmas, we should be able to consider and pass the budget by the grace of God. Work has reached a very commendable level.

Also, you know that we have impending issues in our party. We have our congresses still to be conducted in few states about two or three. And of course, there is issue of reconciliation; how we are able to reconcile the different shades of opinions in the party. With the endorsement of Mr. President, a National Conciliation Committee under the chairmanship of Senator Abdullahi Adamu has been constituted. And we are very optimistic that that committee with all other leaders in the party, we’ll be able to reconcile aggrieved members.

You also know that we have legislation that are awaiting the consideration of Mr. President. For us in the legislature, we’ve finished our job of passing the bills, particularly the Electoral Act Amendment Bill. It is now for Mr. President to engage with his assistants and those who normally advise him, for him to take the next most appropriate action.

We are also very desirous of ensuring that the APC is so stable before the national convention. We want every member of this party who comes to attend the convention to do so with a clear mind that whoever becomes the chairman, for example, whatever leadership emerges, is a leadership that has the respect of everyone in the party. This is so because we want Mr. President to continue to work with a solid and strong party, APC.

We want this administration, and President Muhammadu Buhari, to continue to do the very good work it is doing across the country and consolidate at the end of his tenure. We are very hopeful that we are able to have projects, the legacy projects completed and inaugurated like the Second Niger Bridge, the Abuja-Kaduna-Kano highway, the Lagos-Ibadan expressway.

So, we discussed a lot of things, both in government and in the party. And of course, the security situation in the country can never escape our discussions. And we believe that we have done far so well. In the North-East, we have done far so well in the South-South, especially the Niger Delta. And our challenge is in the North-West, and we are determined to ensure that we give the government every possible support.

Mr. President wants to ensure that before he leaves, that the North-West like the other parts of this country would experience better stability than we’re enjoying today. So, on the whole, it’s not something new that I come to see Mr. President for. There are so many things that when we see Mr. President, we tell him what we feel and what we should do. But of course, he has his own advisers, but he hears the perspective of the legislature as well.

I’m very happy that Mr. President is so available to us each time we want to see him to discuss matters of governance, matters of our party, and of course, matters that go even beyond those two areas. I’m happy that what we have discussed are things that will make this country better.

 

How do we ensure stability in the APC when critical stakeholders like governors are against direct primaries?

Well, you see, sometimes this kind of disagreements happen. And when they do, I think the best way forward is for people to engage. I always believe that National Assembly members are major stakeholders, governors of APC are major stakeholders. And in fact, the presidency the biggest stakeholder because it runs the administration, and our party must always try to bring everybody together.

I don’t think there will be any day that you will have a political issue that everybody will agree with. So, it is not strange when we have any section of a party disagreeing with something. We should be engaging. That’s why we are politicians; we must have that kind of a platform where we discuss the issues, let’s understand each other, and then we do whatever will make this disagreement minimized. Or maybe where possible, eliminated completely.

So, I don’t think it is right to say that governors have disagreed. Maybe some governors might have said they don’t like it this way. But that’s normal. So, it’s for us to engage and engage.

Is the legislature ready to back down on the Electoral Act Amendment Bill, especially the Direct Primaries?

This is not something that we should be talking now because it has passed the legislature and it’s no more with the legislature. So, this is something that is now with Mr. President. If we are talking about the electoral amendment bill, the National Assembly has finished its work. And the bill has been transmitted to Mr. President. And I think at this moment, all eyes will be on what happens to the bill from the executive side rather than the legislature.

Yes, of course, when we send a bill to Mr. President, we expect the bill to be signed. But there are two things that can happen: Mr. President could decide to of course, after consultation with his advisers, sign, or if he doesn’t want to sign he may have his reasons. But I believe that whatever we do in the National Assembly, especially this ninth National Assembly, we think deep, we think wide, we will consult very broadly before we take any position.

So, I believe that whatever we send to the executive arm of government, Mr. President for his assent, these are things that are well thought out. And I believe that the expectation of members of National Assembly will be that this bill is signed. But this is then again, not my own calling; it is for Mr. President to take his decision.

What was Mr. President’s response? 

No, I’m not supposed to tell you what the President said. Mr. President has his spokespersons. My opinion is that the National Assembly has done its work. And members of National Assembly have expressed themselves. This is the majority view and is for Mr. President to look at it and of course, expectation of National Assembly is get the Presidential assent.

How long do you think it will take to have the electoral bill signed? 

You see, there is no need for you to lobby for any bill to be signed. If you are the chairman of the National Assembly, because you are simply a presiding officer, and you coordinate the views of your colleagues. The majority of my colleagues in the Senate and in the House of Representatives say this is where they want the bill to go. This is the provision they want in Section 52. So, I don’t have to come and say Mr. President sign this. Mr. President has his own processes when a bill is sent to him from the National Assembly. I’m sure he has the Attorney General and others to advise him. So why should I stress myself to say, just sign? We expect that he will sign, but how he does that is his calling. And I think we should allow him to just follow the processes he is used to, but the expectation of members of National Assembly is that the bill is signed.

Do you think direct primary election is the best way to go? 

I don’t have a personal opinion here, because I’m not here alone. So, I don’t have a personal opinion. My opinion is that of the National Assembly members