The leadership of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) on Monday said that former Kogi State governor, Mr. Abubakar Audu indeed paid the party before emerging as flagbearer for the upcoming December 3, 2011 guber polls. ACN National Publicity Secretary said that Abubakar Audu paid N2.7 to
emerge the candidate of the party in Kogi State.
Mr. Lai Mohammed was answering questions from the Editor of our partnering group, Baltimore-based AfricanExaminer.com, Mr. Sunday Dare, in reacting to the report from sharpedgenews.com that Abubakar, a moral liability to ACN had paid N1billion according to party insiders to emerge as guber candidate. Lai Mohammed said that “the report” by sharpedgenews.com “is rubbish”.
According to Mohammed, in spite of Abubakar’s moral failings, he was the best ACN could present amongst the list of candidates in the states. Mohammed does very little to change the image of its pasty as one that want victory at all costs, regardless of the integrity of the candidates that must be featured.
Said one party activist who has watched the “travesty” called candidates selection process within the ACN. “Tinubu and his fare-weather friends have feet of clay; they do not have integrity of Awolowo or any other progressive of old.”
Below is the transcript of the interview with Mr. Mohammed:
African Examiner: There is this story that Prince Audu Abubakar paid one billion naira to ACN to pick the gubernatorial ticket of the party in Kogi?
Lai Mohammed: Does he have it one billion naira? Absolute nonsense.
African Examiner: Then, how much did he pay to pick the ticket?
Lai Mohammed: In our party, nobody pays money to pick ticket.
African Examiner: Before the primaries, your leader Asiwaju Bola Tinubu said Prince Audu should go and clear himself from the EFCC before coming to the ACN to contest the primaries.
Lai Mohammed: I have the privilege of attending every meeting since Audu declared his intention and emerged as candidate, I did not hear about anything like that from our leader.
African Examiner: Do you think it was a wise choice to give the gubernatorial ticket to Audu who recently joined your party at the expense of those who have been members and have been contributing to the party in the state?
Lai Mohammed: Let me make something clear, at the time he joined our party about six months ago, when he joined our party, he asked for a waiver of a portion of our constitution to enable him contest election. Despite that the party realized that it would take the party to win if it picks a candidate that has much acceptance, a candidate that has pedigree that was exactly what the party did. So the question of when somebody joins the party is not an issue. What is important is for the party to present a candidate with much chances of winning. And in this circumstance, he has the best chances of winning. And despite that a primary was conducted, so I don’t see this story about one billion naira or how much he paid.
African Examiner: Normally candidates pay a nomination fee or so, how much was the nomination fee paid?
Lai Mohammed: Every candidate pays a nomination fee and I think is about 2.7 million naira (if am correct). Every candidate pays, and in case of those who paid last year, don’t forget that, before the court pronounced that Kogi state among other states should not hold election, we had already conducted our primaries. And for those who paid then they are not required to pay again.
African Examiner: Despite several cases of corruption against Prince Audu, your party, ACN which is presumed to be party of progressives and in the forefront of fighting against corruption and good governance, I think choosing Audu is giving his past administration in Kogi a pass mark.
Lai Mohammed: Let’s look back; is there any candidate among all those that wanted to contest with Audu that has the better electoral fortune than him? That is the question you should ask. And that is the question in the mind of those that chose Audu.
African Examiner: so electoral chances are greater than consideration of candidate’s good track records and performance while in office is that what you are saying?
Lai Mohammed: Audu is one person who has been in governance before, by virtue of having being in governance; he had a structure all over the place. There is no other person who was contesting with him that has contested election before. How would you leave the person like that and give your ticket to the person who has no track record. Having won election is a track record on his own, having structure is a track record on his own. If you are talking about track record or pedigree, then nobody comes near him. Having being the governor twice is a track record. Again this is not the decision of the party; it was the decision of members of the party in state in Kogi who say this is our best candidate.
African Examiner: Are you confident that Audu can win Kogi for the ACN in December election?
Lai Mohammed: As far as we are concerned, we have put forward the best candidate and we are hopeful.
The ruling party, in Kogi State’s People’s Democratic Party, is also backing its own demon asthe incumbent is being accused massive looting of funds and manipulation of the electoral process to force his own son-in-law as successor.
The crises within the two largest parties, PDP and ACN, in the state may yet pave way for an underdog in dearer polls. Brigandage and wanton waste of lives and properties has aggravated in the state.