 As the primaries of the all-ruling all-progressive Congress APC set to be held in a few days, the party appears divided on its choice of the party's flag bearer. And an aspirant of the African Democratic Congress ADC for the Lagos State humanitarian elections joins us to discuss his plans for the state. Now, this is Plus Politics. I am Mary Anacor. Now, there are strong indications that the national officials are divided over a plan by President Mohammed of Bahari to pick his perfect candidate for the presidential ticket in the party. Now, the APC National Vice-Chairman Northwest Malam Salyu Lukman in an open letter to President Bahari warned that picking a successor would be costly and risky for the president and the party. Now, according to him, a major disadvantage of the succession arrangements with governors choosing their successors is that it negatively affects the relationship between the successor and the predecessor. Also, a few days from a meeting of the all-progressive Congress's governors meeting on Tuesday night indicated that the governors could not agree on a consensus and the fact that the president should pick the party's presidential candidate. Now, joining us to discuss this are Biyadu Shomi and Adiwala Abigipad and Adiwala Justice, both are political analysts. Thank you so much, gentlemen, for joining us. Gentlemen, can you hear me? Great, great, great. Good evening. I'm going to start with you, yes, Biyadu, I'm going to start with you. A lot of people have made their, you know, deductions from the president's statement as to picking a successor. Now, for the average person, when you hear about picking a successor, what plays in your head is, let's take, for example, the Queen of England and who she anoints to take over from her, which would automatically be Prince Charles. But then we are in a democratic process and so the average person is wondering why would the president be talking about a successor in a democracy, especially at a time like this when the party seems to be ridden with that responsibility of picking someone who would be right and right for that ticket. Mr. Showme, can you hear me? Yes, I can hear you. Go ahead. Now, in the battle, in the quest for succession within the different, the major political parties, particularly the PDP and APC, we are seeing Attiku above and beyond a match, you know, as through a process of nomination and elections within the PDP. Now, back to the ruling party, APC, we have seen so many moves, either in the truncating indirect primaries, through the delegates, the auto delegates, elected, or, you know, in favor of consensus. In reality, there is nothing against the law when you talk about consensus, because it's been shown in the electoral act. Also in the APC constitution, consensus is provided. But when you take account of what Mr. President is saying, Mr. President is talking about selection, not a consensus candidate. That is, somebody who he prefers, you know, to rule the country, they are allowed to take and meet the person, and the person adopted as the candidate. That is totally different. Where all the aspirants will agree on a particular individual, and then they will back that individual. Not for Mr. President to pick that individual, that is selection. It is not consensus. That is not in line with the spirit of the consensus I remember in the APC constitution, or as envisaged by the electoral act. So therefore, what Mr. President is seeking to do to selection is not only anti-democracy. It undermines, you know, internal party democracy, and it is a mark of a leadership suffering from democratic deficit. So there's no way how in today's democracy a president can unpick his own successor and ask his party to abandon, delegate, no voting, and just embrace the person. It's a mark of some elements, and a reminder of the history of leadership of Mr. President, which is the territorial military rule. That cannot be done in a democracy. Members of the political party should be allowed to freely choose who should represent the country, who they will present to represent the country in the presidential race. So any attempt aimed at undermining the process through the governance of any other group of people agreeing to a selection arrangement is not only illegal, it is ultra biased. It can never be right, and it undermines internal party democracy. Let me come to you, Adelaide Justice. There are many who have made the analogy that, you know, former president, at some point, was able also to pick his predecessor, rather to pick his successor, I beg your pardon, and that why would he be wrong if President Buhari is also saying, well, this is who I want to succeed me. Also, forget it, I mean, they're also saying that this is something that has been happening, even at the state's level, where governors impose their candidates on the party and then the party plays along. So why should we be criticizing, Mr. President, if this has been the modus operandi? The modus operandi? Hello, thank you very much. Are we together? Yes, I can hear you, go ahead. Hello. Yes, I can hear you. I'm just kidding. Mr. Justice, I think that we're having a connection problem with you, so I'm just, I'm going to let you go and we'll try to see if we can get you on another line so that you can be clearer for us. But let me come back to you, Mr. Showme, I'm tossing that question to you because this is a follow-up to what you just said. There are those who are on the other divide supporting Mr. President, and like you also mentioned, it's been happening in states, nobody has criticized that. Why should we be criticizing Mr. President? And if, for example, the party at some point had come together and said, well, Mr. President, we want you to be our flag bearer, even though it was not an all-out consensus. But this is what happened in his time for him to have emerged as the flag bearer of the All Progressive Congress. Now, people are saying, well, give us a chance to do the same and pick somebody and say, well, this is who we want, and that will be by a delegate system. But what is really wrong with those who are supporting Mr. President and saying, well, let him pick his own. Abbas and Jordan did the same thing. Well, you see, the fact that somebody's tool is not a justification for another person to go and see. Those who are hugging that Abbas ago did the same thing. But I bring it in, Jordan and Jordan were, Jordan and Jordan were talking. Forget the facts of each day. They forget the fact that democracy was at in and post-transition. We are expected to go back in history, in times, failing to learn anything from what happened there. When Abbas ago did that, what eventually happened to the regime that succeeded? You know, Jordan Agua was the same man. He was brought in. Is that a succession plan? Is that what we want to start a monetary plan? Not only that, they should go to the states. And then, apart from legal states, we have been able to have a smooth succession plan. There is no other state in the country where the incumbent governor tried to influence or impose the success of. And we never had peace. No. Go and check what happened in Anambra State, between Obie and William Piavo. Go to, mostly, between Oddy, Uzokalu and Teodere Uzokalu. Teodere Uzokalu was in prison. He was chief of staff. Oddy Kalu brought him, make sure he won from prison. What happened? They fell apart. The same story is everywhere. We remember the last election in Ogun State. Abbas soon, the governor, Abbas soon backed a particular candidate who, eventually, you know, did not make it. Attended by governors to impose successors as failed in many states. And succeeded in many states. By the end of the day, we've never seen any peace. The John DeGustave, which is the only example you have in your country. And when it comes to a country as bigger as that, we have over 200 million people. How can one person decide who would be the candidate of a political party that post that it is the biggest in Africa, they're talking about over 50 million memberships. And how can one person be allowed to do that? What Ruari is talking about is selection. That is totally unacceptable. It is undemocratic. What we are talking about is if they want to do concerns they must get all the aspirants to act free. All of them. Otherwise, it will be illegal. So there's no room for what Mr. President is trying to do, trying to succeed himself. It reminds me of what Abbas tried to do with the two political parties, NLC and SDP, one to the left, one to the right, and wanting to transport himself. Why would the serving president want to impose his own process? What is he hiding? What is the problem about it? Why can't the delegates be allowed to choose? In fact, if you go back to 2000 and put in what value Mr. President is, he contested the families against Attiku and Pupaka within the APC. And that was IEMI. So why can't we build on it? Why do we want to go back in time to the infancy stage when Oba secured it? Why can't we build on what they did in 2015 when they took an internal party democracy and if we can't deepen it, sustain it at that level rather than going back to an era of imposition? And that is what I think Mr. President needs to be mindful of. You've asked very interesting questions, but I think we have Mr. Justice back on the phone. Mr. Adewale Johnson, I'm sure you can hear me. So let me quickly go to what Mr. President said, and I'd like to quote him. The President explained the qualities of his successor, the qualities that his successor must possess, and also went ahead to sort the backing of APC governors in picking the party's presidential tickets. I quote, I wish to solicit reciprocity and support of the governors and other stakeholders in picking my successor who would fly the flag of the party for elections into the office of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the President urged the governors. Now, this is not the first time Mr. President is talking about qualities that people who would work with him should possess. Remember, it took the President more than six months to pick his ministers at the beginning of his government after the elections in 2015 and he kept saying that these people must possess certain qualities, but then looking at those ministers down the line, a few of which the EFCC is after right now as we speak, should we really be taking these lines that Mr. President has put down about the qualities of his successor and why he should be allowed to pick his successor and that the governors should support him? Should it be anything to go by? Should it be something that we should hold on to? Or should it be Jettison, just as Luke Mann has admonished the party? Thank you very much. If I may share in the sympathy of Mr. Biogon Shouwumi and so many other Nigerians on this issue of choosing a successor, and particularly the interpretation of what Mr. President has said, seeking the support of governor, EFCC governors and other major stakeholders in onboarding a successor. I want Nigerians to be appreciative of something. The president of the country is a more or less democratized military, former military man, because like Mr. Biogon Shouwumi has said, this is not the first time Nigerians are hearing this kind of an echo about onboarding a successor. But the fact remains that Nigeria and our polity are grown beyond a level where any single person can enforce or enforce his choice on either the party or the nation. See, going by whatever definition, whatever the president may bear in mind, this and this is declaration through what you have read out would never, I mean, would never compel the current politicians in Nigeria being truly be through the governor or some other stakeholders to adopt whoever the president might want to force on them. I want people to judge the patient on something. I am sure of one thing. If the president has gotten a particular person he would love to support or to impose, that would have been disclosed or shown to people. But if I am all the social of one thing, he is trying to seek to be more democratic because as the 16th president always spending, he may not be able to single-handedly impose his choice on the system. That was why he's seeking the buying and the democratic support of governors. But why should that be Mr. President's call in the first place? I mean, I'm seeing that, you know, a lot of people are kicking against it. And I mean, the president is also making a case that he wants to hand over to a non-corrupt leader. And really, is this also, is the president also assuming that those people who are in the lineup of the APC to run for that office are all corrupt? Is that what he's insinuating? Because, I mean, it calls for concern, doesn't it? This is Trinta. This is grammar. And this is sheer expression. And this can be interpreted in million and one way. One thing I would say is what you have said is a generic expression. No right-thinking president would be willing to hand over to a corrupt professor. So the part I have said, maybe if I may ask you, are you insinuating that some presidents are corrupt in the lineup to your defense? So what we are just saying is that people should watch out and choose whoever runs to the qualities it would love to have as the current order of their office is in best position to appeal for other support in getting rid of those things. Isn't that too late in the day? And don't get me wrong, the president had, hold on, the president had canvassed for votes from Nigerians in 2014 based on the number one thing which was fighting corruption. Number two, he was going to fight terrorism. Number three, he was going to give us employment. I do not know any of those things that has been really done. And so if the president is saying he wants to hand over to a person that it's not necessarily corrupt, isn't that tad bit late in the day? And how can he, Mr. President, be able to tell who is corrupt and who is not necessarily... And I'm asking because of the people who surround Mr. President. Yeah. Now, thank you very much. If you have been around the shores of Nigeria since the advent of this regime, you will see in a lot of the president executive as desired to fight corruption. You will see our quality and the judiciary has not been very helpful. You will have so many options of what a lot of people have seen as corrupt practices. But the cost, the judicial system, unfortunately, did not end up killing first person the way the system would have loved it. So we have a lot of expertise from a true source that may be up to contacting this imposition. So that's why the president was saying, categorically, that if the judiciary has no help in taking up corrupt persons from the policy, for now, there is a democratic means of ensuring such persons from becoming its successor. Back to you, Mr. Shoomi. What damage do you think that this move that by Mr. President or supposed move or this appeal by Mr. President to be allowed to pick a success of sorts, what kind of damage could it do to the party and, of course, those who are in the running for this office? It will certainly cost the last thing that much if Mr. President is allowed to do what it's trying to do in the sense that when we should not forget that we are not in a monarchy system. We are in a democratic system of thought. And, therefore, the issue of internal party democracy cannot be sacrificed under the wishes of the desire of Mr. President. It will make a mess, a total mess of all the good work being done by INEG to promote internal party democracy. There is no way how only one person can be allowed to choose his own successor. That is no longer democracy to get to that level. Again, the APC needs to worry about the electorate. Many electorates will view this as totally unacceptable. There is no doubt that many people are disgruntled in Nigeria today as a result of one of the failings of this government which is on the security issue. I'm not saying what is government failed totally. You know, there's no government that failed to do that. They did well in some areas. But the most important thing, which the constitution actually prescribed as a sole essence of anybody being in government, which is the protection of lives and the security of lives and properties of people, the government has hopefully failed. I'm afraid I need to say it as it is, you know, in that area. To the extent that the country is more divided than ever, you know, this is so deep, you know, and it has led to ethnic distrust, you know, and disarmament. So, therefore, how why should Mr. President be allowed to choose his own successor in that situation? If you talk about corruption, yes, I don't have any evidence to accuse Mr. President of corruption, but I have enough, I've seen enough, to know that many people in governments chosen by Mr. President were found wanted one way or the other. You won't forget about the multi-millionaire grass scandal that involves Papachel Lawal. We had so many other scandals, including the financial under the accounting of the federation, 170 billionaire. Only for the next person acting in his capacity is also facing the FCC. So, therefore, I'm not sure Mr. President alone can be trusted, you know, to select a candidate, which, you know, would be a tree of corruption. I think that should be left for Nigerians. Nigerians should be left to decide who they would prefer. It's like what is in the Bible, you know, when Jesus Christ and Barnabas were presented to the people, the people, you know, the people who are loud, the people allowed the people to decide. Do you want Barnabas or do you want Jesus? That's just the tip. So let the people decide what they want. It shouldn't be the exclusive result of Mr. President. What he's trying to do is not a consensus. Okay. As M.P. said in the Constitution, and also the APC Constitution, what he's trying to do is selection to select a candidate and get the respect back. I don't think that is right. That will have huge ramifications and I'm afraid that maybe, you know, what has backlash at the end of it. Okay. Finally, Mr. Justice, quickly, what do you see happening on the weekend because it's just around the corner? There have been so many, you know, people have made all kinds of assumptions as to who the president wants to give, you know, his vote or support to. I mean, this obviously came to a lot of people as a surprise when the president decided that he was going to pick someone to succeed him. But what do you see playing out over the weekend as we get ready for it? Thank you very much. The weekend is so close and one of two things will definitely happen. Either a complete dispersal of the APC or a stronger party imagine from the activity of the weekend because it is short. The emergence of a flag era for the party definitely will result from one of many processes. If the process that will produce the flag era is as desired by the stakeholders of the party and the electorate presently at the convention, then there is success both of an assurance. If any other thing comes to fall without the buying of the stakeholders with what Nigeria and Nigerians are presently, I can assure you that will be an early obituary of the party. Unlike my, the Magoda doctor there, she Nigerians have graduated beyond the level of imposition. Nobody can impose anybody on any party again. Gone are those days. You understand. So the weekend is close by and very many things will unfold but at the end of which only one will be visible to everybody. Thank you. The weekend is pregnant with a loss of surprises that may come to light. Well, I want to say thank you for being able to show me and Ade Wale, Ade Mola, Justice. Thank you gentlemen. Both are political analysts. Thank you for being part of the conversation. Thank you. All right. Thank you all for staying with us. When we come back, we will be talking with the humanitarian aspirants for the ADC right here in Lagos State.