 We're still back here with plus politics and we have Elder Sisman speaking with us tonight on The state of the nation looking at the current administration and the fact that both have been set ruling of course Chief Olabo de George is right here with me. Once again, thank you so much for granting us your time. My pleasure Now before that break, I remember you talk about not being a traitor based on you know, congratulating the president But also you were quoted to have said that you would not support atiku a boba car who is also a member of your party and you Will not cast your vote for him None i'm trying to understand if that does not really make you a traitor. No No, you know our party we had a problem When they found them fathers established this party They were established on certain tenets of civility they established the party so that The concepts the misfortune the problems That affected the first republic And I will explain to you in the first republic in the north Majority had their way and they are safe And the minorities were mayor on lucas in the south Majorities had their way and they are safe And the minorities were on lucas that created the friction You know in any organization If it's only one group that will always be ruling in managing with this And there are others who will only be just members. Can there be peace? Can there be peace? No so In haven't gone through I don't want to go into the historical, you know, whatever experiences we had From the first school in 1966 in january and then the counter coup And all the whatever went on in the southeast until we went to civil war and we finished the civil war and That is all history But what have we learned about it Now we went from the parliamentary system Into the american system But the american system we are running Is like we copied their constitution and half copied it That same problem of majority having their way Minority haven't no say continued Because he continued By the time in 1998 When general abu salami was now handing over 14 of our elders Right across the length and breadth of this country came together And said look This perennial problem Of majority versus minority The instability that it had created the friction How are we ever going to solve it? From the southwest we had Papa Bolaige In the east Alex Equeme Dr. Alex Equeme Two of them normally Cannot sit in the same room discussing politics. They belong to different groups Including papa Jimu Buru With Alex Equeme or even Bolaige Politically Papa Salomonla and Rimi and professor Aminu and Papa Laji Shiroma and all the They came together Because They believed that this nation should move forward And in trying to move forward, what did they do? They created you can check the national constitution These issue of zones They're not listed there No, but but but but i'm more concerned about the fact that if you say that for instance We know that you're a live board member and did you support atiku? Did you vote for him? You see if you don't jump straight into an answer If you don't have The the reasons for that I just didn't wake up on the wrong side of my bed And decided I wasn't going to support atiku. I didn't hide it from him He started from meeting but I wanted For you know people to understand So that we don't it's a terrible pitfall We should avoid those pitfalls of the past I am explaining the reason why that happened I just didn't jump up from like I said on the wrong side of my bed. I wasn't going to support atiku No How did we establish the people's democratic party? There were certain tenants there were certain issues that led to that union To that establishment before then there was no single political party in this country That is national in his outlook So this g14 old man came together And decided I look Let's cut this country into six geopolitical zones Not west not east not central South west south south south And then came up with six top positions in the land The president the vice president The senior president the speaker Secretary to government and national chairman of the party That each zone Will go home with one of these positions Hasn't that erased this concept of majority versus minority? That at least you go home with something To tell your people you have that sense of belonging Because that had been a major major setback Now we went We operated on that and the way they said it was that If the president number one position goes north The number two position will go south The number three position will go north Number four position will go south Number five position will go north Number six position will go south You see So all the odd numbers Will be in the same zone While the even numbers will be in the same zone After eight years All those positions that have been in One zone will move to the other zone And the other zone to move It was it was it was not novel because that is what is done In switzerland, you know in switzerland there are three major tribes The italians in lugano The germans in zuri And the french in geneva All the two world wars switzerland is in the heart of europe Because they rotate the leadership There had never been any Untoward activities in switzerland They had wars all the countries were involved with first world war second world war not a single one hit switzerland Which meant that they have respected all the three major tribes Turn by turn You head So we adopted that here And that was what helped our party to be in government for 16 years Now When it now came to this election We sat back People started maneuvering Trying to manufacture stories And playing games to to satisfy their ambition And you know what he led us When they finished the distribution I said ah I didn't hide it got up I am From the southwest I said now with all these six positions you people have repackaged Where is it? Where are we southwest How would I be bold enough to to to climb onto a roast room? And say I am presenting our national I mean our presidential candidate You must vote for him What would the people ask me are you drunk? What is it our position? Well, was it just what just as a consent for the southwest? Of course he was no he was for the southwest He worked look the vice presidential candidate came from south south All right What's his name the governor of delta? presidential candidate not west not east national chairman north central director general of the national campaign not west The The acting board of trustee chairman came from the southeast So what do you want to give us? You know what they told us? They said we should wait How you said he has four years Then we asked atiku what is going on. He said after election I said to them it's not a it's not a hidden thing I said, ah, we should go and tell the people after election We'll know what we are bringing home for them. Does that make a political sense? That was where the division started And hey unless you are there for your own pocket We are there to serve the people And I I didn't hide my feelings I said the publicly that look If we had Meetings with individuals. I don't want to mention their names publicly now That look the there is a lacuna here. There is a problem Let's resolve this problem so we can go home and campaign for our people when he failed They failed to listen. They told me yes, we will revisit it. We will do something Since they didn't do it. That was when I came I came out publicly That look if this continued to the election time, I will not vote So did you vote did you vote for him? I didn't vote. I didn't hide it I did not vote for him. What did you vote for? That's my personal decision But I didn't hide it I told everybody who cared to listen that I told him too that I would not vote for him A lot of mysteries and things. I said no It is not me Do something for our people It's not why I am an individual So it brings me back to you know the next question which you also have been quoted to say you're open to contributing to this administration Paraventure of the president Bola Tinobu reaches out to you. I would like to ask what please please I never said that Contribute to their party or their government I wish them the best if the courts decide that Bola Tinobu is the president of Nigeria For me as a Christian I will pray for this nation That god will guide us as we are heading into this uncharted waters The last eight years of the apc administration You have just seen They are unfolding now And we are hearing stories yet to be confirmed First governor of central bank All the allegations His style of managing the central bank All our resources financial resources The fiscal and monetary policies of that period The insecurity in the land the the the the the the the Unemployment percentage of the unemployed people Now petrol price just went Pya through the roof You see legos you live in legos Where is the traffic now? Many people are no longer driving They are always just trying to hop or manage themselves Because when you get home your final take home pay You reduce you remove Your overheads You remove these are non-return things How do you get to work transportation the commuters? Even the keke marua now has gone through the roof So this impact on the people of this country Must be a concern to every nigerian And all you can say okay You said yeah the administration they've started to take certain measures and all that we pray for them That god will guide them To manage the resources of this country for the people of this country and not to their family Members their friends and some hand-picked people We need this nation to grow I grew up here I went to school here And with my my espuja in the navy I have been to so many other countries in the world My major concern as I was growing up as a naval officer Those days we will go to any country in west africa The giant of africa For every 10 africans Seven six seven are nigerians Take any profession Non-profession in any part of the world today One of them Will be a nigerian So what is the problem here? Why are we Retrogressing Why can't we put all the resources because I have also traversed The length and breadth of this country There is no part of nigeria that the almighty god has not graced With one resource or the other Why are we not managing them for the benefit of the people? And and and when you sit down and you look at it and and You know it takes a lot of guts Maybe I should tell you my background My great-granduncle Was habat makali The first nigerian politician in this country We are following his footsteps Justice fairness equity to everything you do and then Telling truth to power Let's let's you I feel like we could probably just you know spend the whole time But then there are too many issues to talk about Being that we're looking at the state of the nation now You have mentioned part of it the issue of the cbn governor's suspension godwin emefili But just recently so I'd like to show your thoughts on that We know that there's been a recent suspension of the cbn governor the efcc chairman as well. Do you think? Especially when you juxtapose that with the fight against corruption of the previous government How does this make you feel and do you think that this government might probably continue, you know on the The fight against corruption of the previous government, you know It's too early in the day We we well It's still too early in the day. I I'm a general You don't jump and just jump into conclusions and all that And like I said to you Prayers prayers For me You must pray For your country So that there will be peace here We don't want to end up like Somalia like Sudan like all these other You know countries political problems We need to pray for those managing this nation That gods will direct them They will remember that it is a service to the people Put a smile on the faces of Nigerians It's just they just started Today is they're not even a month 38th of May today 16th. That's just about two weeks. So but fine Everybody the world now is different from the past You know We we instant information instant dissemination of things that you may not even realize is going worldwide Is a global village now so? prayers prayers for them Not To say Well, I don't care. It doesn't concern me Because everybody Will evolve once it collapses Some people are saying that This might just be an indication to Maybe a serious fight against corruption. I mean look at all that's playing out I know that you say that is too early in the day It is too early in the day. Are you are you surprised at this? uh What should have been the outcome especially if you look at The cbn governor some people say that the way he's managed the economy The rushid power don't you know, I beg your pardon. We we want you know It's a pandora box They just cracked it open Let's take a time I I don't jump into conclusions Who do money shows the day Good That they have the nerves the gods To say we want to investigate this remember to When jenna boy was there We heard stories That the accountant general of the federation Took some humongous amount of money from the system All the hula baloo all the noise we had But what has happened to it? We don't know what has happened to the case There was another gentleman in charge of Pension fund Oh, huh? Who hey who hey? What has happened to it? Let us wait If they are serious it is just the beginning good step Good step But nigerians are eager To know the full stretch of the story And those who are culpable Must not disappear like a distressed submarine They must be brought to book And that is when people who know That for every action Positive or negative you take There will be an also an opposite and equal reaction positive or negative no free lunch No over cover of anybody Nobody should be treated that like as if is above the law This nation has a depth portfolio That I I feel sorry for your generations that are coming Who are the people who pay? The money Was borrowed What did we do with it? Did you did we invest it in the human? Resource capital development Did we put it on infrastructure? Did we put it on business development? What has been the economic impact of all this borrowing? What happened? They need to tell us And that is what you call accountability Now I think that we probably would just cost us with this point that you have raised Your party the PDP has been You know criticized by a lot of persons saying they haven't performed optimally as to if you look at The you know the role of an opposition in the country And so again Would there be anything to look forward to you know in this current dispensation? You know like I told you Somehow and it happens in any organization Because there's no perpetuity in anything you do in life There were certain mistakes that our party made We must be bold enough to say it and tell it the way it is He made certain mistakes And the air is human It is human. Is there any human being who doesn't make a mistake? I mean I'm asking since the world was created Nobody but when It becomes a mistake When you do an assessment And you find out that look this is a mistake You learn from that mistake And prevent an occurrence a real occurrence of that same mistake If you leave it that yes, it's a mistake And you didn't do a thing to make sure you correct it or learn from it. It becomes perpetually a mistake So as we as we go along We will tell ourselves some home truth The founding fathers Established certain tenants For justice fairness and equity in our polity And when we saw that we deviated We saw the effect And I am looking forward After the courts Would have finished their session. That would be the end of The electoral process Then we can go back Within the four walls of our party And do a serious post-mortem analysis Where did we go wrong? We don't you see we don't need to lie to ourselves You don't need to pontificate And be and be telling people is okay. You know, it is right We went bomb on the deck But don't you think that's a lot of time for for a party? Long of time? No No, what's saying because You see you let's finish I can rush the judiciary But can the party itself? I mean I would like to ask I know we're out of time Does the party not have internal mechanisms that can solve these issues? But what do you okay? We are saying we made a mistake Others are saying no, it's not a mistake. We are still in court. We may win We may win in court. So what happens? Let's listen. Let's complete the process. You don't do a post-mortem on a human being that is not dead You understand what I'm saying until you get to the coda end of the of the matter Then you can do a post-mortem analysis What happened? Where did we go wrong? Why did we take this decision? What impact did they have? What this what that? And then you can now prepare yourself for the future and I can bet you Because this is the first political party in Nigeria That has all the colors of this country from the swampy forest To the savannah regions in the north. I have traversed the length and breadth. There is no part of this country You will not find a pdp Not like a contraption called apc It's a congregation of strange bedfellows. I said it and I won't stop saying it But for god's sake Give us time. It's you know, we I know Nigerians are very impatient If you have a problem you jump into it you will miss certain parts of it Where the process is not over. So what do you want to do now? Start throwing tantrums. No, let's finish there In the court. We are presenting a good case We may win in court We may still win If we win then the discussion will be a different ball game And I'll tell you one thing The apc copied our our our procedure Of managing the party. I remember when they came together apc. He said we don't believe in zoning So what did they end up doing? President Buhari north Oshibaju south Senate president north What's the speaker south Okay Then what happened to the chairman of their party and there was enough to show molly I mean You see that that's how they distributed Right now Right now The way they had done it Is very different from ours. It's not my party But when you copy something copy it properly Out of the six top positions now Out of the six top positions Each one going to each zone For purposes or inclusivity And that national drive in you That commitment That loyalty That dedication To the principles of oneness in this country That's why they created six zones six top positions You see the way they had done their own now Is very different. We went through the route And we suffered for it right now president And this and this senate senate leader Senate president are from the south All the other four positions are from the north These are facts these are That Issues these are issues that we must As a solid opposition You know, we can disagree without being disagreeable The this is the job of opposition The way you have now done it The south east is having Deputy speaker He's not part of the six top positions Is he fear As a nation I'm sure that this conversation can never end. We will continue. Thank you so much chief for making out time To speak with us. We really do appreciate and we look forward to speaking with you As we proceed in 2023 and beyond Thank you very much. I must tell you that The the the my job now Because very soon i'm also going to pull out of partisan politics But I would remain Like my great-granduncle was A philanthropist An old man who will mentor younger generations Tell the history the way it was without patching up Tell the truth to power And everything that anybody does that is positive we will clap Anything anybody does that doesn't make any economic Social or cultural sense We will say no You have failed here I owe that to this country because this country built me up Thank you. Thank you so much. Right and that's it on plus politics tonight. Thank you so much We have been speaking with an elder statesman chief or lapidae george We will return tomorrow with more insight in an interesting conversation. My name is messi ebook