Kogi, Bayelsa, Imo gov’ship polls litmus test for Ganduje — Moghalu

Chief George Moghalu is the first national auditor of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and former governorship aspirant in Anambra State. In this interview, he speaks on the governorship elections in Kogi, Bayelsa and Imo states slated for November, issues in the administration of the APC, among others.

What is your assessment of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s 100 days in office? 

The administration is too young for one to make an honest assessment. However, I must be honest enough to say that the initial steps taken are quite courageous. It points to a direction of an administration that is committed to delivering on its promises because this time, for you to run an administration, you must have the courage to take courageous and strong decisions. I must say the government has started well and it is incumbent on us the citizens to support the government to deliver on its mandate.

What are your expectations from the APC national chairman and other NWC members ahead of the November governorship elections in Bayelsa, Kogi and Imo? 

Dr Ganduje has the required experience to turn around the party for the good of all. He has the experience and you can’t take that away from him.  He has been adviser, commissioner, deputy governor and governor. But to whom much is given, much is also expected. So everybody is expecting him to lead the party well. We have three elections in November – Kogi, Bayelsa and Imo- we expect him to demonstrate capacity, unite the part; carry everybody along. We expect him to deliver the party in the elections. 

The APC has had six national chairmen in 10 years of its existence. What do you make of this?

APC is a human organisation and wherever you have a human organisation, there is bound to be a clash of interests. So that is what must have happened in the case of the former chairmen of the APC. This is the first time the national chairman is going with the national secretary; it is always the national chairman because he is the leader of the party. But changing national chairmen is about getting the right person to do the right job at the right time; it is for the overall best of the party.      

Do you have confidence in the ability of the current crop of ministers to deliver on their mandate? 

We must allow them to start work before we can assess them. We must encourage and pray for them to deliver. We as citizens must encourage and support them so that the policies they are bringing will be to the benefit of the people if properly implemented. But I have no doubt in my mind the ability of the current crop of ministers to deliver on the ‘Renewed Hope’ agenda of Mr President. You can’t take experience away from them; so they know the right things to do and I have no doubt in their capacity to deliver.

The APC won the last election with a Muslim-Muslim ticket. Recently, the party also brought a new national chairman and secretary who are both Muslims. Many are beginning to say APC is a Muslim party. What is your view?

The issue of religion to me does not matter. Let the emphasis be on capacity and competence to deliver on the responsibilities assigned to them because if they do well, nobody will remember the issue of religion; whether they are Christians or Muslims, it is when they failed. When the APC fielded a Muslim-Muslim ticket before the general elections, Nigerian ignored that and chose competence and capacity to deliver. Coming to the South, the national secretary’s emergence was circumstantial because from the area he comes from, there are families where you have Muslims and Christians together. In fact, I didn’t know he was a Muslim until recently. But that doesn’t matter. What matters is the ability to deliver.

What is your status in the APC now after defeating the party in court?

I didn’t quarrel with APC. There was a disagreement and that issue has been resolved, so I have moved on. I felt disrespected. I was injured in a party that I can boldly claim I am one of the founders; I am not a joiner. So I had to follow the judicial route as a Nigerian who believes in the judiciary as the last hope for the common man and that phase has passed away. I passed through the three stages – High, Appeal, and Supreme courts – and I won. So that issue is gone. The courts favoured me so I have made my point and moved on; I don’t have issues with the party.