2023 presidential race:Senator Moro clears air on PDP zoning

By Adeleye Kunle

Senator Abba Moro represents Benue South Senatorial District in the Senate. In this interview he speaks on insecurity in his constituency, the unending killings and banditry in the north, the discontent in the PDP over the ceding of the presidential ticket to the north, his passionate position on the rotation of power at all levels and more.

Excerpts:

Recently some communities in Okpokwu, which is your Local Government Area were attacked by armed herdsmen, how serious is this issue of killings in the state?

Igama community in Okpokwu LGA and some communities in Orokam in Ogbadibo LGA were attacked and several persons were killed. In Orokam two people were killed including a Councilor-elect. You will recall that we have had attacks in various parts of the Benue South District particularly in Agatu and Apa LGAs and also in Edumoga community in Omusu where 22 people were killed. Concerned community leaders and the Benue state government have been working hard to put an end to this. I have also been encouraging security agencies to be more proactive.

Whenever attacks occurred, security agencies would rush to the place and calm situation but it would reoccur. I agree that our security agencies are thinned out and they do not have the numbers and sophistication to tackle the problem as it were, but I can assure you that everything is being done to ensure that these killings are stopped.

Talking about insecurity, it is common knowledge that the north is under siege, why do you think the north has been struggling with the issue of banditry and kidnappings for so long?

The issue of banditry like you rightly noted has been prevalent in the North and it has continued to be. But the issue of criminality and crime is a general problem the world over and it’s like that in Nigeria and very many parts of the country apart from the north. Quite frankly, I feel very sad that it continues because the theoretical postulation that had been put forward as the reason for crimes and criminality in Nigeria is bad governance. A fact of extreme poverty has made it impossible or very difficult for Nigerians trying to live their lives the way they want to live their lives. People feel that they don’t have access to the means of life and so they take to crimes and criminality. But it is not only in Nigeria that people don’t have access to means of livelihood. I think that sufficient intelligence must be gathered to know exactly what is responsible for what is happening in Nigeria. But generally the common view amongst Nigerians and the international community is that the government is not doing enough to provide for its citizens and that is why some of them take to crimes.

The issue of attacks and kidnappings on the Eke-Ugbokolo-Owukpa road in your district have recently taken a worrisome dimension, what do you think can be done to tackle the menace?

Certainly something can be done to tackle the issue of insecurity along that axis, but it is common knowledge that certain communities everywhere are more vulnerable to crimes and criminality. And sometimes from what have been gathered from the axis that you are talking about, the masterminds are not necessarily the members of those communities but people from elsewhere who come to perpetrate those crimes and then disappear into thin air.

Efforts are being made to ensure that it doesn’t continue to repeat itself. That is why in addition to reinforcing police presence in those areas, personnel of the Nigeria Army have also been drafted to that area. Presently, there is a detachment of soldiers stationed in Okpoga, the Headquarters of Okpokwu LGA. Their presence and activities have actually led to a drastic reduction in those crimes.

You’ve been a lone voice in the call for zoning of offices in the country, why are you passionate about the issue?

As a senator representing Benue South senatorial district I have a very huge challenge of providing a legislative intervention to ensure that the zoning that is embedded in the constitution of PDP is respected. I have a very huge challenge and responsibility to also provide the legislative intervention that will make it possible for the entrenchment of effective rotation in the governance process such that the governorship will rotate among the senatorial districts I am an apostle of the rotation of the presidency between the south and the north. That will bring some level of stability in our political process and some level of unity in Nigeria.

If you know that as a Nigerian, as a Benue state person that one day you can assume the leadership of your community, then you have a very big sense of belonging, which is what the people of the Benue South senatorial district have been clamoring for. We still have hope and as long as we continue to make our contributions in the political process, one day majority of Benue people, including the Tiv people will realize that the time has come for us in the Benue South senatorial districts to be supported to became governor in the state. That way we will join hands together to develop the state.

I believe that it will happen; and like I said, it is my responsibility and the responsibility of my colleagues in the National Assembly and even in the Benue State House of Assembly to ensure that we provide the legislative intervention that will make it possible for the governorship of the state to effectively rotate amongst the senatorial districts.

After the recently held presidential primary election of your party the PDP, there have been dissenting voices in the party over the ceding of the presidential ticket to the North, why did your party opt for a northern presidential candidate?

The PDP is in the opposition at the moment especially at the centre. Therefore, the leadership of the party, in its wisdom decided that in order to wrest power from the ruling APC government, the PDP should put its best leg forward. And putting the best leg forward therefore would mean that the best leg may not necessarily be in any particular zone. It therefore became necessary to throw open the ticket of the party to the entirety of Nigeria, so that Nigerians can pick the best for the country at the moment. And interestingly, Nigerians in the PDP picked Atiku from the north to stand election for the party. I believe that at the end of the day it will pay off for Nigeria and the result will be obvious. That is what PDP has done, and we believe that it will serve the purpose of Nigeria and good governance.

You will recall that in 2015 we had this strange political alliances where several PDP members in the north supported Muhammadu Buhari of the APC because he is from that part of the country; do you see a repeat of such in 2023 where APC members would rally support for Atiku Abubakar because he is from that part of the country irrespective of party affiliation?

It is a possibility; what is normal in politics and political life and process is change. I believe that times and things are changing and human beings change their attitudes by the day. So, I will not be surprised if APC members support the PDP and its presidential candidate and even the gubernatorial and senatorial candidates down to other candidates in the various elections. It is possible that if members of the party feel disaffection by the processes they may decide to support candidates rather than political parties. So it is a possibility.

What is your take on the Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket of the APC?

The Muslim-Muslim ticket is not a fantastic idea. We have had a history of a Muslim-Muslim ticket in Nigeria in the past with Abiola and Kingibe who were both Muslims and Nigerians overwhelmingly voted for them. But what is unacceptable in our present circumstances in Nigeria is that Nigeria is very polarized. Nigeria has never been this polarized in the history of this country. And we are polarized along political lines, along religious lines and the rest of them. And people are very concerned about the dominance of one particular religion over others.

So that is the concern that Nigerians have now. I think that the conclusion of Nigerians is that the APC and its candidate have been very insensitive to the sensibility of Nigerians in the present circumstances that we have serious religious cleavages and lines; and picking a Muslim-Muslim ticket at this time, in the estimation of majority of Nigerians is unacceptable. And so I think it is not the correct thing to do at this moment in time.

Against the expectations of the ruling APC, your party, the PDP emerged victorious in the last Osun state gubernatorial election, how did your party pull it off?

Nigerians are yearning for change, the APC government has performed very abysmally and they are looking for the best that can salvage the situation, which PDP represents at the moment and that is why Osun People in their wisdom, chose the candidate of the PDP as their governor. We are very happy for it and it is a signal of what to expect.

We must listen to Nigerians, we must listen to the people and pick the best candidate for our elections which PDP has demonstrated. You see all manner of crisis all over the place especially in the APC because of the skewed manner in which they have chosen their candidates and Nigerians are not happy for it. And so, if you pick the best candidates you’ll get the best results which Osun has demonstrated by picking the best candidate and the best candidate won the election.

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