Dauda Birmah, a former presidential aspirant of the All Nigeria People’s Party (ANPP) and one time Education minister, in this interview said the crises rocking the two major parties in the country have made it difficult to know which of them is party of the present or of the future. He also urged government to intensify surveillance and efforts toward the possible release of remaining Chibok girls.



For a very long time you have been very silent, are you not concerned about what is happening in the country. Which political party are you with now?



Well, we are still watching events as they are unfolding. You don’t just begin to open your mouth because other people are talking. You first of all look at what is happening so that when you open your mouth to talk, you talk with facts. But as it is right now, we do not know which political party is of the future and which is of the past?



How do you mean, Sir?

I should be asking you. Both parties are in crisis. Are you not following what is happening in the parties? Can we say today that the APC is free from crisis or the PDP? Is the PDP not having problem? It is not stable and has not been stable since after the presidential election. So, unless they put their house in order, moving forward will be difficult. Again, can you also say that the APC is intact?

But it is the ruling party?

Yes, it is, but Tinubu comes from Lagos, and Oyegun comes from Edo, how can he ask Oyegun to resign? Oyegun was supplied to the APC by the ANPP, while Tinubu comes from the ACN. So, how can he single-handedly issue an ultimatum to Oyegun to resign without recourse to the rules? That’s an indication that all is not well with the ruling party itself.



What do you think these crises portend or do you foresee any alignment and realignment of forces very soon?

What is going to happen in the future will make people decide where they would want to belong. They should quickly come to their senses and resolve their differences. They will either resolve the crisis in their own interest or they form new parties.

But it appears that many Nigerians are not happy with the government of the day over what is going on in the country at the moment?

We Nigerians are hypocritical. Everybody’s eye is on the government at the centre; why are people not focusing on their state governments? All the stealing going on at the state level is it better at the state level. Don’t you know how these governors live? Nobody would be talking about recession today if things were done properly, even at the state level. But everybody wants to get resources from the centre; everybody is looking to Abuja without looking within him/herself. People are busy talking about restructuring, left to me, we should not be talking about restructuring, but I think they should be talking about devolution of power from the centre to the state. That is the restructuring that will help us in this country.