Prince Tony Momoh, a former Minister of Information is one of the national leaders of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). In this interview with TEMIDAYO AKINSUYI, he shares his thoughts on developments in the polity and the statement by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) that Nigerians want it to return to power in 2023. Excerpts:

Last week, the PDP said Nigerians are already fed up with President Buhari and they are yearning for the return of the PDP to power. What is your take on this?

PDP is Nigeria’s major opposition party. They ruled for 16 years but had nothing to show for it. Out of the 16 years, eight years was by a Southerner that is former President Olusegun Obasanjo. Six years was also used by another Southerner and that is former president Goodluck Jonathan. If you look at it carefully, you will realise that in the eight years of Obasanjo, he attended to constitutional conference where wanted to continue in office for a third term. During the conference, they began to talk about ‘Yoruba agenda’, which is the key for devolution of power in Nigeria today. They ensured that the South-West governors did not present it in Abuja. That could have been the closest thing to restructuring. So, in eight years of Obasanjo’s regime, nobody fought seriously for restructuring. In the six years of Jonathan’s tenure, when people were talking of resource control, a Southerner was there to promote resource control, but nobody took it seriously. Nobody even took the issue of restructuring seriously. Now that Buhari is there as President, everybody is now talking of restructuring. Ohanaeze Ndigbo is talking of restructuring, Afenifere is talking of restructuring, South-South is also talking about restructuring.
I have been talking about restructuring since 2002 with my publication, ‘To Save Nigeria, Let’s Talk’. Why is it that we are not serious about certain things until some other people we don’t want assess power? I have answered the question generally because between 1999 when PDP took over as the ruling party and 2015 when they lost power, we had all the tons of money. We even had so much money that we had to pay $5billion to buy jets, when these jets are of questionable origin. We even pay commission on the payment of the jets. Under PDP, $16b was also spent on power, but where is the light? Roads were also in bad shape. The road from Onitsha to Enugu to Abakaliki to Port Harcourt was in a bad state. Where were the federal roads? PDP sat down and devastated this country through sharing money that was meant for building and developing the country. But now that they are in opposition, they are talking about coming back to power in 2023. They are also asking Buhari to resign.

As opposition party, are they wrong to demand for the President’s resignation if they feel his performance is poor?

They are wrong because they know that we have a constitution that directs affairs in this country. 2023 is another election cycle. Let them work to win the election. That is why I said they are not wrong to say that they are not wrong to say that people should not vote for the APC in 2023. That is what they are supposed to say as an opposition party. But how are they going to work for it? They are not playing the role of opposition credibly. They are talking of making Nigeria ungovernable when as a matter of fact, they should contribute to the good governance of the country so that if they work hard and people return them to power, they can meet something on the ground and not destroy what they didn’t build and is being built. So, PDP should learn the lessons of how to grow into a ruling party on the position of strength as an opposition party, rather than just looking for areas of destabilising what is happening in the polity. You don’t see anything in the ruling party but instead of you to bring something better, you say unconstitutional means should be used to remove the President.

Do you see the PDP returning to power anytime soon as they claim or do you think it is wishful thinking?

There is no reason why we should deny either the PDP or any other opposition party the luck or goodwill of returning to power. That is what democracy is all about. You work hard enough for the people to have faith in you and vote for you. So, if the PDP work hard enough as a credible opposition party and then begin to bring out solutions where they feel things have failed, rather than being temperamental critics, then they will be working for people to give them a chance in the next election. But to remain as temperamental critics without proffering solutions to the failures, then nobody is going to give them a chance.

You mention the issue of Third Term agenda. Do you think it is real because former President Olusegun Obasanjo has denied it saying he could have gotten it if he really wanted it?

The fact is, if the third term agenda was not real, why were they paying senators who were to deliberate on the issue? Senators were collecting N4 million per sitting until someone brought news to the Senate that something was going to happen and that was how the third term agenda was killed. I don’t want to start floating what could be ascribed against me but then, threatening messages came then.

Who says Obasanjo was not looking for third term? He can deny it if he wants. He even said if he had wanted third term, he could have gotten it. But the truth was that, he wanted a third term in office. If not that the third term agenda collapsed on his head, why was it that all the proposals of the 2005 constitutional review conference, none of them was implemented? Everything was thrown away by the Obasanjo administration.
Even the 2014 national conference by the Goodluck Jonathan government, if truly the PDP was really sincere about restructuring the country, why didn’t they send the report to the national assembly? They couldn’t do that because it was a diversionary move. Instead of restructuring to strengthen Nigeria, they were saying the current 36 states we have are not good enough and talking of having 54 states. So, we should give it to Buhari.
We have lots of problems today but it is as a result of what we did yesterday. There is nothing to show for what we have been doing since 1999. If we have been building bridges since 1999, will Buhari still be spending money on those bridges again now? The money could have been channeled into another productive things. Where is Ajaokuta steel? All the industries collapsed under the PDP. But the APC and Buhari are trying to revive all these things. The fact is, we have earned less money since 2015 than what PDP earned between 1999 and 2015. We are going through a second recession now and yet so much projects are being done by the Buhari government. The challenges are there and they are multiplying but Buhari is not sleeping. He is working hard to leave Nigeria better in 2023 than he met it in 2015.
https://www.independent.ng/obasanjo-may-deny-but-third-term-agenda-was-real-tony-momoh/

No one cares g

What is the essence of this blabbering, Obasanjo had left power for years, there is no one that wouldn't want to hold on the power, that is how it is everywhere, instead of looking forward on how to better the country.

Will.u kip kwayet? Tam David West said that not Tony Momoh..Momoh only said Buhari's three years is far better than Obasanjo's eight years

Wiseandtrue:
The same way you also denied telling us that Buhari will sell petrol for N40/L if elected

Failed leaders, of all the insecurities, poverty ravaging the country, he choose to dwell on this stale news

Agbaya!!!

And a reasonable NASS stopped it.. now imagine if it was the 9th Senate.. Lawan's senate and Buhari was that ambitious?.. the bill may have gotten to 2nd reading by now.

So, if you become President, you will also bribe lawmakers with huge money to help you change the constitution so as to perpetuate yourself in power

Marvellously2Me:
What is the essence of this blabbering, Obasanjo had left power for years, there is no one that wouldn't want to hold on the power, that is how it is everywhere, instead of looking forward on how to better the country.

We all know....no need to loud am again

Imagine dis old man,dragging old forgotten matter into 2021.

bolaayenimo:
So, if you become President, you will also bribe lawmakers with huge money to help you change the constitution so as to perpetuate yourself in power

It is not about bribing your way through, what I was saying is that it is in our nature to try to hold on to power, no one will willingly relinquish power without a force, even a 75 year old person will not want to leave government job because of the literally free money he is getting despite deteriorating health and efficiency.

Is that the reason for Buhari's failure in every aspect of governance?

Is that why Buhari has been clueless on what to do with the power he so much hungered for?


Is that why Nigerians can sleep peacefully in their homes under this terrorists regime?



Obasanjo this, Jonathan that all the time.

I believe with OBJ's third term Nigeria as a country would have at least moved foreward, albeit slowly. Better than remaining stagnant with Buhari's 8 years.

Stop taking us back, it is past and gone, this is 2021

Who doesn't know that one?

Stupid Tony shut up you can go and tell your grandchildren that .

Lies. The country hadnt been any better. Pdp and apc are just birds of the same feather