Jesutega Onokpasa is a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and a member of the get together’s presidential marketing campaign council in the course of the 2023 elections. On this interview monitored on Come up Tv, he speaks on President Bola Tinubu’s appointment of Daniel Bwala as certainly one of his media aides and its implication on the help base of the President forward of the 2027 polls, amongst different points, ANAYO EZUGWU writes
Appointment of Daniel Bwala feels like a black eye for supporters of President Tinubu, like your self. How a lot of a black eye is it?
It’s a severe black eye. Our pricey and beloved president stabbed all of us, his staunch supporters within the again with this positively ridiculous, meaningless and simply inexplicable appointment.
What do you suppose is answerable for this appointment that you simply see as an precise betrayal?
I don’t know. It has riled our get together. I’m a Tinubu supporter, I’m not a sycophant. Those that apologise for all the pieces say it’s technique. I believe it’s stupidity.
We received the final election with the bottom margin since 1999. Each different president has received by greater than 50 per cent of the votes. We received with lower than 40 per cent of the votes.
That could be the explanation why the President needs to type a broader base…
Sure, a broader base by stabbing his supporters within the again and bringing in folks, who insulted him. How do you name a president of a rustic a drug supplier?
I imply, Daniel Bwala is a lawyer, he has no proof, not a shred of proof, that our president is a drug supplier. He referred to as him a drug baron. Then how does a president now appoint such an individual? We have been those defending him.
Then this one who referred to as our collective president a drug supplier is somebody they made a spokesperson and Bayo Onanuga tries to rationalise it. It’s simply ridiculous.
What’s your important grouse? Is it that Bwala’s appointment is unhealthy for the President’s picture or is it that the roles are being taken away from Tinubu’s supporters, who campaigned for him?
Initially, not all of us need appointment. Not all of us want appointment; it’s simply the insult that our President appears to take us as a right. He doesn’t feed us. I’ve by no means gone to Tinubu’s home for him to offer me something. Some try this; not all of us try this.
For me, I even just like the President as if he have been a member of the family. I don’t know why. That’s the reason it actually hurts that my president simply behaved as if he can stab anybody on the again, shame anybody and humiliate anybody. I imply, I don’t belief him anymore. I’m sorry. I don’t.
Is that this response from you a full-scale reprisal as a result of whether it is, you’ll in all probability surrender your help for the President?
No. I nonetheless help my president. Sure, our get together is our get together. I can’t keep in mind the title of my president, proper or fallacious. That’s not my philosophy, however I nonetheless help my president. It’s simply that he’s misguided and he’s simply doing issues that he thinks will assist him in 2027.
Anyone mentioned that it’s technique however mentioned, no, it’s stupidity. Bwala helped Atiku Abubakar to fail in 2023 and he’ll assist President Tinubu to fail in 2027.
Is {that a} prediction from you?
After all, as a result of we are able to’t tolerate this and President Tinubu has to respect it. We’re politicians, we’re Nigerians, we’re residents. We now have the precise to rent and hearth a president. He has to rescind this appointment.
How would you rent and hearth him if you weren’t working towards him?
Nicely, let that point come. I help my president, however he simply has to respect all of us on this get together.
What concerning the appointment of different non-APC members like Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu as Minister of State for International Affairs?
There’s nothing fallacious with Bianca as a result of she by no means insulted us; she by no means disrespected us. Bianca is the spouse of our dearly departed brother, Odumegwu Ojukwu.
Bianca’s appointment I’d say, is the strategic one and that makes extra sense by far as a method as a result of the President is uniting the nation.
Should you take a look at our authorities, it’s freaky and many people haven’t, simply possibly due to our love for President Tinubu we have now not been complaining about it. I imply; the place are the Niger Deltans within the authorities? The place are the Igbos within the authorities?
The place are the Hausa Fulanis within the authorities? We received, even in Yoruba land; we received in Ekiti, we received in Ondo, we received in Ogun. The place are these folks? You type a authorities of Lagos and Osun, the place you misplaced? I imply what an insult.
What’s your place now by way of your help for President Tinubu?
I help my president, however I’m very offended with him. He has to sack Bwala. Nicely, that’s as much as him. If the President feels he has conquered everybody and conquered all over the place, we will see what’s going to occur in 2027.
What about his insurance policies?
I do know you’re an enormous advocate of making an attempt to make the state of affairs of the poor in Nigeria higher, are you seeing that in his insurance policies? By no means and that’s even the unusual a part of it. Tinubu is complicated us. Tinubu is somebody who, in case you are round him, hates any person being hungry. He’s a pleasant man.
He hates somebody being hungry round him. So, it’s so unusual that he appears to be comfy with starvation. He takes care of individuals and that’s why I really like him. Now, he doesn’t maintain me. I maintain myself. God takes care of me. He has by no means given me one kobo.
I don’t owe him something. He’s the one which owes me one thing. We fashioned a authorities however costs hold growing. Our residents can hardly afford meals. What was our plan? We massively produced meals for Nigerians.
And the entire thought is that this. If for example, we are able to cut back gas costs, allow us to cut back meals costs. Let our residents simply be capable of eat. I used to be speaking to a professor of Psychology and I requested him a query. That is one thing that has by no means occurred to me. What would a person really feel if within the morning he wakes up and couldn’t feed his youngsters? He mentioned the person will really feel nugatory.
That’s what number of of our residents are feeling at the moment and we purchase vehicles value N250 million. We put on wristwatches value N200 million. We are able to’t take tractors to villages. They referred to as us Agbadorians in the course of the election. Okay, you name us Agbadorians, you’ll eat the Agbado. Once you eat the Agbado, are you not an Agbadorian with us? No plan, nothing.
I don’t know these two guys he put within the Ministry of Agriculture. I don’t know; they haven’t any plan to feed anyone, maybe, aside from themselves. It’s a shame, and I’m not sorry to say.
Do you suppose that there could possibly be political ramifications for the President within the appointment which will possible trigger extra severe political ripples going ahead?
This one, President Tinubu, has gone too far. He has insulted us sufficient. Significantly, he has insulted us. I’m nonetheless a Baptist. I don’t know why I really like him. He has insulted us too far. This one won’t play out. Bwala is just not a problem for me however it’s an insult to all our get together supporters.
In the course of the election, our supporters within the South-East grew to become endangered species however they nonetheless supported us. They nonetheless supported Tinubu. What has he completed for them? How do you run a authorities like that?
What has Tinubu completed for Niger Deltans? What has he completed for Hausa /ulani? They voted for us. What has he completed for the Center Belt? If he offers me an appointment now, I’ll reject it as a result of I don’t belief him anymore.
I simply help him. I simply love him, however I don’t belief him anymore. Tinubu offers us, his core get together supporters the impression that he can stab anyone on the again, he can shame anyone, he can humiliate anyone. He can discard anyone.
Have you learnt the humorous factor about belief? You see, if I don’t belief you, it’s both I run away from you or I battle you. I’m a Niger Delta and I don’t run away from anyone. I don’t run away even from God. I run to God. I’ll run to my God.
Now, I don’t run away from anyone. It’s that battle and flight conundrum. Tinubu has pushed us to the wall to the extent that he doesn’t even notice. I don’t know who the hell is speaking to him, individuals are regrouping. He doesn’t even notice that. Persons are offended.
Would it not be truthful to say that there are lots of people throughout the APC and Tinubu’s help teams, who’re sad with the best way these appointments are happening towards folks?
Sure, however aside from the appointments, we have now to feed our residents as a result of they’re hungry. And it doesn’t matter whether or not you’re APC or PDP or from the South-East or South-West or no matter, individuals are in severe ache.
And Tinubu appears to have been dislocated and disconnected from actuality. Then, he insults us with the appointment of this character. That’s simply unforgivable.
What’s your opinion on the arrest of Simon Ekpa, one of many leaders of Indigenous Folks of Biafra (IPOB) in Finland on suspicion of publicly inciting folks in Nigeria to commit crimes with terrorist intent?
Within the case of Simon Ekpa, his arrest is overdue. I had even inspired he must be shot as a result of he was killing his fellow folks. If the particular person is an enemy combatant, he’s liable to be shot. He’s only a loopy, poorly educated younger man.
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