As the conversations about the coalition policy continue to shape the narratives before the general elections of 2027, the former minister of young people and sports, Solomon Dalung, shares his thinking about the administration of President Bola Tinubu in the last two years, among other issues, with SUBAIR MAHOMA.
What is your two -year evaluation of Tinubu in office?
Well, the administration of Tinubu [in the last] Two years have been well below expectations, because their personality in government is not strange for the Nigerian political climate. He was governor in the state of Lagos for eight years. Then, when he was chosen, many Nigerians who cast their votes for him had great expectations of him. He was seen as the miraculous Maker of Lagos, and the Nigerians hoped that, despite any situation that was on the ground, with which Nigerians are also familiar, he was the right person to change things. Disappointing, he launched his hopes from day one and that sent a sign that he lacked the understanding of the situation in the country. This is because the fuel subsidy eliminated without even a government on land. And if there were no government in the field, the fundamental question is who would have submitted its thoughts and aligned it with reality in the field if there were suggested methods and mechanisms to treat the withdrawal crisis?
So, that declaration of “subsidy has gone” was not expected of a leader who is familiar with the government. Although he and his men have appropriated to be a correct [decision]Some of us, who are familiar with the government, consider it as the worst [action] Any leader will never do it [take]. This is because if it were brave enough, they could have submitted the policy to a higher argument and the fire scrutiny test and could have faced a panel and defend it; That is courage. But ambush cowardly to the Nigerians, as it did, it was not courage at all.
So, the total sum of what I am saying is that the beginning of its administration introduced in what we are dealing with today. So, my evaluation of its performance is that it has been well below expectations and disappointing.
What do you think with the endorsements of President Tinubu for APC leadership, the governors and some members of the National Assembly?
There was a prophet Oshimhole who had previously prophesied that any sinner, even if the person were an armed thief, a bandit or a member of Boko Haram, who jumps to the APC ship, their sins would be forgiven. So, if you want to politically understand the meaning of these endorsements, you must return to prophecy. Therefore, it is not support as a political reality. It is a conclave of sinners; People who have committed atrocious crimes against the Nigerian people and are jumping to the ship for forgiveness of their sins. Not that they believe in Tinubu. No, they don't. They are only gathering so that their sins are forgiven. Therefore, it is a conclave of the political cardinals who have committed serious sins against the Nigerian people and a political party has offered them the opportunity to forgive when entering. Then they are jumping to him and that is why all the endorsers are from APC members.
So, even if APC has backed the president who is also the party leader, what advantage or what value has added? The votes he obtained were not APC votes; They were the votes of the Nigerians. If the Nigerians had supported him, he would have taken the time to make a critical analysis of him. But APC members, what is their percentage within Nigerian political demography? So, support, for me, is what can be referred to as a political cartoon of contemporary politics.
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Recently, the Governor of the State of Delta, the Sheriff Oborevwori and the members of the state assembly of the entire height abandoned the PDP for the APC. Last week, we saw the governor of the state of Akwa Ibom also to defect with some legislators, about 11 of them, to the APC. It is believed that more governors plan to defect APC. Are they getting through because the president has done so well or Nigeria is becoming a unique state?
You know there is an adage in Hausa that if animals will celebrate the death of a butcher, have the knife also died? If the beneficiaries of people's mandate are getting, have people also defected? Let's take the case of Delta before coming to Akwa-Ibom. The person who defected is the governor whose mandate was very controversial.
It was in the dying minute that the Supreme Court affirmed his election. The candidate who lost in the Supreme Court was persuaded to support him due to the loyalty of the party. So, if such a person has decided to desert, would people follow? You can now interpret the involvement of that dropout of the video of how people received the former governor in their ancestral home. The women transmitted the message of the community with vehemence that he is alone. And you know, in South-South and Southeast, it was the women who established the Nigerian Independence Agenda with the 1929 ABA women's disturbances. Therefore, that important political event that took place in its village cannot be ignored.
South-South women had sent a very strong message to sinners who have encountered the sanctuary of forgiveness that are alone. Then no one has defected; It is the governor and his cabinet who are gone. You go to Akwa Ibom, the man who brought the governor; Did you define the APC with him? The answer is no. There are approximately 15 members of the Assembly Chamber who have refused to desert. The commissioners are delivering a resignation one after another. Before deserting, consult people and if they give you a support, they will stop you. But the governor did not even pretend in his discourse of dropout, he was categorical. He said he has seen how Tinubu has acted and decided to support him by deserting. So, that dropout was not oriented to people or driven.
Therefore, there is no added value to Tinubu, except that it has aggravated the situation in its party and there will be an implosion. Let me tell you this, I am not a prophet, even if all the 36 state governors, defects for APC and Seyi Tinubu are appointed president of INEC, Tinubu will go out with the masses because he is the only president who has drawn a battle line between him and the masses when assembling hunger, population and difficulties. And he is not regretting that; Rather, it is very pretentious, it always tells the Nigerians to sacrifice during the good morning that are coming, while he, along with his wife and son, is living luxurious lives, spending generously throughout Nigeria. When they will [make their own] sacrifice?
What is your opinion on the movements of some politicians, including Atiku, El-Rufai and others, to form a coalition before 2027? Do you think they will succeed in that coalition?
You will see, this coalition is different from all coalition attempts since the First Republic. The coalition is unique. It is unique because the president has declared himself an enemy of the poor, and armed existential threats. So, poor people are dying every day of hunger and malnutrition. They cannot pay the hospital invoices. They can't live a good life. So, they are naturally angry.
Now, the coalition of politicians has realized that we are stepping on a very dangerous land because, in the final analysis, there may be an implosion of an unmanageable political crisis resulting from the difficulties in the earth. Therefore, they also provide help to the poor by giving them hope that we are organizing to provide an alternative that ends this suffering. Then, the coalition is very popular among the poor; That is the truth. It is very popular. I treatment with common people, and talk a lot about the coalition, which means that, ultimately, whatever the coalition will be formed, common people will be interested in eliminating this current political reality before solving problems. Therefore, it may not be a big problem about who, ultimately, the coalition can occur.
But, if the coalition can present a candidate and be with him, President Tinubu will have one of the toughest battles. Even if the power of Bourdillon displays, the Nigerians will only end up collecting the money, but will suffer the same destination as [former President Goodluck] Jonathan. So, the coalition, yes, is of political elements that have their differences; They have their rude, but the coalition is that of Portipha and Poncio Pilato. They are all enemies of themselves; They are all enemies of Jesus. With the purpose of crucifying Jesus, they became friends and that is how I see the coalition.
Is the Social Democratic Party (SDP) still in the coalition agreement?
It is better that this question will be answered by the leadership of the party because I can only speak from the perspective of someone who is aware of the development that is in the coalition. But I am aware that the coalition delegation met with the leadership of the SDP and I still have to obtain the details of that discussion, but I think that will be made public after the holiday. So, you may not be able to say much about that.
Do you agree with those who said that the tenth National Assembly has become a rubber seal of the Executive?
I do not agree with them because they promoted the tenth assembly to a rubber stamp. The tenth assembly is a band of choristers for the president. Every time they see the president in the assembly, they are excited as grandchildren who have seen their grandparents come. They will be in songs. The last one they sang, I had a problem with my ears. What I heard them sing, although people told me that it was different from what they heard, it was in your dollar that we will stand up. In your dollar we will stop … in your dollar, we will be standing. And they all sang and danced, but people said he heard a different song. But, I didn't hear the one they heard; That is the one I heard.
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So, the National Assembly is not a rubber seal. It includes a band of choirs of 'Emi l'Okan' that in each step of the events will sing. I fear that this tenth assembly can wake up one day and, with a voice vote, amend the Constitution and appoint Tinubu as president of Nigeria's life. I'm afraid because [they] It could come and say: 'We have a proposal for the amendment of the Constitution. We have received a report and the Constitution has appointed Tinubu as president of Nigeria's life. Those who are in favor say yes. And before someone could say something, they would hit the deck and say that the ayes have it. That is the type of national assembly we have. Therefore, it is not a rubber stamp because a set of rubber stamps must have something on the floor to seal. This does not need anything. Even if it is a simple dream that Tinubu shares by phone and the Senate finds out about that, the National Assembly will sit and hear that the ayes have it. So it is not a rubber stamp. If they were a rubber stamp, we would have expected them to have something credible to seal. They are just a band of choirs of 'Emi l'Okan'.