Reputed for his grammatical
razzmatazz and eloquence, especially as exemplified in his engaging
contributions on the floor while at the House of Representatives, Patrick
Obahiagbon, Governor Adams Oshiomhole’s Chief of Staff, is still in his
element. He spoke on a wide range of issues in this interview with Victor
Udoh.
Excerpts after the cut......
You
faced a fierce legal battle between 2007 and 2011 that you were in the House of
Representatives over your eligibility to be in the parliament. If you say that
you are global candidate, why did you face this eligibility test?
The
fact that I see myself as a global player by my contributions is not attenuated
by the case I had in court. Let us not forget that in a political race, the
various political parties have their interest. My major political opponent at
that time said rightly or wrongly that my election did not meet the integrity
test and it was his legal right and liberty to do that and he went to court. He
got victory at the elections petitions tribunal but I got victory at the Court
of Appeal. Those are normal political contestations.
You
were formerly a parliamentarian before your appointment as Chief of Staff to
Governor Adams Oshiomhole. What is the experience like; from the legislative
arm of government to the executive?
The
experiences are quite different, especially for someone like me who is coming from
a parliamentary background. Before going to the House of Representatives, I was
in the state Assembly for eight years. It was 12 years of life in parliament
before I had the rare privilege to be appointed by Comrade Adams Oshiomhole to
come and serve as his chief of staff. In parliament, you have a latitudinal
canvass to titillate and titivate the solar plexus on national questions. You
have the freedom to express your views. But as chief of staff to the a
governor, one of your major responsibilities is to assist in building bridges
for the governor and not to burn bridges because as chief of staff, people are
likely to mistake my views for that of the governor. In fact, my views may not
necessarily be the governor’s views on national issues and other issues.
So,
to be able to prevent that scenario where my views are mistaken to be that of
the governor, I have learnt and decided to be taciturn, to be reticent and to
maintain an Olympian aloofness on national issues that I would otherwise
fulminate against. Another difference in the experience is that as a
parliamentarian, you have the lassitude to do whatever you want to do at your
own time. Little wonder that most parliamentarians choose when to come for
sitting and when not to come. If you are not cut out for parliamentary duties,
you may decide to stay off parliament for as long as three months like most of
my colleagues did and some are still doing.
But
when you work in the executive arm of government as chief of staff to a
governor, particularly to a governor who has Spartan discipline like the
Comrade Governor, who has carved a niche for himself as a political tomahawk
for revolutionary change; especially to a governor who comes to work as early
as 8.am and doesn’t leave till 11.pm, then if you are reckless with your
freedom, you will device means to forgo such freedom. It wasn’t difficult for
me to adjust, but I have fears for some parliamentarians who would have the
privilege of 12 years’ freedom coming to work as chief of staff to a governor
and in this circumstance, a very hardworking governor because they will find it
difficult to adjust.
The
other day you talked about building bridges for the governor, how have you been
able to reconcile the factions in the state House of Assembly?
The
desire to build bridges for the governor does not translate to building grave
bridges. The desire to build bridges for the governor is not tantamount to
being an avant garde for encouraging to the point of apotheosizing egregious
breaches of the rule of law. The schism in the Edo State House Assembly is
quite clear. It is a case of certain lawmakers who have decided to run foul of
the rule of law and some other lawmakers who have made themselves exemplegetia
of the quintessential quidity of respect for the rule of law. So, there are two
different things here within the contest of the schism in the state Assembly.
Have
you in any way reached out to the “rebelling” faction, leveraging on your
background as a former member of the Assembly?
The
crisis is a political issue. When people elect for sheer political calculations
to deploy political instruments of Machiavellianism, Faustianism and
Mephistophelianism to upset the apple cart, you can’t set them away from their
predetermined agenda. The important thing for us as a government is that a
preponderant number of legislators in the Edo State House of Assembly have
decided to be reasonable; they have decided to be democratic; they have decided
to be progressives; they have decided to constitute themselves as a legislative
armada to be protective of the transformational tsunami that have been
unleashed in the socio-political and economic topography of the state.
How
close are you to the people at the grassroots in Edo South?
That
I won election as a councilor in my ward; that I won election to the state
Assembly for two consecutive times say it all. I didn’t barge into politics
like a political zoomer from the north. After eight years in the state
Assembly, I went ahead to win election to the National Assembly as a member of the
House of Representatives and had the privilege to be appointed as a chief of
staff to a governor, who has a romantic marriage with the people. These speak
volume of the fact that I am connected to my people.
What
do you make of the defection of the Speaker of House of Representatives, Hon.
Aminu Tambuwal to the All Progressives Congress and the call in some political
quarters for his resignation?
The
issue is very clear; strip of vulgar politicking. The constitution is so
diaphanously clear on the matter. A member of the state House of Assembly or
National Assembly shall not move from his party to another party; if he does
that he loses his seat, but if he pleads division of the party in his state,
that becomes an exceptional circumstance. I understand that the Speaker of the
House of Representatives, Hon Aminu Tambuwal pleaded the division of the party
in his state as a political alibi why he had to defect from the PDP to the APC,
and for the reason, a lot of political homosapiens have had to equally engage
in such political takivastation. Not too long before Tambuwal adjusted from the
PDP to the APC, the speaker of Ondo State House of Assembly and other members
of the House equally adjusted from Labour Party to the PDP.
That did not cause
any political furore. The security apparatchik did not crumble.
There
has been this kind of defection on the floor of the National Assembly. It does
not lie on the mouth of the Inspector General of Police to interpret the
provisions of the constitution; it does not lie in the hands of power players
in the Presidential Villa to interpret the provisions of the constitution. If
they think, and strongly so that Hon. Tambuwal breached he constitution; what
Section 1 of the constitution urges them to do is to approach the court of law.
And let me say too where they got it wrong; the constitution did not say that a
speaker shall emerge from the majority political party. The rules of the House
say that we shall elect from among ourselves a speaker to preside over us. It
didn’t say that we shall elect a speaker from the majority political party.
That Tambuwal decided to leave the PDP for the APC; it does not lie on the
mouth of the PDP to say that he should step down as speaker. They are
showcasing their ignorance of the clear workings of the law and at best playing
crude politics.
Looking
at the crude politics playing out ahead of the 2015, what are your thoughts on
the forthcoming general elections, and what do make of the bid by your party to
field a presidential and vice presidential candidates of the same religious
faith?
My
thoughts on the 2015 elections against the political macabre dance that is
occasioning itself at the moment is to advice all political players to know and
realize that Nigeria is greater than all of us. Our dream should be to take our
rightful place among the comity of nations. We as individuals will come and go,
Nigeria will remain a project, but let me warn all those who have the
opportunity to influence power centres in all directions as regards to the 2015
elections to know that the consciousness of Nigerians has been highly
sensitized. Nigerians cannot condone again any attempt to rig elections. This
note of warning must sink into the political medulla oblongata of all political
power players. On the Muslim/Muslim ticket or Christian/Christian ticket, I say
no comment.
source: nationalmirroronline
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