Ladipo Johnson, lawyer and national publicity secretary of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), in this exclusive interview with INIOBONG IWOK, spoke on the state of the nation, plan by the opposition parties to forge an alliance against the APC ahead 2027 general election. He also spoke on the willingness of Rabiu Kwankwaso to work with Peter Obi ahead next general election among other issues. Excerpts:
Many people said the opposition is not playing its role effectively against the APC government, which is why we saw the bad governance protests some months ago. What is your take?
I believe that the opposition could do better. However, many of them are facing internal problems and squabbles. In some of these cases you will find that some on the inside are causing disinfection, whilst at the same time posturing and holding positions supporting APC on issues. On our part, we have done our very best to be an active and constructive opposition party. We will continue to do this i can assure you in years ahead.
You were part of Rabiu Kwankwaso’s team that met with Olusegun Obasanjo last week, what was the meeting about?
Firstly, it was an opportunity for Senator Kwankwaso to pay Baba a visit and thank him for taking the time to attend the wedding of his daughter. Secondly, it was an opportunity for former President Obasanjo, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso and His Excellency, Donald Duke to get together to discuss salient issues relating to the country, especially matters affecting politics, governance, insecurity and the economy.
It must however be pointed out that political and strategic meetings are on the increase, across party lines and I know 2025 will bring a flurry of activities.
There are speculations that the opposition parties are planning merger against the APC in 2027. Do you think it is viable and would be successful!?
Most definitely. I believe that the mood in the country now is different from what was prevalent in 2022/23. Politicians from various parties seem to be more open to working together and various discussions are going on around the possibility of working together. Whether or not something will happen in that direction remains to be seen. Whether it would be in form of a coalition or whether a merger, only time will tell. The key to it all is what politicians now feel is the need to come together to salvage this country from bad governance and an insensitive government.
Is the NNPP open to such alliance ahead 2027?
We have always stated that we are in support of, and will not rule out anything that will help deliver good governance to the people of Nigeria. We need to ensure that we stop the decent into poverty by many Nigerians and bring about the reversal of the dismal economic performance by this government as quickly as possible. Anything that would bring about this state of things will be embraced by most.
Many have also said Kwankwaso should be deputy to Peter Obi in 2027, how open is he to such idea?
I have not discussed the issue with him. However, I know for certain that he is very concerned about the state of the economy and the plight of the Nigerian masses. As I keep telling people, the sentiments in the country, especially that of Northern Nigeria, may not necessarily be the same now as they were in 2023. Therefore, this issue may not even arise. And then again, it might. We will wait and see.
The Abba Yusuf’s administration in Kano is facing some opposition from some politicians in that state, we saw some moved to the APC recently. What is your assessment of the situation?
His Excellency, Engr Abba Kabir Yusuf is definitely one of, if not the best performing governor in the country. This despite the constant attacks and nefarious acts by those who seem hell bent on disrupting the good work he is doing in the state.
He came in and had to correct the maladministration of his predecessor and has settled down despite the fact that the opposition have constituted themselves into a nuisance. I assure you sir, that there are many more who have crossed over to our side to support the governor than the very few going that way.
We saw the administration sacked some cabinet members recently, could this be an indication of deeper problem in the administration?
No sir. The cabinet reshuffle is indicative of a dynamic and proactive governor who is constantly appraising the work ethic of those around him, ensuring optimal performance. It was necessary for His Excellency to make the changes he did for better performance and that is what he did.
Many Nigerians can’t afford to eat this Yuletide period due to high cost of everything, what is your assessment of the situation and what is the way out?
It is quite unfortunate. That however is what our people voted for! It is clear that the economy is not working yet this government has doubled down on these failing policies. Most unfortunately, it does not seem that the proposed 2025 budget presented by Mr. President will help pull us out from the economic doldrums that we are in. The government must find a way of reducing costs of governance drastically. They must begin to ensure the decrease in the inflation rate, and especially Food Inflation. Insecurity must be better tackled especially in areas that really produce agricultural products etc. The value of the naira must be worked on amongst many other things.
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