• Friday, March 29, 2024
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Power shift to South not negotiable in 2023, says Lanre Razak

Lanre Razak

Lanre Razak, a chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and former Commissioner in Lagos State, in this exclusive interview with INIOBONG IWOK, spoke on the issues around 2023, Lagos politics, among other issues. Excerpts:

Power is expected to shift to the South in 2023, but recent tunes of some Northern individuals and groups have been contrary. Do you have any fears the North may not hand over power?

Don’t bother yourself; if anybody is trying to play God, power belongs to God and he gives it to whoever he pleases. But from indications, we are talking about the needs of Nigerians and who can really do it?

But it is presumed that even if power comes to the South, it is the turn of the Igbo to produce the president considering that other major ethnic groups in the South have been there recently?

Let leave this for the electorate to determine who takes the position. I mean they would examine candidates that are put forward, but I am saying that I have the best material in Tinubu. Don’t let us trivialise the matter and turn it into ethnic issue,   I am talking about a man who has the experience and is capable of stopping Nigerians continue suffering in the mist of plenty.

But some leaders in the South have kicked against the idea of a Tinubu president in 2023?

Leave them, they are entitled to their opinion, all of them and they should not play God, when the time comes God would show Nigerians.

Recently, a former presidential candidate from the North said the North was only using Tinubu, that he would soon be dumped, what is your take?

That is his own opinion, you can decide to deceive and manipulate person but God can tell you, your set goals would not be achieved.

He is already defeated by saying that. If they are using him let them continue.

How do you react to the recent events with the Vice-President?

I don’t believe anything is happening. In the presidential system, the president has all the powers and he only assigns it to whoever he thinks can assist him to achieve his mandate. All those people talking are only speculating. The president has a constitutional right to set up economic council that is not to say Osinbajo is being persecuted. I believe the man has a lot to do and the President has a lot of confidence in him.

And they were assigning him a lot of work to do; you would see what would happen. The President has not told us that he is going to fight his Vice or he is not going to give him work to do; you would see what would happen in the next few days.

Some Lagos indigenes recently expressed displeasure to the State Assembly over their rejection of some Commissioner-nominees sent by the governor. You are an indigene of the state, what is your take?

I don’t have fact, about what you are saying and I have not talked to the state Assembly to know why they took this decision. We elect all the forty members of the state Assembly; they must have their reasons; I don’t think it is to discriminate Lagos indigenes from the administration of the state. They must have good reasons; I am sure it is in the best interest of the state.

Buhari just won at the Court of Appeal and Atiku as gone to the Supreme Court; what is your reaction?

Atiku has a right to do that; what the Judges in the Court of Appeal have done is right; taking the constitution, electoral act into consideration. They are expected to do judgment by law not on hearsay; it has to do with law which they went with. When the entire Zamfara and River State were given to PDP, what happened? The judges have done their best; let’s allow the judiciary to grow. He has the right to appeal; the Supreme Court are full with judiciary officers who know the law; they would exercise and they would apply their judgment based on law and not on hearsay.

Are you satisfied with the crop of ministers appointed by Buhari?

The constitution is clear about the presidential system of government; the president has a mandate to appoint people who would help him to fulfil his mandate. It is Nigerians who gave him the mandate, let’s support him and co-operate with him. The man can only pick 40 out of about 200 million Nigerians. Let’s cooperate with the man; let’s stop bothering him; he would deliver I believe so. I have absolute confidence that Buhari would take us to the dream land.

You could not get the Lagos East ticket to the Senate in the last election; are you likely to aspire again in 2023?

You see, I am a Muslim; Muslims believe that God gives and takes; it is the wish of Allah that I would not be there. The man there is my friend, a nice person who can deliver; my prayer is that Nigeria should grow from strength to strength. I don’t have to worry myself; I only have to cooperate with the party to make sure that we deliver our programmes to Nigerians. Individual personal issues do not arise, it is my wish to be there, but if I am not elected someone else would be there. The best thing is that the party should continue and do its best for Nigerians. It is what God chooses for us; I cannot be talking about 2023, If God holds and keeps us alive till then, I can talk about 2023, but let wait till then.

How would you assess the Lagos State Governor, who has just sworn in Commissioners and marked hundred days in office; some people are of the opinion he is slow?

Governance is not about noise making, it is about performance, concrete things being done. The man has gone to see things on ground and he is making sure they are done. Cooperate with the government of Lagos State, they have a lot for Lagosians and they would take the state to the next level. Lagosians should pay their tax so there would be money for development.

What are the areas that you think President Buhari should give priority in the next four years?

Well, the President has a manifesto and I am a member of the party. Our programmes are clear. I think agriculture is important to taking Nigerians to the next level and education is important too which should be given enough attention.

Infrastructure has not been attended to during the PDP era; the President is making sure that those who stole our money return it. The president has made it clear he has zero tolerance for corruption; Nigerians should cooperate with him; they should give him all the support so that he can take Nigeria to the next level.

Your business and office is in Apapa; what is your take about the achievement so far, of the presidential task force effort to clear traffic within Apapa?

They are doing their work in the reality they find themselves. The truth is that for the sixteen years of PDP, they neglected the federal roads in Lagos, including Apapa and that is the reason for the situation. But the present administration set up a committee to do a work, let’s appreciate them; let’s the public allow them to work; that is the way we can get the best from them.