2019: Buhari already has 12m votes that cannot be taken from him – Don Etiebet

A former Petroleum Minister, Chief Don Etiebet, is optimistic that President Muhammadu Buhari’s chances of winning re-election in 2019 are very bright, citing the pattern of voting across the country that will favour him. In this interview, the Chairman of Akwa Ibom APC Caucus also speaks on other national issues. Excerpts:

2019 general elections are around the corner and PDP members are campaigning against the return of President Muhammadu Buhari, saying the nation has not made progress under his administration. What do you think?

Such a statement is unfortunate. I have played politics in Nigeria for decades and I know about politics inside out. I left this country before the civil war and, since I came back in 1978, I have been involved in politics; from the time of the National Party of Nigeria (NPN) to the period of up the National Republican Convention (NRC) and this moment, and I have never seen an administration or a President that has done as much as Buhari has done to reposition this country for progress. This country in the 50s had an economy that was better than those of Malaysia and South Korea.

The Kingdom of God to reposition Nigeria for economic growth is to bring corruption to zero level. It may not get to zero level but can be reduced to a level that can allow development. So many things have to be reprogrammed, restructured and repositioned for the country to progress and you cannot achieve that overnight. But President Buhari has laid the foundation for achieving that and that is why I am supporting him. Since 2003 when President Buhari first entered the presidential election, he has had a base of support that you cannot dismantle. Nobody in this country can match Buhari in that base. 

Mr. President has a base of 12 million voters and, whatever people say, cannot be dismantled. In 2003, go and check the records, 12 million votes; 2006, 12 million; 2014, 12 million; 2015, 12 million, plus the top up from the South –West that didn’t vote for him before; like Kano which was PDP before, and Jigawa that was PDP before. Second, in 2003 the three southern zones, during election time under former President Obasanjo, declared only 880,000 votes for Buhari and declared over 12 million votes for Obasanjo. I was there and I stopped the announcement of the results because I said it was not proper and correct.

The el-Rufai Committee of the APC on Restructuring submitted its report to the Federal Government following which Akwa Ibom PDP leaders lampooned the All Progressives Congress-led Federal Government for contemplating the re-introduction of the onshore/offshore oil dichotomy in the country. What’s your comment?

I don’t think that is what the committee meant. The problem of onshore/offshore oil dichotomy is settled in the sense that where offshore production occurs within 240 nautical miles belongs to littoral states. So, I believe that what the committee meant may be oil discovered or produced outside that isobar boundary, not within. And if you look at the committee’s report, they didn’t mention anything about the area within the 240 isobar. So, let nobody be deceived. If anything is done to get near towards that area, we shall oppose it vehemently.

Vanguard