Alhaji Suleiman Buhari, the publicity secretary of the All Progressives Party (APC) in Kwara State, speaks on the Saraki dynasty, war against corruption, among other issues.

What impact has the position of the Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki, made on the state?

There's a monthly federal allocation, which states rely on for survival. Since the last dispensation, Kwara has been facing the challenge arising from the shortfall in Federal allocation. It's a big challenge to almost all states in the federation. Without the allocation, I don't think most states can sustain the running cost of government. That's what you use to pay workers' salary and embark on projects. So, the current problem is affecting the federal government and states. We have been battling to pay local government workers. We hope that the problem will be solved soonest, as the government is working round the clock to get it resolved. Stability at the federal level will surely rub off on the states for them to enjoy whatever is available.

How do you perceive the activities of the opposition party in Kwara?

As far as I am concerned, there's no opposition party in Kwara. We just have noisemakers, because a party that cannot win a seat in the state House of Assembly can be considered not to be on ground. So, I don't see any serious opposition here. They are just trying to be relevant. The APC administration is the government of the people and by the way we operate the government, we have so much respect for the people. We are not there to promote impunity. Before we do anything in government, we make sure that it's what the people want and not what we want as government. So, there's that pervading understanding between the government and the good people of the state. That's why we've been able to run the government smoothly. That's also the reason we don't find things difficult among the people, particularly in running the government. If they think they are in existence, I think there are lots of things to be put in place for people to know that they are certainly in opposition, especially in Kwara As far as APC and its government are concerned, we don't believe there's any opposition in the state.

What's your view on the place of the opposition in a democracy?

I agree there should be a credible opposition in every democracy to provide constructive criticism to the ruling government. But, Kwara has its own peculiarity. As far as we are concerned, we don't think we even need opposition in the state. We don't need it because we know what our people want. APC is a party of the people and the leaders are not there just to enrich their pockets. We know what our people want. This is the party that was put together by the people of the state. So, to come out as the opposition in Kwara is like a waste of time, because the government knows the right thing for the people and knows how to deliver even within the meagre resources at our disposal. Opposition can only exist where the ruling government does not know what to do. But here, we know what to do, at what time and at the right time, depending on our resources.

How do you think the current friction between some APC national leaders and the Senate President can be resolved amicably, I mean the allegation of betrayal leveled against the Senate President by some APC leaders, which has culminated in political and legal frictions.

Let me correct something here. The Senate President did not betray anyone. That's one. And I want the general public to understand that. Don't forget, this is politics and one thing that is paramount in politics is interest. That's it! I have to protect my interest, while you have to protect yours at all times. And where some of these people got it wrong was when they first came out on the issue of zoning. At a time, they came out that the Senate presidency was zoned to the North-Central. So, it's because of the interest of some people that the party later tried to change the zoning arrangement. And when I see that I am capable to run for a political office and the party constitution allows me to do that, then I am free to do so (under freedom of rights and what have you). Once I see that I have the majority of people supporting me, I can go to any length to achieve that ambition. It's not really the fault of the Senate President because the party didn't come out until the last day. So, when you have people behind you, you can go ahead. There was no time the party came out to say the position was not zoned to the North-Central. They are just finding one reason or the other to manoeuvre things one way or the other, which could not go anywhere. So, the Senate president didn't betray anyone with the way he emerged. He tried as much as possible to protect his party.

Don't forget, if he had not done what he did that day, definitely a member of PDP (opposition) could have emerged as Senate President. So, what he did is a glory for APC, which I think by now they've realised, and that they appreciate what happened at the end of the day; because if he hadn't done what he did, the opposition could have been struggling to hijack power from APC and such development would have a negative impact on governance. So, what happened was the wish of God. That's how God has destined it. Therefore, no one could have stopped it.

Then, how do you think the matter can be resolved?

It has been resolved. It's a normal happening in the political circle. A good politician expects all this. Yes. Those people that are against him are fighting for their own interest too; they want to protect their own interest. So, all the court matters; witch-hunting here and there is normal. The Senate President even said it when he appeared at the code of conduct tribunal that if it was not because he emerged as Senate President, he would not be facing all what he's going through. I think we have gone beyond that level now, because he's the right person at that right time. He's capable, competent, and he has the knowledge and the charisma. That seat, the red carpet are no small places for just anyone. There are many experienced politicians such as former governors and professionals. He's the right person to work with President Muhammadu Buhari. And I think President Buhari knows he's having the rightful partner to work with at this crucial period of the nation's democracy.

Why do you think people insinuate that the Senate President controls the machinery of government in Kwara?

I hear such a lot. But, let me correct such impresion and not just because you are asking me the question. I have answered the question severally at different fora and media. People cannot just sit somewhere and spread all kinds of rumours. It's not fair. He is not concerned as such with what's going on in Kwara. What concerns him most is good governance. Do the right thing with what you are given. And from my experience, I don't see him as that kind of politician. He's not concerned about his own personal interest in politics. No! What concerns him most is the wellbeing of his people, the good people of Kwara and Nigeria as a whole. Since he emerged the Senate President, he hardly found time to come to the state, because he's already engaged with a national assignment. So, I don't know where people get such rumour, maybe because they know he's the leader of the party in the state, or that the governor served under him as commissioner before he became the governor. He can only correct the governor if he's getting it wrong as a more experienced politician. He has experienced a lot in the system. The governor can also meet with him to seek for pieces of advice. Apart from that, their insinuations that he's controlling the government and all that are all lies.

What your view on the ongoing fight against corruption by President Buhari?

The president is doing it perfectly well. You can see where he started from. He started with the immediate past government, because the amount of money involved cannot be ignored. We all know the level of security challenges being experienced by the people in the North-East and the whole country at large in the hands of Boko Haram. Imagine a government coming out with promises and pledge to rout insurgency, and the money voted to procure ammunition to fight insurgents being diverted for political campaign! It's saddening. Many people had lost their lives, property and essence of living, while many cannot trace their families and homes again. It's only a heartless government that will see such things and look the other way. The President started with that. So, he should continue. And the people arrested so far are those involved.

They confirmed that by saying how much they got and for what purpose. And not that those arrested were not connected with the arms money. So, people should be patient with the government and allow him to continue with his good work already started. If he's going to extend the probe beyond the people he's probing now or beyond immediate past administration, time will tell. He should be allowed to continue the work. He has just signed an MoU with government of the United Arab Emirate to get stolen funds starched in the country for personal aggrandisement.

The leaders of the Saraki political structure boast that it has the capacity to win election when moved to any political party...

The structure is now permanent in APC. If the party is doing well and giving people what they want, there is no problem. The structure is all about human beings and what pleases them. It's not about a personal interest. So, if the structure feels that what the party is doing is not protecting the interest of the people, then we'll know what to do, since the structure is all about the people. It found itself in APC because we see the party as a people-oriented platform. That's why they are there. But if they discover tomorrow that the 'broom' can no longer sweep well for Nigerians and good people of Kwara, the situation will dictate the next line of action. It's not even the Saraki structure that will dictate, it's the people that will tell the dynasty that they are no longer conducive with the broom. Most times, people decide for the leaders in the structure. The leaders don't do things on their own; they always connect with the people. If they say they are all right, the leaders have no other option but to agree with them.

What's the peculiarity of the Kwara political structure you earlier referred to?

It's peculiar. I want to refresh your memory a bit, particularly to the last general election. What happened in Kwara has never happened in any state of the country. And it has been happening in the past in the state, in the sense that for you to see a dynasty holding on to the political control, for over 40 years, without shaking, you can see that such dynasty is quite peculiar. You can't find that elsewhere throughout the nation. Nothing as such in Ogun, Oyo, Ondo, Kano or Zamfara state. That's the peculiarity of the Saraki structure as laid down by Dr Olusola Saraki, of the blessed memory. I see the structure as that which sees tomorrow. All what's going to happen politically in Nigeria, good or bad, would have been known by the leaders. It's a large family, and tomorrow, the structure will still be there

A lot of good things have been happening. And as we can see, what is happening in Kwara is not peculiar to the state, but to all states of the federation. For instance, the situation we've found ourselves in the country as a party is a very difficult one. So, we need to do a lot of things in order to put things in the right place. It is the same situation we've found ourselves in the state, particularly in the financial aspect. The whole country is in a big financial problem. The government is trying to put things in order. We can see efforts being made on improving revenue through taxes. The government discovered loopholes in revenue generation; financial leakages here and there, with government revenue being frittered away, causing some setbacks for government and its activities. It took the state government time to constitute cabinet because of the financial challenges and not because of anything else. But, we have gone beyond that now. The government is planning to fulfill its promises to people of the state. Towards achieving that, we have approached the capital market to seek for a N20 billion loan. It has started the process to get the approval by taking the proposal to the state House of Assembly, while the House has taken it to the their constituencies to intimate people with what the government wants to do with the money. The people now understand why the government wants to take the loan. There's a plan already mapped out for all the projects the loan will be used for. We expect the government to deliver on its promises to the electorate when it secures the loan. They will be in terms of infrastructural development, employment generation, among other things. But currently, we are having the problem of paying our workers' salary. That's the issue that's of utmost concern to the government now. When that's solved, other development programmes will follow.

Why are politicians from rival parties not defecting to the governing APC in Kwara, as it appears to be the tradition in a number of other states?

That has been happening at the ward level. We have that on daily basis. You know, when people can no longer see hope somewhere, they will look elsewhere. There's no hope in Kwara PDP. You can see, they are just like a house divided against itself. Where are they? Everything has scattered. They have factions all around. They accuse the leadership of bias, collecting money from some people and all manner of allegations are flying around. So, people look for a party that has future. Therefore on daily basis, we receive information from our wards that people are joining us. We ask them to accept them because we are practising genuine democracy in APC.