He contested against former president Olusegun Obasanjo of People's Democratic Party (PDP).
In an interview with PAUL ORUDE, the Ondo-born chief, who was in Bauchi as part of his tour to revive the Social Democratic Party (SDP), spoke on how he defeated former president Olusegun Obasanjo in 1999 presidential election, and how Social Democratic Party (SDP) was going to shape Nigeria politics.
Excerpt
What is your mission in Bauchi?
I have been hearing of the development going in Bauchi and I wanted to come and see for myself. I am very impressed with what I have seen. I am also impressed that because of the good work of the governor Boko Haram has not found its foothold in Bauchi. I am also here because recently the Social Democratic Party (SPD) was revived by some of us who felt that the political situation in Nigeria requires something new, different, decent, honest and purposeful. And so I am here to meet friends, talk to former members and leaders of the SDP to let them know that the party is back and also ask them to join hands with me to establish it as the third force in Nigeria politics.
During the two presidential elections you asked members of your party on both occasions to vote a presidential candidate whose party is different from yours. Why?
My former party, the SDP was the remnant of the Mega Movement. About four or five years ago there was a movement of 24 political parties to come together and merge into one and offer a credible alternative. I was dragged into that movement and at its second meeting I was made its spokesman. I was prevailed upon to lead the movement and as time went on the various parties were withdrawing. At the end of the day three or four of us were left because everybody thought that he alone would win power without sharing it with anybody else. This in my view was very unwise. I have always held the view that it is better to have one percent of 100 than 0 percent of 1000. One percent of 100 is one and 0 per cent of a 1000 is 0.
So, it is therefore better to work and win power in collaboration with others so as to give Nigeria a new direction to begin to eliminate corruption, which is the key to our crisis and problems.
SDP has one of the most fantastic manifestos that you have ever seen. It addresses every issue of concern to Nigerians. That was why it was able to win elections in every part of Nigeria. Membership of SDP was like a family. The rancour, the backbiting, and the bitterness that we see today were very rare. For example, late General Shehu Yar'Adua and I were two leaders of the party vying for nomination to be the presidential candidate of the party. And yet anytime I was in Kaduna the first place I visited was Shehu's house despite the fact that we were contesting. That is the spirit I want to bring back. And whenever he came to Lagos he would come to my house and smoke all his cigarettes and we would talk for two, three hours. That is missing now. It is now do or die affair because people are fighting for money for themselves not for the country.
Are you going to run for the presidency in 2015?
That is most unlikely. The political arithmetic does not support that because Obasanjo left the presidency just a few years ago and we are from the same zone. Other zones must have their chance because Nigeria belongs to all of us.
How are you going to revive the defunct SDP when there are mega parties like APC, PDP among others?
That is exactly why we want to revive SDP because most of the other parties are what I call, opportunistic gang up for power. People came together to form parties so they will win power and grab the treasury and use it for their own purposes. Most of these parties are not formed around core values or programmes that are articulated for the benefits of the masses of Nigeria.
Somebody has been asking me will your SDP work with other parties and particularly APC and I said SDP will work with any party that agrees to a programme with us for the advancement of Nigeria. But I will not go into any cooperation based on nothing. Just like we get together, we have the majority, we win the election, no. We are going to come together only on the basis of composite programme showing how we are going to eliminate corruption, which is the enemy number one of Nigeria, how we are going to create employment for the people, how we are going to solve the problem of power shortage and instability and non availability of power, how we are going to revive the decaying infrastructure, etc. If we agree on those programmes then we can work with anybody after all we are in politics for the sole purpose of maximising the welfare of the people.
How do you see the merger that brought about APC?
Well, I will not comment on the parties coming together. I was recently asked about it a
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