Former Kogi State first lady, Ambassador Aisha Audu-Emeje is in the vanguard of a second term ticket for the incumbent president, Dr Goodluck Jonathan. She is the Deputy Director-General and member, Board of Trustees (BoT) of House-2-House Campaign for Democracy, a platform she claims has membership across the country and determined to draft Dr Jonathan into the 2015 presidential race.She spoke with Daily Sun in Abuja.
What informed the decision to float the House-2-House Campaign for Democracy?
House-2-House as the name simply implies is to be able to deal with particular groups in their own location where they live and is only the number of houses in a community that actually makes that community to be reckoned with; so when we bring up the word House-2-House, we just want to emphasize that we want everybody to be carried along in this campaign for the sustenance of democracy in Nigeria.
Your group has declared President Goodluck Jonathan “wanted” in some of your handbills and posters and your are canvassing for him to re-contest in 2015. What if he declines?
President Goodluck Jonathan has the constitutional right to run a second term, it is our desire and wish that he steps out to lead us through the stability of the democracy we are seeing.
This administration has laid a solid foundation and they have taken up institutional overhaul, three or four years is not enough to bring that to fruition. So, we are saying to him with the believe that he will consider our call and we don’t think he will decline our call, because the signs or odds are not against him to decline. But as
Nigerians with good interest for the nation, and with this democracy which is becoming the voice of the people, we believe should be further deepened . And I can tell you that there are people that will encourage him, that will tell him not to reject us. He has been tested through the ranks in politics. So we are clamouring that we should support and give him the backing to declare.
The President hasn’t made a public declaration that he is going to contest; is your group not jumping the gun?
Our group cannot be seen as jumping the gun, we are not the first, and we are not the only one. And like we have clearly stated, we are campaigning for the sustenance of democracy in Nigeria. We are saying there is right time for everything, there is time that you will declare, we are in pre- primaries state and we have the right as Nigerians, as civil society and non governmental organisation to clamour for what we want. So I don’t see us jumping the gun.
Given the security challenges in the country, the northern elders recently gave an ultimatum to Mr. President to ensure the release of over 200 abducted Chibok girls or forget about 2015. What is your take?
This is a first time situation in the country as a whole even under the military, this thing wasn’t profound, where people take their grievances to the street. The provision of support programme for the Al majiri, the affected people and empowerment of people of the northern region is in full place. A few days ago, N220billion was launched and there is so much, factories are being rebuilt, agriculture is a pride of the north, it is being rediscovered. So we will not say their ultimatum does not mean anything, it is just their feeling that this government should do more which I believe the government is addressing. We will not look down on the ultimatum, but as Nigerians and as democrats there are things that must go on and people will make their choice at the end of the day.
There are insinuations that the isolated cases of violence across the country are allegedly precipitated by the zoning principle that was jettisoned by the PDP; do you subscribe to this assertion?
You know the job of the opposition is to oppose and when people are opposing, they will create points that might resemble what they wish or what they think, but there is nobody under the surface of this earth that will like to see the insecurity that we are in and put their hands into it.
So far, so good, the problem of the North (insecurity) today did not start under President Jonathan. Obasanjo tried to handle it, he suppressed it as much as possible, put them under lock and key, he was a retired military man even though under democracy. President Jonathan today, though gave the final orders, he still had to deal with the fact that this is a challenge. That was not part of what was handed over to him as president but resurfaced though fully after the death of Yar’Adua. So, my belief is that rumours are rumours, but there is no laid down fact to any of these claims.
Are you comfortable with the level of women participation in politics in Nigeria?
I am not comfortable yet, but we are getting there. Countries like Tanzania, Rwanda just brought out policies and laws to support 50-50 for women. Nigeria, under our dear Mrs. Mariam Abacha went all the way to Beijing China to bring women affirmation and the implementation was barely 7 percent, but today, with the present administration doing so much in carrying women along there is a visible hope in the partnership between men and women on the issue of power sharing.
Politics is expensive, the more women we get empowered, it will improve and the more political parties are declaring free participation, exclusive positions for women, not just woman leadership but having key roles in the parties, women will be empowered to be able to stand on their own.