2015: Why APC is headed for the rocks –Senator Emordi

Senator Joy Emordi, fondly called “the Joy of the National Assembly” by colleagues during her stint as senator representing Anambra North, and later as presidential adviser on National Assembly Affairs, enjoys a Spartan spirit on the political turf. She is the first elected female senator of South East extraction.

She speaks to Sunday Sun on her decades-long sojourn in politics, her joy, frustrations, re­grets, and ambition. She also x-rays the politics of her native Anambra State Peoples Democrat­ic Party, PDP, which is bedeviled with unending intrigues, tension and crises, declaring that she is taking a sabbatical from elective contests un­til the situation normalizes. A die hard product of the “Aminu Kano school of politics”, Emordi, who is a lawyer and educationist, holds her head high, daring men in their exclusive field.

She is saddened that the godfather syn­drome is growing astronomically and will soon peak when wives and husbands will be picked for people by godfathers.

Reliving her experiences as presidential ad­viser at the National Assembly, she reels out how needless intervention by some presiden­tial aides frustrated her and how the much cel­ebrated impeachment move against Jonathan in 2012 turned out to be a hoax.

She says Jonathan has only been elected once, and should be allowed to do a second term courtesy of section 137B of the consti­tution. Emordi, who boasts of a rich and keen understanding of the dynamics of politics, con­tends that the opposition All Progressives Con­gress, APC, is headed for the rocks before the 2015 elections.

Emordi speaks more on riveting issues of na­tional significance, in deep, enchanting modula­tion and instincts.

Excerpts:

At what stage in your life did the allure of politics get the better of you?How and what inspired you into politics?

I must say that my undergraduate days at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, UNN, helped to shape my political life so much, because UNN instilled in us the consciousness that we were the change the society was waiting for; that the world was waiting for us to restore the dignity of man. We were showered with social theories on egalitar­ian society, where no man would be in economic, social or political bondage. We were taken to the height of idealism, which even bordered on utopia at times. Yes, we believed it all.

I was highly involved in student activism and was elected chairman of the Balewa Hall. You know what that meant in those days? Before my coming in, students were quite unhappy about so many things, including deteriorating facilities due to poor maintenance culture. I confronted the situ­ation and transformed the hostel to a place befit­ting of “great Lionesses”. It had an effect on me. It taught me that with dedicated leadership; quite a lot of positive changes could be truly affected. It is not just me. In fact, I can count a number of serving and former governors, lawmakers, etc who started off as student unionists.

Naturally, being a person with passion to better the lot of men and women, and having learnt about government as a process to achieve this, I began to imagine myself as one of those leaders who could use the platform of government to create change. Of course you know that it’s a lot easier to inspire change and influence policies if you are in a po­sition of authority. From experience therefore, I knew I could significantly drive the type of change I desired to see in our society through the instru­mentality of politics and governmental power, policies and actions. That was how my interest in politics was stirred, and how my journey into lead­ership and governance began. So, in a nutshell, I can say that the desire to touch the lives of the peo­ple is my major motivation to venture into politics.

Apart from the inspiration and tutelage, who are those you consider your role models in politics?

Generally, I see every great leader who has been able to make significant impact on the people they lead and govern as a role model. In other words, I choose my role models in politics, not really based on their sex, colour or race, but on the principles and actions which they live by, and the positive impact they’ve had on the lives of the people they lead or govern.

Mallam Aminu Kano has been my role model right from my school days. Then, many of the students were diehard fans of Aminu Kano, such that we contributed, from our little pockets, money to support his campaigns and promote his ideals in the students’ wing of his party, the Peoples Re­demption Party, PRP. He was a man of the masses. He was a totally pro-poor politician. He showed us that politics should be all about service. In fact, he represented all I ever wanted out of politics. And of course, Mandela is both my political and social model. His determination and ability to hold on to his principles in the face of danger; his forgiv­ing heart; and ability to lead people from bondage to freedom and from hate to love are values we should all imbibe every day of our lives. Despite all the sacrifices he made for his people, he took nothing away- materially speaking. Yet he stands out as one of the world’s best leaders ever.

There are also a number of female politicians I admire, and they include Margaret Thatcher, the former British Prime Minister whose resilience, commitment, focus, firmness and goal-driven at­titude really won my admiration. I also admire the former US Secretary of State, Senator Hilary Clin­ton for her intelligence and the can-do attitude she brought to bear in her work. In Nigeria, I respect and admire Hajiya Gambo Sawaba for her selfless­ness and commitment to the cause of women. She worked very hard in uplifting Nigerian women in politics. She wasn’t materialistic like many politi­cians of today.

In a world dominated by men, how and when did you overcome the odds against women in politics?

Recall that I told you that I have been in poli­tics since my undergraduate days, despite being an educationist and a practising lawyer. I respect men a lot, but I don’t allow anybody to intimidate me. Never! I fear God, my conscience, and history.

In fact, during my undergraduate days, we had just two women studying Geography in our class of 48 students. But we really showed the men we were no pushovers, whether intellectually or phys­ically. Although Geography Education involved lots of excursions and on-the-site teachings, we kit­ted our selves properly and forged ahead with the boys. Whether it was a hill or mountain, we made sure the two of us got there before the men. I never accepted gender as a predicament. It was with that mentality that I joined politics.

You know what politics means in Anambra State. Some see it as total war. The fact that I was the first woman of South-East extraction to be­come a senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in 2005 after a protracted legal battle to reclaim my mandate speaks volume about the place of Ni­gerian woman in politics in our hundred years of existence as a nation.

I was able to overcome the odds in politics largely by the grace of God and through sheer de­termination, conviction and focus on my political dreams and aspirations. My quest to serve the pub­lic and help people, kind of sustained my political impetus. My education and career as a lawyer gave me the necessary exposure and strengthened me for the challenges. I saw men as partners, rather than competitors. I was able to convince most of them on my capacity to deliver at every opportu­nity I had in public service.

When the time came, they gave me overwhelming support, because politics should not really be about whether you are a man or a woman, but whether you possess the ability to deliver on your mandate. For instance, when I decided to stand for election to the 1994 Constitutional Conference, there was a lot of pres­sure mounted on me to step down for a man who was preferred by the establishment. I stood my ground, campaigned and eventually won that elec­tion, because I was able to convince people that I could deliver, and I did.

It is sad to note that even though women consti­tute about half of the electorate in the country, their presence in political and appointive offices is still low. I give kudos to President Goodluck Jonathan. He has done a lot to improve on this than previ­ous administrations. However, a lot still needs to be done.

You have been in politics for several decades now. Looking back , when was  your saddest day in politics?

The day they threw away the 1994/95 Constitu­tional Conference Report, which I was party to the making. That document was the closest we came to a people’s constitution since the end of the First Republic. The conference was populated with a lot of Nigerian leaders and patriots who were elected by their people, with a few nominated members. The debate was thorough, and the issues agreed upon were germane and superb. It held the key to repositioning Nigeria. Unfortunately, it was wa­tered down and Nigeria is paying heavily for that mistake.

You won a number of elections in Anambra State. Were they borne out of popularity, or divine favour?

First, we must acknowledge that power belongs to God. It is not of he that willeth or that runneth, but of God who shows mercy and grace. Then, like I told you, what motivated me into politics was service, right from my schools days. Even though Anambra is a difficult political terrain, the people know true and service-oriented leadership when they see one. But for God and the people, the grassroots, I would not have emerged the first fe­male senator in the South East. While some people shop for godfathers, I stick to the people. I recall in 2007, when some highly placed interests swore I would never return to the Senate because I did not support Third Term.

I ignored them and continued working with the grassroots. The many times they did the party primaries, I won, and they could not impose their candidate. During the main election, they funded my main opponent in another party, yet God floored them. It was only towards the tail end of my second tenure, when I thought the real cases at the tribunal had been trashed in my favour, that they used a man who never really ran for that position to push me out. But I am happy Nigerians know the truth and the difference today.

Anambra State always scores first when it comes to pig- headed politics and crisis. What is responsible for the unend­ing crisis in Anambra politics?

The real problem, which is also the problem all over the place in Nigeria, is “godfatherism”. People who feel the state belongs to them don’t want the will of the people to prevail. They want to install councillors, LG chairmen, governors, senators, and everything. In fact, if you permit them, they will want to install wives and husbands for people. The funny thing though is that there is hardly a case where the godfathers and godsons are happy ever after.

Then the peculiar problem with Anambra poli­tics is excess cash. There is so much money. Some people are so cash-loaded that they just want to show off that they can stop or install people. Some people push in their cash, not to help any candidate in particular to win, but simply to stop someone else. And if they succeed, they are even happier than the eventual winner of that particular election.

How do you see politics in Nigeria to­day compared to what it was in the ‘70s & ‘80s?

Politics of the 70s and 80s was a lot different from what we have today. Bad as it was then, people joined politics then not really for selfish and material gains as we have now, but for what they can offer for the good of the society. They made sacrifices and used their personal money to support parties. However, today , majority of the people run into politics for the wrong reasons such as making money and to seek protection from prosecution. As a result, you see all sorts of people such as those who have lost their jobs or failed in businesses joining politics because they see it as a means of livelihood simpliciter, and not service. I think this is what has led to the increase in corrup­tion and other vices in the country today.

As a woman who has been in the grind­ing mill of politics, are you satisfied with the performance of women in Nigerian politics today?

Your question has two broad connotations, that is, the representation of women in Nigerian politics and the achievements of women who are holding political offices.

As for the number of women in politics, I would say that I am not satisfied at all. Like I mentioned before, apart from several women appointed into various offices by President Goodluck Jonathan, women have a very low representation in terms of politics and elective offices. We are not where we should be, but the truth remains that Nigerian women still face daunting challenges in politics. The success of some of us in politics should inspire other women who are eager to join politics but lack the will owing to negative factors. Since politics and policies are a means of building a better so­ciety, they should get involved to contribute their own quota towards achieving this.

On the other hand, if we talk in terms of the performance of women who are holding political offices, they have reasonably done well. Look at the women in parliament, a lot of them are hold­ing key positions as chairmen of committees and making significant contributions to national devel­opment. See the performance of the likes of House Leader, Hon. Mulikat Akande Adeola, very intel­ligent and unassuming; Hon. Nkiruka Onyejeo­cha, Hon. Nnenna Ukeje, Hon. Abike Dabiri and others.

I am very proud of them. We want to see more women in elective positions. The Women for Change Initiative and other women groups should forge a virile alliance and gather momentum to en­sure increased participation of women in politics and 2015 elections. Women should be given ad­equate opportunity to participate in elections and be considered for more political appointments. This requires some policy decisions and actions at both the party and government levels.

Taking your suggestions not just on its face value, how prepared are the women folk for the 2015 elections?

I cannot readily say how prepared women are based on any concrete data analysis; assessment of facts and figures. But from my perception of the situation in the polity today, and the whole do-or-die atmosphere and violence, it is not likely that women will have significant new entrants into politics. We may even witness a situation where those that have been there being discouraged from venturing again unless something is done. Like I said earlier, political parties and the government should address the situation and give women more political opportunities.

In your state Anambra, why is your PDP losing steam to APGA?

The seeming dominance of APGA over PDP in Anambra State in the past two elections can largely be attributed to the crisis that had bedeviled the Anambra PDP over the years. There has been a lot of infighting within the PDP, and this has torn the party to shreds, such that we have not faced any of the elections with a united front. For almost a decade now, the PDP has not had a streamlined state executive. Indiscipline and political rascality have led to a great loss in the fortunes of the party in the state, that has seen us lose the governorship election to APGA in the last two elections.

Unreli­able leadership in the PDP state chapter presently is causing us a lot of embarrassment. A situation where someone who calls himself a PDP Chair­man hails a local government council election con­ducted by APGA-led state government is bad, and PDP was given zero in the so-called election. Not even one local government was won by the PDP, and the so-called chairman went on air to praise the former governor of the state for conducting a free and fair election, when everyone knew it was not so. How can anybody respect such a person?

What were your strengths, achieve­ments and regrets as a senator of the Federal Republic?

I came to the Senate in March, 2005 after a pro­tracted legal battle to reclaim my stolen mandate. I was determined to make a difference and to use the instrumentality of the parliament to impact on the lives of the people of Anambra North Senatorial District that I represented. I was aware of the time I had already lost and was determined to make up for it. So, I set about my duties focused on the goal.

I thank God for the many achievements I re­corded at the Senate. I was made the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Education, a responsi­bility I discharged to the best of my ability. I led the committee to perform effective oversight on the ministry and other parastatals in the education sector. We organized a National Education Sum­mit where the problems of the sector and possible solutions were articulated. This helped us to proffer solutions in the way of policy reforms and amend­ment of existing laws to make the institutions to perform better. The committee under my leader­ship also worked hard to ensure an increased al­location to the education sector towards achieving the UNESCO recommended 26% of annual bud­get. We worked to stop the proposed privatization of unity schools and initiated some reforms in the thrust of UBE projects to provide certain needed infrastructure like separate toilets for girls and boys which impacted significantly on enrollment. We also worked to improve the enrollment of girls into schools in the northern part of the country and boys in the south-eastern part of the country.

I sponsored and co-sponsored several bills and motions which sought to impact positively on the lives of Nigerians. I sponsored the Bill for a National Ethics Curriculum which was the first private member bill passed by the 6th Senate, amongst others. I also sponsored the bills for the establishment of the Federal Scholarship Commis­sion, stopping the dichotomy between HND and Bachelors degree graduates and the establishment of the National Institute For Educational Planning and Administration

I also attracted a lot of projects to my constitu­ency, which include primary healthcare centers, classroom blocks, boreholes, library and books and so on. My foundation, the Joy Emordi Foundation funded and is still funding several other projects such as scholarships for education and skill ac­quisition for several indigent youths, eye screen­ing and treatment, including provision of glasses for over 5000 constituents, micro credit grants to youths to start businesses, annual charity package for widows, physically challenged and less privi­leged in the society.One of the high points of my tenure in the Senate was when I led a delegation of the National Assembly on a study tour of the US Congress in 2006.

The only major regret I have from my stint at the Senate is my inability to see through the pas­sage of some of the bills I was sponsoring, espe­cially the Bill for the establishment of the Federal Scholarship Commission. I travelled far and wide both locally and internationally as the Chairman of the Senate Education Committee during which I had first hand information on the plight of Nigerian students studying abroad on Federal Government Scholarship. In Cuba, I was approached by a dele­gation of Nigerian students there who were strand­ed in the country due to irregular and non-payment of their stipends. The same scenes were repeated in a couple of other countries.

Then, there was a dele­gation of Nigerian students in Russia and other Eu­ropean countries who approached the committee for intervention of the Federal Government on the payment of their scholarship allowances. All these motivated me to initiate and sponsor the bill to make the Federal Scholarship Board, a department of the Federal Ministry of Education as a full com­mission. The Bill went through the first and second reading alongside another bill for the establishment of the Nigerian Institute for Educational Planning and Administration (NIEPA) but unfortunately there wasn’t enough time to pass the bills into laws before the abrupt end of my tenure at the Senate. That bill, if passed, could have impacted positively on the lives of Nigerian students studying on Fed­eral Government scholarships abroad.

I however worked and succeeded in ensuring an increase in the scholarship allowances to the students. I also worked hard to see through the passage of a very important Executive Bill, the Education Tax Fund Act Amendment Bill through which the name was changed to Tertiary Education Tax Fund and solely dedicated to funding of tertiary education.

Along this line of duty, what were your impediments?

The major impediments I had at the Senate was time constraints during my first term, because I came midway into the tenure. During the second term, a lot of time was also wasted fighting legal battles in courts.

You later moved on as Presidential Ad­viser on National Assembly Affairs. How did your tenure fare? What were the ob­stacles, achievements and regrets?

My tenure as Presidential Adviser on National Assembly Affairs fared very well despite the many challenges I faced.

For me, it was indeed a rare privilege and great honour to have served our dear country in this ca­pacity. You know, as in every Presidential System, our Constitution has designed the relationship between the Executive and the Legislature to be inherently conflicting, because of the principle of Separation of Powers and the need for checks and balances. From my experience, I proceeded in my assignment with the understanding that managing Executive-Legislative relationship in our growing democracy requires constant promotion of av­enues for cordial relationship between both arms based on shared understanding, diplomacy, consul­tations, dialogue and compromises, among others.

One of the major achievements of my tenure was in the area of Bills. The office developed a strategy for tracking and updating the status of both executive and private member bills as well as follow-up action on the Bills passed by the Na­tional Assembly and sent to Mr. President for as­sent. It is noteworthy that during my tenure as the Special Adviser, no Executive Bill failed or was thrown out in the National Assembly, unlike what happened in the past.

As a major step towards promoting cordial Ex­ecutive-Legislature Relationship for the good of the administration and the country, I initiated and organized a National Conference on Executive- Legislature Relations at the International Confer­ence Center, Abuja from April 24th – 25th, 2013 with the theme: “Strengthening Executive-Legis­lature Collaboration in Governance”. The Confer­ence was facilitated by a team of international and non-partisan politicians. Renowned scholars and experts from the United States of America, South Africa and Jamaica were present, and Nigerian leaders, both former and present, from within the legislature and the executive chaired as well as steered the conference sessions. The conference was adjudged highly successful by the executive, the National Assembly, the international facilita­tors, participants, the media and other stakehold­ers. The report of the National Conference on Executive-Legislature Relations was collated and published in a book form after the conference for the records and reference.

I helped facilitate the early presentation of the 2013 budget by Mr. President and its early passage in 2012 through interventions with the National Assembly leadership. That was the first time since the inception of this democracy in 1999 that the budget of a succeeding year was passed in the pre­ceding year. And it just shows that with a more co­operative approach, both arms of government can indeed move this country forward. My office was also able to avert a face-off between the Executive and the Legislature on the State of the Nation Ad­dress Bill and allowing for controversial areas to be sorted out by drawing attention to global prac­tices and like in South Africa and Ghana with no provisions to compel or impose sanctions on the President. We succeeded in getting a stay of ac­tion on the matter. Also through consultations and interventions, the politicized State of Emergency in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa States, following Boko Haram insurgency, was unanimously ap­proved in the National Assembly.

There were a lot of obstacles and challenges I faced in office, but the major one was paucity of funds and undue interference from some people who didn’t know anything about the National As­sembly but saw it as an avenue to advance their own selfish political agenda. I had every support needed from Mr. President himself but the interfer­ence was so much that it almost messed things up. However, I thank God that we recorded the success we had in some critical areas which were buoyed by my adoption of constructive diplomacy.

There was a time some legislators plotted to impeach President Jonathan. How did you avert Jonathan’s impeach­ment and blockade of Executive Bills?

My experience as a senator helped me a lot. I dialogued with the lawmakers a lot. I conveyed exactly their views on issues to Mr. President. All my life, I have never known how to play to the gallery or what Nigerians call “eye service”. If out of a retinue of eminently qualified former federal lawmakers Mr. President found me fit for this po­sition, I owe it to him, my conscience, and indeed Nigerians to tell him the truth at all times. If I fail to convey things as they are exactly, or tend to be a “yes woman” or play the “eye service” and things go wrong, I would have failed in my duties. But besides that, and worst of all, I would be incurring the wrath of my conscience and God. So, I tried to be factual and truthful in relating with both the President and my friends, the lawmakers.

Again, I think trust goes a long way when you are a middle person. You must not be seen to be unduly pleasing one of the parties and unduly displeasing the other. One always needs to strike a balance; and that balance is found in the fact that both the President and members of the National Assembly mean well for Nigeria. I have related quite closely with Mr. President and I have no doubt that he, truly and deeply, loves this country. Even the President’s most critical political oppo­nents, after relating with him on close range cannot but go away with the impression of a President who loves his people so passionately. So, that easily helped my job. He is not the type that will be displeased with you for giving him an honest assessment and opinion on issues. And as for the NASS members, especially their leadership, they are people I have related with over the years and we have built mutual trust. They too know I won’t betray them or my country. This mutual trust seri­ously helped me in my assignment. So, there was no blockade of Executive Bill and nothing like im­peachment of Mr. President came up. The one that made rounds in the media then was a hoax.

How would you describe the National Assembly from the perspective of a sena­tor, the President’s eye, and a woman?

The National Assembly is a unique institution signifying the presence of democracy, as it is the only arm of government that is abrogated during military intervention in politics. It is uniquely po­sitioned to create national consensus around con­tentious issues and address conflicts. In my view, the National Assembly has done its best within the limitations and circumstances of our growing de­mocracy to play significant roles in advancing our democracy and development. I think that the leg­islature has really improved since 1999. However, there is still room for growth.

Please evaluate the present democrat­ic dispensation from 1998 till date…

Let me simply say that we are making prog­ress as evidenced by fifteen years of uninterrupted democracy. That is the most important thing. We are making our mistakes and we are learning from both our mistakes and other people’s mistakes. Democracy is work in progress.

Against this backdrop, do you believe that the National Conference report can usher in a new Nigeria?

For me, the National Conference was one of the good things that happened to the country re­cently. If not for anything, it got all sections of the country together to talk and chart the way forward in the midst of ethnic and sectional agitations. It has provided diverse nationalities of Nigeria ave­nues to explore and realize their interests. What the National Conference has shown is that Nigerians still want to remain as one contrary to the predic­tions of the doomsday prophets that the country will break up in 2015.

Reports are not self-executing. The National Conference Report has the capacity to chart a new trajectory for the progress and development of Nigeria if the far-reaching recommendations are adopted by the people and implemented by the government. I hope you know that Mr. President has constituted a Presidential Committee to advise government on all matters necessary for the effec­tive implementation of the 2014 CONFAB Report and Nigerians expect that they get it right.

Now, let me take you to the 2015 elec­tions. What are your views on the elec­tions?

I believe and hope that the 2015 general elec­tions will be free and fair like any other election we’ve had in the country in recent times, if all ac­tors, the candidates, the parties, the electorate, the security agents and the election management body, INEC, play by the rules.

We have seen noticeable improvements in our elections. What Nigerians want is to vote and see that their votes count. The measures put in place, over the years, by the Independent National Elec­toral Commission (INEC) have made ballot box snatching unattractive and drastically reduced rig­ging.

How do you see Jonathan’s chances vis-a-vis the vicious opposition from the North?

When you say opposition from the North, it looks like it is the entire North that is opposing Mr. President. No. That is not correct. I think it would be better to say a section of, or some politicians from the North. Remember he also has massive support from some key Northern politicians and some sections of the North.

Before I answer your question, it is important to address the source of this problem. You know this opposition started from the misconception that President Goodluck Jonathan had been elected as President for two terms after the death of the late President Yar’Adua (May his soul continue to rest in peace). Some politicians, based on that, started agitating for power shift. But that is not correct. Based on the provisions of Section 137 1 (b) of the 1999 Constitution and facts, it is clear that Presi­dent Goodluck Jonathan has been elected to the Office of the President once. And as a lawyer, I can readily tell you that no inference or implicit inter­pretation can change that. The death of Yar’Adua only exposed some gray areas that need to be ad­dressed through constitutional amendment.

So, as for Jonathan’s chances in 2015, apart from the incumbency factor in his favour, to be fair to Mr. President, he has really shown resilience in keeping the country going despite the terrorism war and violence targeted at making the country ungov­ernable. So, his performance must be adjudged in that context. Remember there was such opposition in 2011, but he still won the election which was adjudged free and fair national and internationally. I’m very confident that he will win the election. He stands good chances. For me, I would advise that Jonathan be allowed to complete his second tenure. This is the first time somebody from the minority is assuming the Office of the President in the nation’s hundred years of existence. The political class should really give peace a chance and not sacrifice the lives of innocent Nigerians and the progress made by this nation on the altar of personal ambi­tions. Nigeria is bigger than any individual and the unity of this country should not be exchanged for any politician’s ambition.

From an insider’s point of view, what do you think is responsible for the constant Executive – Legislature face-off?

The issue of Executive-Legislature face-off is institutional in the presidential system we oper­ate, which is almost identical to that of the United States of America. In fact, the Constitution has designed it to be so, through separation of powers, and checks and balances in order to promote inter-organ relations, curtailing abuse of power by any arm of government and foster good governance.

I have always said it is wrong to assume that any disagreement between the Executive and the Legislature on any issue amounts to a face-off. The disagreement promotes dialogue and helps both arms to arrive at decisions that will best serve the interest of the people, democracy and the country. In fact, any day you see both arms of government agreeing on virtually everything without any dis­agreement, you should sing a farewell song to good governance.

Having said that, I also want to point out that non-observance of the extent and limit of its pow­ers by any of the arms of government triggers misconception and creates crisis of confidence be­tween both arms. In other words, the necessary Ex­ecutive-Legislature friction in budgeting and gov­ernance could degenerate into deadlock when any of the arms tries to be over assertive and dominates the other in the discharge of their constitutional re­sponsibilities. When personal ego creeps in, it fuels resentment from prejudiced mindset and the insti­tutional essence of checks and balances are negat­ed. It will therefore be right to say that the problem of executive-legislature relationship is personally driven. The way out is constant dialogue, improved communication, consultations and collaborations between both arms, but one government, with a mandate to move the country forward.

We should not keep comparing what is happening in the US with the situation in Nigeria because when we ad­opted the US presidential system in 1979, America was about two hundred years old in the practice. Our current democratic system is just 15 years old. The hangover of military mentality will gradually fade off, as we continually improve on our system with sustained democratic practice.

The Speaker of the House of Repre­sentatives, Hon Aminu Tambuwal, often referred to you as “the joy of the National Assembly”. Why were you so called?

I first earned the sobriquet “Joy of the Senate” from Senator Olurinimbe Mamora, and my other colleagues adopted it. I guess he gave me the name because of my uncanny ability to thaw the ice at tense moments during my first tenure at the Senate. The name stuck over the years, and when I became the Special Adviser to the President on National Assembly and had the duty of being the middle person between the National Assembly and the Presidency, legislators jokingly asked whose joy I was. Joy of the Presidency or National Assembly? The House of Representatives during the celebra­tion of their one year anniversary called me the “Joy of the National Assembly and the Villa” after my goodwill message to them in their chambers. They also reiterated it after commending my effort at ensuring a smooth working relationship between both arms of government during one of their ple­nary sessions at the end of my term.

Do you see realignment of forces in politics as necessary in deepening of de­mocracy and national greatness?

In politics, they say there is no permanent friend or even enemy, but permanent interests. But I have always insisted on relatively permanent principle.

Is APC the answer to Nigeria’s problems? If yes, how?

No. I don’t’ think so and I will give you my reasons. The All Progressives Congress, APC, was a hurriedly packaged amalgamation of different political parties with different ide­ologies and with the key objective to wrestle power from the Peoples Democratic Party, the PDP. The APC is therefore a union of strange bed fellows with vengeance and propaganda against the PDP.

Unfortunately, the same APC that has been criticizing the PDP has been desperately going to the PDP to gather mem­bers. If the PDP were to be such a bad party, why would APC be looking for new members from the PDP? A pot calling the kettle black has never brought solution to the system. APC is currently embroiled in serious controversies over national positions and Presidential candidates for 2015 elections. A lot of members have gone back to the PDP and a lot more are threatening to leave. All is not well with the party and what is happening in APC has really shown that a lot of people that joined APC from other parties were aggrieved people who felt APC would provide them opportunity for positions or platforms to contest election.

Having not found it, they are leaving or threatening to leave the party. The APC merger ap­pears to be on the surface as the different parties that formed it are still lurking alive under and battling to protect their in­terests. One still hears of the CPC group, the ACN faction, etc within the APC. The reality is that APC should have been better positioned for 2015 if they had built the party on strong principles and ideologies rather than merging angry opposi­tion parties and jumping from one aggrieved PDP member to the other in search of willing decampees. With just about five months to the 2015 General Elections, APC is still battling to put its house in order not to talk of charting a common course for the nation. I do not think that such a party that has not provided solutions to its problems is the answer to Nigeria’s problems.

Parts of the North is currently being ravaged by insurgency. The government appears helpless. Why do you think government is not containing the Boko Haram insurgency enough?

There is no doubt that the Federal Government is contain­ing the Boko Haram insurgency by not allowing it to spread to other parts of the country. But the preponderance of opin­ion is that they should do a lot more than they are doing now to crack down on the insurgents, especially in the North East.

The issue of Boko Haram insurgency in Nigeria is quite a regrettable development and has reached an alarming level that requires collective action by the government, Nigerian citizens and the international community, especially with the abduction of the yet to be rescued Chibok girls. But rather than a collective national strategy and action to win this war against terror, the issue has been greatly politicized with the opposition party, the APC, trading words with the PDP. It is unfortunate that people who are supposed to chart an alterna­tive road map for winning the war against terror are playing the role of bystanders and critics, folding their arms and wait­ing for government to fail in order to use the development to score cheap political points.

The incidence of terrorism is a global threat to developed nations even with their massive resources and technology not to talk of a developing country like Nigeria with scarce resources and several critical sectors needing development interventions.

I feel that we have to be patient and support our military to boost their morale. I salute Lt. Col. Adebayo Obasanjo whom I dub one of the stars of the fight against terrorism. This is as a result of his rare courage in itching to go back to the battle front as soon as he recuperates from the injuries he sustained in battle.

Are you not taking more than a passive interest in future elections. What is your ambition in 2015?

I have been persuaded by a cross section of stakeholders and constituents of Anambra North Senatorial to stand for election into the Senate again in 2015. They are convinced that I gave the zone the best representation while my tenure lasted. However, I have declined to join the contest for the reason of the disorganization in my state chapter of the PDP. As has been the case for a couple of years now, the infighting in the Anambra PDP is still there, and may even get worse as the elections gets closer.

A situation where the state, zonal, local government and ward party executives are not in exis­tence will cause a lot of troubles for contestants. I don’t want a situation where I will be at the mercy of anybody since we have no recognized structure now. I am a grassroots politi­cian, and I usually mobilize my supporters from the grassroots to win the primaries on the occasions I contested. In fact, on the two occasions when I contested for the PDP Senate tick­et, the party had preferred candidates who they wanted, but I thoroughly defeated them at the primaries on both occasions, because I have the support of the grassroots party members and constituents.

They went as far as planting one of the de­feated candidates, who I beat in the primaries, in another party and mobilizing funds meant for my election for her. But I still trounced her in the general elections. In view of the disarray in the Anambra PDP, I can’t assure you that I am contesting for anything for now. But as a loyal party person, I will however, work for the success of the party in all the elections in 2015.

What is your advice to upcoming female politi­cians?

I will advise upcoming female politicians to first of all be convinced within themselves that they want to venture into politics. Politics should only be used as a means of engendering the greatest good for the greatest number of our citizens. Bud­ding female politicians should therefore ensure that they are joining politics for the right reasons as this would help them to be focused and keep their eyes on the goal.

They must adhere to the values of humility, high morality, resilience and hard work. They should always bear in mind that Ceasar’s wife must be above suspicion and steer away from unnecessary controversy.

There will be many challenges, financial, physical, moral and so on. I encourage them not to be dismayed or discouraged by these challenges but instead to look inwards and find the strength to overcome them. They should network among them­selves and support each other, instead of running themselves down. In politics, women are sometimes their own greatest enemies, because they allow themselves to be used to discredit their fellow women. Above all, they should put God and the people first in everything as that is the assured way of getting to the top.

Unlike what happened in the past, today’s political atmo­sphere is favourable to women, as lots of factors that hinder them from political participation are gradually being surmount­ed. Time is gone when the Nigerian woman should fold her hands waiting to be viewed as objects of sympathy and assisted out of pity. The political terrain is increasingly changing and with progressive conducts of free and fair elections in the land. More women stand good chances of winning elections in Ni­geria. I would be happy to see more women in parliament at the state and federal levels, as House of Assembly members, House of Representatives members and as senators. I would like to see more women as governors and deputy governors.

Outside the topsy- turvy of Nigerian politics, how do you relax?

I am an organized person and I have a time management culture. These days, I devote my time to managing my private business concerns and my foundation, The Senator Joy Emordi Foundation, through which I try to further my effort at posi­tively touching the lives of widows, orphans, physically chal­lenged and the down-trodden and less-privileged generally. At the end of a hard day’s work, I go home, have my meal and relax. I usually read newspapers and novels, and watch televi­sion as I relax. These days, I also make out time to play with my grandchildren. They are fun to be with, and engaging too. I also take vacations once in a while to relax and rejuvenate.