APC may lose Lagos in 2015, National Legal Adviser, Muiz Banire, warns

Muiz Banire
CREDITS: PREMIUM TIMES

Muiz Banire, the National Legal Adviser of the All Progressives Congress, APC, and three-time commissioner in Lagos State, speaks to PREMIUM TIMES on a looming crisis within the state chapter of the party. The APC, in its previous forms, has controlled Lagos since 1999.


What is your assessment of the APC’s chances in next year’s governorship election in Lagos?

To be candid, I am unable to say what it will be like because of what is presently going on within the party. My only hope is that we are able to be transparent, fair and just in the nomination process. Once we are able to do that, I will consider it very bright. But if otherwise, I’m not too sure what that will portend for us.

When you say ‘what is presently going on,’ what exactly are you talking about?

There is a tendency of imposition on the people. And a lot of people are out to resist it. And party members too appear to be on the same plane with those that are leading the struggle against the imposition of candidate. So I believe that it does not signal anything that is good for all of us.

A party leader in APC once said that this imposition method is working since the candidates are delivering, so there is no need changing a winning formula…

(Cuts in) Well, if it has worked, the first question one (would) want to ask such a person, particularly if you are referring to Asiwaju (Bola Tinubu), his own emergence was not as a result of hand picking in 1998, go and ask him. We had direct primaries all over Lagos. And BRF (Babatunde Fashola) will tell you that he is not a product of single-handed imposition, and you can confirm from him. I’m quoting him now. At least we still had primaries all over, some people didn’t participate ultimately, some that felt aggrieved, they left and he had a field day in 2007. So I did not know where that person would have gotten such an impression from. But let’s even assume that to be, the truth of the matter is that it is no more fashionable now, even if he had been doing it before. Secondly, this is a new party, and you recall our slogan is ‘change,’ that we are trying to do away with all those untoward things like lack of internal democracy. So I believe that it must not even be allowed to happen now, even if it had been happening in the past. It is not progressive. And if anybody claims to be progressive, he must not be seen to be advocating that kind of backdoor emergence of candidates.

Click on ...PremiumTimes for more.