National President, Movement for Better Nigeria (a support group for Vice President Yemi Osinbajo), Dr Paul Essien, speaks on the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential primaries as the party commences its primary today, in this interview with DEBORAH ONYOFUFEKE

Nigerians have blamed the All Progressives Congress-led national government for the economic and security woes befalling the nation, they also wonder why Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, who is part of the administration is contesting after being part of the government for the last seven years?

One bad egg cannot spoil the rest of the egg. APC had serious issues. When you say APC, who is APC? APC members are majorly persons who migrated from PDP to APC and they equally travel back from APC to PDP. It has always been the same set of people. That’s why we are speaking against these kinds of people. The problem there is not the party, the problem is the people involved. The party is not bad, because the party symbol is a broom and one man cannot break a bunch of brooms. It’s like when you talk about the PDP, the PDP’s symbol is an umbrella and an umbrella can only carry one or two persons. You know it’s not the party. It’s the people who are the wheelers of the party that are the problems. That’s why I said the problem of Nigeria is not the administration, the problem of Nigeria is the people themselves. I remember in 2019 when President Muhammadu Buhari came in, there was this case of he’s not educated, and he’s not this and that which came up. I was like what are you talking about? This man is not an autocrat, he’s not a tyrant that would say kill and bury, no it’s not so. This is a democratically arranged process that whatever must be done, must be done at a roundtable. The economy thing you are talking about is not APC, it is a group of elites that are picked and nominated to these committees. The Federal Executive Council and Senate are not just APC, there are a lot of other people that are there. So, it is not the party, it is the people that are there that are the problems. When one is given an appointment as an honourable minister in charge of water resources and you feel that water should not be given to some segment of the country because you are not from there or you are given minister for food or whatever and some parts of the country get food while the others don’t. Let’s take the palliative case during the pandemic as an example, I never saw palliative in my village. So, the problem of Nigeria is not in the administration, the problem of Nigeria is that the people are not patriotic I wouldn’t understand why you are sitting on the mandate of the people and you refuse to give out what belongs to the people to the people. Why were you elected into office? I believe that Prof Osinbajo, who happens to be the eye, the heart, the breath, of the common Nigerians, would do what will benefit the common Nigerians

What happens if Prof Osinbajo does not get the APC presidential ticket, do you think he would pull out to join another party or take it in good faith?

I pray that day should not come

The South East has witnessed a high level of insecurity and the agitation for self-determination is rife, how do you think Prof Osinbajo will tackle these challenges if given the mandate?

Prof Osinbajo is a peaceful man by nature, with him as the leader and father of this nation, Nigeria will never disintegrate. I am telling you that if the South East must be with Nigeria and remain a part of Nigeria, the only man that can unite this country above all brothers, languages, and tribes is him. He is well travelled and educated. I am telling you, the same people that are clamouring they want this, if you go to the streets and ask them, the only hope they have is to give them that sense of belonging in him. These people are deprived, they feel cheated. I could understand their pain. The only hope right now is Osinbajo

What are his plans for the youth and women?

There are clear pieces of evidence that this man has single-headedly touched lives and who are his fans? The youths. A man that has a 100 per cent youth within and outside is Osinbajo. If there’s any man that has the support of our mothers, our sisters, it’s him. If there’s any man that the younger generation can look up to for hope, that Nigeria will be better again, is Osinbajo. Because of his philosophy on growing with the younger generation. He is a man that will break protocol and will always be a father to all. In 2019, when we were running for the not too young to run bill, one of the men that supported us was Osinbajo. Don’t forget what happened at the toll gate, one of the men that spoke and calmed our nerves, and anger, was him

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During the #EndSARS protest which led to the death of some persons in Lekki, Lagos State, it is alleged that the vice-president did not openly condemn the killings, why?

Unfortunately for us, we are surrounded by people who don’t want this country to see the light of day. Some of those in control of that place (Aso Villa), don’t have names. A lot of wicked things going on in the country are being manipulated by people. Why do you think some persons were fighting Prof Osinbajo, why is it that a lot of things assigned to his office were taken out of his office? Why is it that things he could have used to make life better for the people were taken from him? Because there are people who don’t want us to understand that this country can get better again. It’s a situation of cabal where he is not allowed to talk because apparently, the cabals rule and are situated at the helm of affairs. That’s why we need to say no to them and take it from the other side. This man has been given opportunities and privileges which Mr President knows, the same man that when Mr President travelled, they never allowed him to exercise franchise as the President until when Mr President came back himself and said he will not allow his work suffer shame by giving the vice president the blessings to take control in his absence and look at the good record he made for the few times he was in charge. You can now imagine what will happen if given four years.