Mallam Ahmed Jaji, is a prominent social commentator on the nation’s affairs. He is currently serving as the Executive Secretary of Ojodu Local Council Development Area of Lagos. In this interview with Enitan Ibrahim Olukotun, the erudite council administrator talked on the forth coming General elections and the chances of his party, the All Progressives Congress, APC.
What do you make of the hullabaloo that trailed the usage of the INEC’s smart card reader for elections?
The essence of democracy is the periodic license the citizens is given to choose or reject leaders who either have performed wonderfully well or have not met the expectation of the people.
If you cast you mind back to 2011 General elections which were adjudged credible. To that extent if you believed that Nigeria has a long history of inconclusive election engendered by rigging and an umpire has brought a machine that will put a stop to that, it think it behooves all men of goodwill to support such initiative.
That will give the chance to say a real leader had been elected by the people. So, the All Progressives Congress, APC should be applauded for backing the INEC’s smart card reader machine. The card reader will checkmate sharp practices. We should follow the global technological trend. Those opposing should give us tangible reasons why it should not be used.
One of the cogent reasons given was the failure of the gadget during the last mock polls conducted in 12 states…
You see in a situation like this, you should expect a margin of error. If a machine is performing up to 99.9 percent efficiency, is just being mischievous to say because out 10 machines 9 work and you say because of 1 defective machine the gadget should be jettisoned.
It does not make sense. Anyone who has the interest of Nigeria at heart should just let us do the elections and move on because the elections have dominated our lives.
I don’t know why some people are paranoid about change. We cannot continue on this path we have been threading for the past 16 years.
But the ruling Party has scorned your party that your change mantra has lost steam
That kind of claim is very laughable. We believe the postponement was contrived to give the ruling party the breathing space. It was that period the President thought it fit to be visiting all parts of Nigeria and allegedly throwing Dollars around.
How do explain the mammoth crowd that trooped out for our ‘walk for Change’ in Lagos, if our change movement has lost momentum? Though, to our detractors, they said we were not more than 10,000. But the taste of the pudding is in the eating.
So, they can be sitting down somewhere deluding themselves. Change has come and it will take place. They can provide all kinds of justification to look as if they are winning. Who is against the use of the PVC, Card readers. Who is deploying soldiers all over the country?
Come 28 of March, Nigerians will decide. If they don’t do well, Nigerians will kick the APC out too.
Is it true that your party is jittery over the growing popularity of PDP Governorship candidate in Lagos, Mr. Jimi Agbaje?
A lot have been said about him. It will sound repetitive recounting that again. He is in a bad camp. I was in the PDP before and I knew how I was treated within my neighborhood. I was treated like pariah because I belonged to the wrong company. When I came back to the fold, I know the tumultuous reception I got. It is the same thing. Wheather you like it or not, APC and Lagos are like Siamese twins. You cannot separate one from the other, otherwise there will be social disorder. Any day, any time elections are held in Lagos, APC will still be winning. You just look at the structure, organization, commitment and the amount of energies invested into this cause by party faithful will convince you that no other party have the wherewithal to shake us.
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Mallam have problems with marriage