What are those correct actions that you think he can take for the North to support him?

His problem is not the North. His problem is all over Nigeria. I told you that there are about 20 million post-secondary school unemployed graduates. Out of these 20 million, 15 million come from the South, only probably five million come from the North, maybe less. His problem is national not North. You know it is only in times of propaganda and campaign that his problem comes from the North. But he can take care of this if he can play his card in a patriotic way, as I said, within the next three months. He can do the wonders that Yar’Adua and Abiola did.

Even Obasanjo in 1999, why was he loved? He linked up with the North through the northerners; that’s one. Secondly, he gave an image of a nationalist; a no-nonsense nationalist, disciplined and so on; that’s why he was voted in 1999. The South-West refused to vote him, but in spite of the South-West where he came from the rest of the country voted him and he became the President.

INEC conducted the governorship election in Anambra and then later Ekiti ,where the incumbent lost election and there was no protest per se. What is your take on the whole election process?

First of all, it is not possible under the present conditions in Nigeria to have a free, fair and transparent election leading to a legitimate government. Because elections are determined by the factor of money power.
Since money power is the deciding factor in both politics and elections, it is not possible to have a free, fair and transparent election leading to a legitimate government. You can’t have a government declared by some other means other than free, fair and transparent election. The conditions for contesting election are so much based on money power.

Let us say you want to contest a local government election; let us talk of the area where the cost is lower. It is in the North. In the South it is much, much higher to contest for position of a councilor. In the North, to contest councillorship and have hope of winning, you’ll have to spend at least N2 million, including campaign cost and everything. Besides, you also have to pay to your own party, except the PRP. The PRP is the only political party where you don’t have to pay for you to be nominated. But in all the other parties they set a fee for every candidate to pay before he is nominated. After certifying the condition under the Electoral Act, you have to pay.

So, let’s say on the whole it will cost at least N2.5 million in the North. While in the South, where it is more competitive, because professors contest to be local government councilors, the cost will be between N5 million and N10 million. Now, what is the minimum wage in Nigeria? It is N18,000 per month; even that is not being paid.
Some government institutions pay less than that; even private institutions pay much less than that. Now the least qualification for contesting as a councilor is secondary school certificate. In the North here, that secondary school certificate holder is unemployed, he doesn’t have the means to feed his family comfortably for even a week, so he has been completely ruled out.

Those in the North with secondary education and above that could contest and win are those who are benefiting from the West in the system. Now someone who is sponsored by somebody cannot be contesting in free, fair transparent election; like this weakness of being used as a surrogate. In the South, it is much more than that.

Now if you go to the state House of Assembly, the minimum cost is N10 milion here in the North and I told you in the South it will be three times or more than that because there the competition is much, much higher. For members of the House of Reps, just say N20 million. For a senator, it can be anything up to N50 million, for a governor I’ll say at least N1billion and for president, at least N50 billion. This is a reality and every Nigerian knows this and nobody dares to even deceive you and shout that what I’ve said is not 70 per cent accurate.

When will Nigeria be free of this kind of lavish spending for election?

Well, first of all, when the system and the leadership are responsible. When leaders put public interest above self interest. When we have this, then you can have a free, fair and transparent election or almost near to it. I’ll give you an example. I won the governorship of Kaduna State at a time when this was the only house I had throughout the world, I didn’t have kobo in the bank. But why did I win? Because, first, the monetisation of politics in election had not reached this level. Secondly, the much support I enjoyed was free and is not possible today in Nigeria. Whoever you are, you must buy it. And thirdly, the political parties in Kaduna State which were opposed to the NPN freely came and supported the PRP, which they considered more likely to win than any one of them.