INEC’s new Chairman has a huge task of returning credibility to Nigeria’s electoral process – Bali

For months now, the Governor of Plateau State Barrister Caleb Mutfwang has been in the news over leaving the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and decamp to the All Progressive Congress (APC) because of the internal crisis rocking the party.

But Air Vice Marshall, Napoleon Binkap Bali, in this interview said that the Governor of Plateau State. Barrister Caleb Mutfwang is not leaving the PDP for any reason whatsoever. He also spoke on the expectations from the INEC’s new chairman, Nigeria at 65 years; 26 years of Nigeria’s democratic journey, Plateau State security challenge and on how best to fight insecurity in the country. BLESSING ADIMABUA brings the Excerpts:

Recently, Nigeria celebrated 65 years as an independent nation. What is your take on Nigeria’s development?

I must be frank with you, Nigeria at 65 years, if you look at it objectively, there has been a lot of lift for the mere fact that there was an attempt to disintegrate the country and that we are still together as one is an achievement because the country as at today we are still united. So, unity in purpose and united Nigeria, I think we have achieved something.

Again, if you look at it very well for the mere fact that we have so many schools now, I am not talking about the quality because in those days access to schools were few but the quality was good. If I can say, what we have achieved is not good enough about the quality. In the military where I belong, the government has bought a lot of military hardware compared to what it was in those days, so by and large, I can tell you that there is still a lot to do because we are supposed to be more than where we are now and so, if you ask me, we have not achieved what we are supposed to achieve as at today at 65 compared us to other African countries around the same region especially our electoral system, because we still have lots of challenges like court issues and situations where the court determines who wins instead of the people.

However, not many African countries that had independence within that 60s are going through what we are going in our electoral system.

I am praying that the president will continue on his instruction to the INEC’s new chairman because he has given a matching order to the INEC chairman to do his work with integrity. Why am singling out the INEC chairman is because he is the umpire that produces leaders and when leaders are accountable there will be development. So, I am happy that President Bola Tinubu gave that marching order. We will be watching to see what will happen, because the Anambra governorship election is just in the next few days and the next is Osun State and others and then, the main election especially the Presidential Election and National Assembly. We are going to watch and see what is going to be done and that will be the way we can move forward and produce accountable leaders that can be accountable with the fear of God.

What is your reaction on Nigeria’s democratic journey in the last 26 years?

Well, that is good and I pray that it will continue like that and like I said before that I was actively involved in the military and I think we enjoyed under the civilian government than all those unnecessary military interruptions. So, to me, like I told you, honestly our elections are still far below average because I listened carefully to a professor of law and he gave statistics and if that statistics are true, we need that kind of people to conduct our elections and he said that our elections are determined by courts and tagged it to INEC chairmen and he narrowed it down before Jega handed over to Mahmood Yakubu who has just left and has been able to bring litigations down to about 44 percent, but somehow under the watch of Mahmood Yakubu, he alleged that it jumped because Mahmood Yakubu supervised the 2019 and 2023 general elections. So, it went up to 50 percent and this last election, the thing went up to eighty percent.

In fact, honestly, democratically, we are not operating according to a real standard of democratic norms and practices. I remembered very well that Justice Okoro said, we were denied justice because the National Assembly cases cannot go to the Supreme Court, because there was an attempt by the lower court to deliberately take away justice from us and yet it cannot be reviewed. What kind of system is that? Honestly, it does not promote patriotism and so under the democratic dividend, I thank this government because Federal allocations to states and local governments have improved and no governor will say he will not be able to pay salary. So, in that context, if the governors use the money very well, I think he may raise it up. We will give President Tinubu, a chance and see how he is going to conduct the 2027 general election and we can’t judge him because of all this bye elections and also, I pray that Tinubu now that he has given directives to the new INEC chairman, election litigations should stop, and let leaders be elected by the people and not by the court. So, I think democratically, we have a lot to do; in the past 26 years we have not been able to get it a bit right.

Because of the rising insecurity in the country, many Nigerians are saying that 2027 general election may be difficult. What do you think should be done to fight insecurity in the country?

With the change of the Service Chiefs, if they are hearing me because in my 6 months in the Senate, I have been saying it, the only way we can see meaningful things and see security challenges reducing is by having more troops on ground and no matter how much technology we have it does not win war, it can only give you advantage over the adversary. All we need to do is to train more soldiers and Mobile Police and let them dominate all these forests. I give it to President Tinubu because I read in the papers that he has approved the establishment of forest guards, a very good step in the right direction under the office of the National Security Adviser. In fact, I have no quarrel with that, because I believe that the NSA will liaise with the Defence Headquarters so that this forest guards will be well trained in the sense that they have to be trained on how to use high caliber weapons because some of these Forests and Game Reserves that are supposed to earn money for us is now where all these criminals are hiding.

Moreso, whether we like it or not, I said, we the politicians must assist and support the government to ensure that at least, security is provided for the electorate so that people will not be disenfranchised. So, I strongly believe that the INEC chairman will collaborate with the Defence Headquarters, the Police and all the security agencies to provide security for the people so that they can come out and vote to avoid a situation where a small number of people will vote, because that kind of leaders will not enjoy legitimacy.

Furthermore, I strongly believe that if the Service Chiefs are hearing me. one, they must support the President to ensure that they improve on the recruitment drive and all they need to do is to establish a temporary institutions or training grounds in all the six geo-political zones in the country under the management of the Minister of Defence and Chief of Defence Staff. Honestly, if we are able to produce one hundred thousand well-fed trained soldiers to go into the forests, we are going to see what we call meaningful improvements in security.

There should be a more deliberate effort for the military to operate more in the night because that is the time these bad boys operate to kill our soldiers and terrorise our civilian populace. So, we need more troops on ground who will operate more in the night and do what we call deliberate offensive against the bandits rather than being reactive. I think the new Chief of Defence Staff will improve on what is on ground and we will keep talking to them informally on how best to secure Nigeria.

Under your chairmanship, internal security in Plateau State is improving. What is the secret?

You see, like I said, I have a governor that always listen to my advice. One, we are collaborating with the Joint Task Force from the Defence Headquarters. Then, on our own, I have advised the governor that in all the 17 local government area councils, we have what we call Security Desk Officers. All those Security Desk Officers are not just to remain in their respective local government areas they are to be collaborating and inviting youths in neighbouring communities, so with that we have been able to establish what we call community alert system and when these things happen, they tell us on time because they have some mobile phones with them. And if it is something our local Operation Rainbow can handle, we will try to handle it but most times we report it to the Joint Task Force under the GOC Third Armoured Division and they have been responding very well. More importantly, the governor has invested a lot of money on technology. We have drones and we are also using technology to monitor the movement of these guys and they are also trying their best to beat whatever security arrangements we have and that is why I have been in Jos here because we will definitely defeat them and everyday there is serious improvement in security in Plateau State. We, human beings must do something and I am telling you the truth that the governor, our leader Barrister Caleb Mutfwang has not been sleeping. He has been very proactive in whatever advice is given to him and has been doing whatever is possible just to make sure that the territory of Plateau State and environs are secured, and also contributing to the security of Nigeria.

Our strategy for reprisal attacks in Plateau State has improved the security architecture of the state and we will keep improving.

The crisis rocking the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) is making it to be in a shambles ahead of the 2027 general election. Is there still hope for the once beautiful bride of Nigerian politics?

Listen very carefully and let me tell you, there is still very big hope ahead of the 2027 general election for the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).

Honestly, that word shambles is very harsh because the party is not in a shambles in the sense that somebody signed a letter in the presence of governors and others and was even part of the NEC meeting for the convention in Ibadan and for whatever reason turned around and said his signature was forged. Let us bring a forensic expert and if it is verified that, that signature was not forged that person should be punished severely. And if it is forged what actually did they want to achieve with that? The remaining governors especially my governor here in Plateau State, Bauchi, Zamfara, Adamawa, Taraba, and of course, Oyo and Osun States are doing everything possible for us to do our convention. I am telling you, that you will retrieve this word shambles because PDP is just going through some in-house challenges. In fact, we are not in shambles and at the end of it all, I am requesting now that you will call me by November 18th to 20th for another interview and that is when I will challenge you that you were very harsh with the shambolic word you used.

You will see that after that day; the party will come out more united than ever and we will remain in the PDP and take over power in 2027.

Are you saying that the news and rumours that the governor of Plateau State is decamping to the APC is not true?

It is not true at all. It is a big lie and honestly, we talk virtually every day and share a lot of discussions and ideas. Of course, as a sitting governor, some months ago, he said one or two people advised him to decamp and I told him there was no need to do that and he has talked with stakeholders and spoken publicly that he was not leaving the party and we were supposed there was mischief by one APC man moving a motion that they should prevent the governor from joining the APC. Can he stop somebody from joining another party? No, he cannot, if he wants to. So, what I am telling you is that the governor is not going anywhere and so their mischief will not work. We will fight them in 2027 and for your information, Plateau State belongs to the PDP and we defeated them when we didn’t have a councillor while they had a governor, local government chairmen and others and is it now we have a performing governor that they will defeat us? By the grace of God, we will be peaceful, modest in our usual way of humility not just to come out and move a motion that they should not accept a governor. Who is he by the way? Has he ever filled a form to be a governor before? It is very insulting and because of the respect we have for the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the governor advised us to leave it because we wanted to respond. So, I am sure that he must have been reading in the press that people are not happy even in the presence of APC national chairman, he was raising such a big insulative motion. For them in APC in Plateau State, we are waiting for them especially for those of them in the southern zone they have a lot to contend with because we are on ground and I don’t know how they want to do it. I can bet you, Lalong and other people that enjoyed the court verdict should start packing their things.

I am very much on ground in Plateau State Southern Senatorial Zone with the people at all times.

There is this call on Senator Napoleon Bali to return back to the Senate in 2027? Are you ready to answer the call to serve your people?

Yes, I, Napoleon Dimka Bali is very much ready to answer and serve my people because I am also ready to face APC and any other party at the poll. I have been able to build industrial boreholes in some communities that didn’t have portable water, provide solar lights and also go into animal husbandry in an effort to support the Governor, Barrister Caleb Mutfwang.

Again, I have been giving out interest free loans to women through a micro finance bank and also giving grants to people to start mini businesses of their choice. The people know that they have a leader who can represent them at all times. So, I am very much ready to serve because even if the election is next month I am ready to face anybody in the APC or any other party. To tell you the truth, my people are very angry that they gave me a mandate that was taken away by the court. I have told them to be peaceful and be democratic in their approach to reclaim our mandate come 2027 by the grace of God.