Professor Funmilayo Adesanya-Davies, the presidential candidate of Mass Action Joint Alliance (MAJA) in the 2019 election, who returned to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has declared interest in vying for the presidential ticket of her new party. Assistant Editor, ‘Dare Odufowokan, reports that the university don insists that she is the best choice if the opposition party is desirous of winning the 2023 presidential election.
SO much has been said about you since you ventured into politics. Can you tell us about yourself?
I am a linguist, educationist, poet, communication expert, activist and politician. I have served as a university lecturer and administrator for the past 36 years. I was Director, Centre for Vocational Skills, Entrepreneurial and General Studies, Rivers State University of Education, Port Harcourt, 2012-2015; Dean, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Regent University of Science and Technology, Accra Ghana, 2005-2007: Visiting Professor, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast, Ghana; External Examiner, Doctoral dissertations, School of Postgraduate Studies, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa; Deputy Provost, Life Gate College of Education, Ilorin Kwara State 2017-2019; Adjunct Vice-Chancellor Triune Biblical University Global Extension (TBU-GE) New -York, USA; Facilitator year to be precise. I believe in a United Nigeria, but with true federalism, through restructuring and also support regionalism to enhance and advance the nation to her fullest capacity. That is why I am coming with the Advanced Restructuring Agenda., programs in Language and General Studies, National Open University, Port Harcourt, Rivers State; Country President and International Director, UN-POLAC Peace Advocates currently.
Let us into your background. Which part of the country are you from?
I am a Princess, from the Ira in Kwara state. I attended St. John’s Anglican Primary School, Sabo-Oke, Ilorin, St. Clare’s Grammar School, Offa, Kwara, State and Queen Elizabeth School, Ilorin, Kwara State. I also attended University of Ife-Ile, University of Ilorin, Ilorin, for my M.A English Language. I also studied at University of Port Harcourt for a Ph.D. I was born on October 15th, 1962 and as such will turn 60 years this year. I’d contested for the presidential position in 2019 election on the platform of MAJA. I was in PDP as an aspirant and I later moved to the MAJA party to secure a ticket. I returned to PDP in 2020.
Do you really see yourself winning the presidential ticket of the PDP this time, giving the array of big names in the race?
The contest would be quite challenging, I know, but I believe that the chance for a woman aspirant to win is higher now in PDP unlike in the days of Dr. Sarah Jibril who has broken the ground for the women in the presidential election. The contest would really be with the likes of Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, former Senate President Bukola Saraki and Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Tambuwal; from the North. Then, from the South are former governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi, former Senate President Anyim Pius Anyim and Enugu state governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, etc., so it is indeed quite competitive.
Again, gender inclusion has now become imperative globally and as such in Nigeria, successful election and governance would be based on this, as the next phase of political leadership takes shape. This we can glaringly observe in the case of Kamala Harris in the last US election. Moreover, if it could happen that a woman became the president in Liberia, it can also happen, even better in Nigeria, and it will, I believe! I have a dream that one day, a woman will become the president of Nigeria, and the dream is now!”
How do you intend to defeat Atiku and others in the PDP primary?
If PDP could adopt Direct primaries through electronic voting, I shall win him; now that the 2021 electoral Bill has been amended and party primary could be conducted through direct, indirect or consensus methods. A direct primary is used when voters decide their party’s candidates. In an indirect primary, voters elect delegates who choose the party’s candidates at a nominating convention. I look forward to this great decision by PDP to adopt direct primaries.
The current National Assembly is viewed by some Nigerians as a rubber stamp of the executive. What is your view on this?
I have observed them handle some bills very objectively, remember the opposition party is also in the house. I think they are trying their best, but they can do better. Let’s take for instance, the current bill on Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill 2022. It is notable that, President Muhammadu Buhari has withheld his assent to the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill 2022, according to news reports, in a letter to the Senate President, Ahmed Lawan, the president said that prevailing situation in the country would not allow him to sign the bill. I commend the president for that, because the bill is like a new baby and its placenta. The issue of direct primaries in the Bill needs to be expunged for the reasons the president rightly gave before passing it into law.
With the reasons, the President returned the bill to the National Assembly, asking the lawmakers to look at the clause that has to do with direct primaries by political parties, work on it and return the document for assent because it will compound insecurity in the country. Again, when the president proposed the visa-on-arrival policy, they fully dissented and disagreed but the president assented to that bill.
On the Electoral Bill, Nigeria should endorse the tripartite, direct, indirect and consensus candidacy. We need to be guided as regards that matter that, Abraham Lincoln, the 16th U.S. President actually defined democracy as, “the “Government of the people, by the people, for the people”. In other words, it means that the supreme power is vested in the hands of the people, which they can exercise directly or through elected or appointed officials under a free electoral system. Pre-selection and all state-wide nominations are part and parcel of the process whether for primary or general elections. I even recommend that our general elections should be through indirect representative democracy also, to save us from all forms of costs and stress.
Again, let us be reminded that, democracy can be classified into two specific categories – Direct and Representative. In a direct democracy, citizens can directly participate in making a public decision without the intermediary of elected officials. Whereas in a representative democracy, citizens cannot directly participate in public decision making. Most of the nations today follow representative democracy, where citizens elect officials to formulate laws, administer programs and make political decisions, as in the USA. Our general elections could as well be by pre-selection of delegates and representative in this period of recession in our nation. Selecting between two (2) candidates need not cost us N305bn as NANS rightly protests. This I propose as another amendment to this bill as a matter of serious consideration and urgency.
Where are you drawing your strength to continue in this race against several odds?
My very special thanks goes to Dr. Mrs. Sarah Jibril who gave me all her files and handed over to me her PDP Aso-ebi/Aso-Oke (Ofi Uniform) to me saying, you can do it, when I informed her about my aspiration on my birthday in 2015, sharing the full aspiration and vision with her. Mama Jibril is Nigeria’s first female presidential candidate both at the primaries and main elections, having run for president four times. I am not new to the terrain; my political journey started with the Accord Party in Kwara State before I joined the PDP. This informed my declaration to contest the 2019 presidential election under the party.