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Archbishop Funso Awe is a retired Church Father, a human rights activist, a social commentator, and a one-time governorship candidate in Lagos State. Dr. Awe, a patron and Board of Trustees member of the oldest Ecumenical Forum in Nigeria, Fellowship of Christian Ministers Nigeria, speaks to EJIKEME OMENAZU on some crucial issues of national importance.
Considering the raging war in the Middle East orchestrated by U.S President Donald Trump, do you think it was right for the Nigerian government to have allowed U.S Military to send land troops and fighter jets to the country to help check terrorism?
Americans said they did not send combatants to Nigeria. They only sent a troop who will be involved in logistics and training of the Nigerian military. In that case, the American soldiers on Nigerian soil will not involve themselves in combatant activities. We have never been told that the USA has a military base in Nigeria. The attack in Sokoto was launched from an American war ship. The war ship came through the Gulf of Biafra and sent missiles from there. That is very much different from the current military campaign to the Middle-East. The US Army has military bases in several countries in the Middle-East which have become targets of Iranian missiles.
Would you say the U.S is right in its action in Iran?
You cannot ascertain the motive of the American President in a specific campaign in Iran. Trump said he is trying to stop the Iranians from acquiring nuclear capacity. But, even the opposition party in America does not believe Trump. They believe that Trump is only dancing to the tune of the Israelites. So, America on the other hand, is fighting an Israeli war.
Since the Christmas Day bombing attacks in Sokoto last December, why do you think the U.S Military has not been carrying out such attacks, even with the raging terror attacks still going in parts of the country?
We were reliably informed that ISWAP terrorist organisations were having a meeting. So, the purpose of that attack in Sokoto was to take out some of the leaders of those terrorist organisations. So, there was not a military intervention on the part of the Americans. That is why we have not been hearing from them again. So ,they are not actually invading Nigeria’s territorial space. Thus, it is still the duty of the Nigerian military to fight the terrorists. The U.S has left the war to the Nigerian military.
Still on insecurity, Ohanaeze Ndigbo President General, was recently quoted as telling South Easterners to arm themselves in readiness for imminent terror attacks in the region. Do you think such advice should also go to the generality of Nigerians?
No matter what, when citizens who are not soldiers or members of the armed security agencies begin to carry arms themselves, it will only lead to anarchy. Unfortunately, the South Eastern part of Nigeria is not new to situations that are almost akin to anarchy. It is a known fact that many individuals and groups are armed in the South East. In fact, individuals have been known to have their private armies. So, such a call to people to arm themselves will only worsen the situation as it is. It will create more insecurity. We should just allow the Nigerian military and police as well as other security agencies in the country to fight the war.
How do you see the speed President Bola Tinubu signed the Amended Electoral Act Bill amidst protests over the e-transmission of election results?
First, the Amendment Bill was time bound. If you look at the time table released by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), you will see the need to quickly tidy up the Electoral Bill. With all the time bounds, the election will take place in January 2027, with all the electoral processes taking place between now and the end of the year. In the case of the e-transmission, the National Assembly is not saying that the e-transmission should not be done. They are saying that it will run concurrently with the system they used before, where Form 8 will still be used in the collation of results, especially where it is certain that the network is having issues.
Senate President Godswill Ukpabio recently said he is loyal to the Executive. How do you see his declaration being the Chairman of the National Assembly and Head of the nation’s Legislature considering the Doctrine of Separation of Powers?
That is not news. What Akpabio said is not news. We all know that the present National Assembly is a rubber stamp Assembly. So, in saying what he said, he is only affirming what we all know. The National Assembly or legislative arm of government is actually supposed to be a check on the Executive, but it is so. It does not stop with us as a country. What we have presently in Nigeria is also what we have in America. So, the U.S Congress dance to the tune of Donald Trump. However, in the U.S, we still have the voice of the opposition. But, in Nigeria, everyone has defected.
What is your take on continued defection to the All Progressives Congress (APC) by opposition parties? Don’t you think it is not healthy for the ruling party?
People have freedom of choice to be where they want to be. But, in this case, some people are blackmailed or coerced to come into the ruling party. Since all of them are there now, the issue depends on how the President and the APC manages the people who are now in the party. We may be settling for a lot of concessions as regards electoral positions. Some will quarrel and leave for other parties. But, some of these parties are already depleted or moribund, leaving a lot of people to have very little choice of credible platforms, in which they can fly their flags. Personally, I believe if there is going to be an implosion in the ruling party, APC, it will be after the election, not before or during. On the crises in some APC State Congresses, they were more or less consensus all over.
In the history of Lagos, no Deputy Governor has succeeded his or her principal. Do you think the same may happen to the incumbent holder of the position, Dr Hamzat?
Lagos governorship election, or the candidate, I don’t think the emergence of a candidate will be a problem. Even the aspirants who are jostling for the position know that the choice remains that of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Once he makes his pronouncement, everyone will fall in line.
About four people, including former Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, the incumbent Deputy Governor, Dr Kadiri Obafemi Hamzat, President Bola Tinubu’s son, Seyi, and Abdul-Azeez Olajide Adediran (Jandor), former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate in the 2023 election as well as he Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. (Dr) Mudashiru Ajayi Obasa. Who among these personalities do you think the cap fits?
They are even more than four and more are still indicating interest. All of them are ably qualified. I will not mention any.
Do you foresee any offset in the 2027 general elections in Lagos?
The opposition in Lagos is not strong at all. So, wherever the ruling party presents, you can think of such a person as the next governor.
What is your take on the FCT Council elections where the APC swept the chairmanship seats, leaving only one to the ADC?
People do not know and understand that the local government election is a localized election. It is the local people that voted. The FCT Minister Nyesom Wike took advantage of that. What they simply did was to make sure that their candidates are localised. Popular candidates within the communities who were not on their side were persuaded to switch camps and come to that side. Wike went further to make sure that the ones who are not localized voters were defeated by imposing a curfew. so, they remained where they were and could not participate in the election. So, the only people that voted were the indigenes. No matter what people may say, you must give it to Wike. He understands Nigerian politics. He made sure people did not go to the places where they work or do business to vote and those people are non-indigenes, mostly Igbos. ADC and the rest parties fielded non-indigenes and non-indigenes could not go out to vote for their candidates at the polling units where they registered. Wike understands Nigerian politics.
Don’t you think that what happened in the FCT election may be repeated in the 2027 general elections?
In politics, the politician has a single motive, which is to win his election. So, he looks at the law to see how he can manipulate the system to win that election. Nott all the manipulations are illegal. You can manipulate the system to suit your purpose. The opposition can call it rigging. But, not all riggings are illegal.
