By Isaac Shobayo

Copyright tribuneonlineng

Senator Diket Plang is the chairman of the Senate Committee on Labour, Employment and Productivity and also the senator representing the Plateau Central Senatorial District of Plateau State. In this interview by ISAAC SHOBAYO, the legislator speaks on the appointment of the new APC national chairman, the party’s chances in 2027 amidst growing opposition, ongoing discussions around appointing a new INEC chairman, among other salient issues.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) now has a national chairman from your constituency and you have known him for a long time. How would you rate him in terms of his current assignment?

For me, the choice of Professor Nentawe Yilwatda as the successor to Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje is miraculous. It is something we must thank God for. It is also very encouraging, as it shows that something can come out of nothing. Historically, the appointment or election of a ruling party chairman usually goes to individuals with high political profiles, broad leadership experience or those from large tribes with massive followings. The choice of Nentawe, to me, is a reassurance that greatness can emerge from unlikely places. It reminds us that with God, all things are possible.

I have known Nentawe since our secondary school days. I was in Form Two when he was in Form One. Later, I was head boy in Form Five and he was president of the Fellowship of Christian Students. He even acknowledged this when he briefed the Senate President, saying I was his head boy. He joked that I used to punish him and I replied that I was only correcting him to prepare him for leadership, perhaps even as a future national chairman. Everyone clapped.

It is a source of pride for us in the North Central geopolitical zone to have the APC national chairman. We should be both joyful and prayerful for his successful tenure. Politically, all of us on the Plateau belong to one family. You may not know this, but the Gindiri family is very strong. Governor Caleb Mutfwang was in Form Five, I was in Form Two and Nentawe was in Form One, all of us from Gindiri. We should return there and thank God that from that school came a governor, a national chairman and other officeholders. This should be a moment of reflection; it is recognition that God has blessed us with such privileges.

Nationally, people may agree or disagree, but no one knows tomorrow. Human beings predict, but only God determines the future. The belief is that with Tinubu as President, the people of Plateau will support his return. Since Tinubu had a hand in making our son the APC chairman, may we succeed in delivering for him. I know many of my people in other parties will still vote for us and I thank them, because I know they will.

Based on your confidence that the APC will be reelected in 2027, how do you respond to the prophecy that your party will not win the next election under the current national chairman?

Political parties are systematic structures with different departments and roles. The leader at the top coordinates everything. I assure you, as a young, healthy professor of engineering and telecommunications and a man of integrity, I don’t see any character flaw in Nentawe that could turn people away from the party. The APC is structurally and mentally organised.

I won’t dismiss the prophecy outright, but I don’t know what the prophet saw, or who appeared to him. Was it from heaven or from the sea? I personally don’t believe it was God speaking. When someone claims to speak on God’s behalf, I won’t judge, but I do believe that God defines destiny while humans can only predict. And my own prediction is that APC will deliver, considering the current political climate in Nigeria. The APC at the centre has not performed badly in the last two years. Even amidst coalitions, the party is growing stronger every day. President Tinubu is not a political lightweight. Those trying to unseat him in 2027 should take note of that.

There is a belief in some quarters that the APC is orchestrating crises in opposition parties to gain an advantage ahead of 2027. How do you respond to that?

Opposition parties in crisis should look inward and stop blaming the APC. If the PDP is moving to the ADC, then clearly, the PDP is weakened. If a united PDP was fighting the APC, and now it is divided into two, then we all know the saying: united we stand, divided we fall. The division within opposition parties naturally benefits the ruling party.

If I am selling my goods and you refuse to buy, do you expect me to admit my goods are bad? If you are having issues in your party, should I not applaud? It is a competitive political marketplace; all parties are chasing votes. Why would I help you take voters away from me? If you are foolish enough to destroy your own house and I clap for it, APC isn’t at fault. Nobody is deliberately causing it, but if the opposition is weak, APC will naturally rejoice. So again, opposition parties in crisis should look inward and stop blaming APC for their problems.

There is growing concern, even from INEC, about early campaigning ahead of 2027, which violates electoral guidelines. Your party is seen as a major culprit. As a federal lawmaker, what is your take?

Look, people prepare their horses, their tools and buy fertiliser before the farming season. I think everyone is simply preparing ahead. And yes, people will say things; that someone is campaigning early. But how do you stop them from speaking? It is their fundamental right.

As a journalist, if someone says, ‘I’m voting for you’ or ‘I endorse you’ and I didn’t ask them to, should I silence them? That’s their right. However, if you see someone setting up a campaign structure, forming party organs or putting up billboards, that’s a deliberate act of campaigning. If someone posts something about me online or expresses support, that could just be a personal opinion. Everyone has the right to express themselves. If someone says, ‘Plang, please continue in 2027’, should that person be punished for expressing a wish?

But if you see me personally setting up structures or opening campaign offices, then it is clear that I have started early campaigning. But for now, most of what is happening is just individual expression and the law protects that.

From all indications, the 2027 election won’t be a walk in the park for the APC, given the growing resistance from the PDP, ADC and Labour Party…

The parties you mentioned are fragmented political outfits without internal cohesion. As of today, the APC remains the only political party without a serious internal crisis. We are not taking anything for granted, challenges will definitely arise, but it won’t be a political tsunami.

The tenure of the INEC chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, is coming to an end. What should be done to ensure his successor is truly independent and credible?

There are legal criteria for selecting the INEC chairman or commissioners. Anyone appointed must not be a member of any political party and must have no criminal record. Those standards must be upheld.

That said, we all know that everyone is a political animal in some form, by identity or by association. However, whoever will occupy these positions must not be a registered member of a political party or someone who has contested elections before. I believe the laws guiding this process will be followed.

With less than two years remaining in your term, what should your constituents expect from you?

What my people and indeed all Nigerians should expect from us in political office is to finish strong. It is a rare privilege for the people to believe in us and give us a mandate to represent them.

We asked for the job and we were given the job. Two years are gone; two years remain. This is the time to pause and reflect on what we’ve accomplished and where we still need to improve before the end of our tenure. It is my prayer that at the end of this term, we can count our achievements and be genuinely proud that we didn’t betray the trust placed in us. I believe that is the prayer of every serious officeholder.

I still have many ongoing projects. Some are in the national budget; others are personal sacrifices I have made for my people. There are quite a number of them, honestly, too many to count. But I am committed to completing them so I don’t leave office with unfinished projects. For the ones that are budgeted, we will keep pushing the federal government to ensure those funds are released. As we resume plenary, I am confident the National Assembly will prioritise budget implementation, especially capital projects, so we can deliver on our promises. With two years left in my first four-year term, by God’s grace, I will continue lobbying and working to get things right.

The Plateau State Independent Electoral Commission recently released a timetable for local government elections next year. What are your expectations?

I don’t find it surprising. I appreciate that they gave sufficient notice. Sometimes elections are rushed, but this time they have shown the courage to inform the public early. Letting us know now that elections will be held toward the end of next year means no one will be caught off guard. Hopefully, this will lead to freer and fairer local elections. So, kudos to the commission and of course, it is a wake-up call, not just for the APC, but for all parties to start preparing.