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Senator Folashade Bent: PDP Responsible For President Goodluck Jonathan's Loss
Posted by Nicholas on Sat 09th May, 2015 - tori.ngEverybody seems to be blaming the Peoples Democratic Party, for their own failure, Grace Folashade Bent, a Senator under Adamawa in the 6th senate stated this in a new interview:
Sen. Grace Folashade Bent represented the Adamawa south senatorial district of Adamawa State in the sixth senate.
In this interview, the former chairman, committee on environment and ecology speaks to RUTH CHOJI on the aftermath of the 2015 general elections and other topical issues in the Nigerian political terrain.
Read excerpts below: -
What are your thoughts on the outcome of the last general elections?
I think Nigerian politics is beginning to evolve; it is beginning to find its footing and take a definite track. What happened was a major plus for us and another master stroke is the fact that, the loser, with all sense of decorum, accepted the result of the elections. That is a positive move that will firmly position the Nigerian democratic experiment. We need to give kudos to President Jonathan; he could have said “No, I won’t accept this result,’ but he accepted it in good faith. Remember, he once said that he is the most criticised Nigerian president, but that when he is leaving, he will be the most celebrated.
Are you still actively involved in politics?
Of course! I will remain in politics because it is a service to humanity. It is the rascal political elites that have maligned it. They have betrayed the same people that brought them to power; and that is why they find it difficult to relate with people like us who believe in service to the people. I am an extremely principled person.
Why has the number of women in elective posts reduced in spite of their cry for 35 per cent affirmative action?
That is the greatest tragedy that has bedeviled the Nigerian democracy. President Jonathan has done so much in the area of appointive positions for women, but that is not enough. In a political setting, the legislature remains the bedrock of all political activities, and yet you cannot boast of even 10 per cent female membership in both chambers; it is an alarming development.
We have only seven female incoming senators; I am not sure about the House of Reps members yet. Political parties must stop playing lip service to the issue of 35 per cent Affirmative Action which has become so bastardised.
Until and unless we consciously enshrine a particular percentage that will accommodate women, it will remain a mirage. Look at what happened in my party, the PDP, where I have been a loyal member for about 14years. Despite the humiliation, grandstanding and ill treatment I have gone through in the hands of the PDP, I have remained there because we must identify our political leanings as politicians.
Are you are still willing to remain in the PDP after all that you have experienced?
Cross-carpeting doesn’t portray one as a politician of worth and integrity. The candidates that were responsible for the defeat of PDP in Adamawa, immediately after the national assembly elections, moved to the APC. I see that as a disaster.
These were the same people that deprived the popular candidates the opportunity to emerge. They did kangaroo primaries in Abuja, which was a sham and illegitimate; it was outside the PDP’s constitution and they did it in connivance with the national leadership here in Abuja.
We knew it was not going to hold water because anything you do in falsehood will not stand. The real PDP delegates were disenfranchised! In addition to all that, look at what Murtala Nyako did to stop me from coming to the Senate; yet I still remain in the party and that is because I believe in the ideology of the PDP.
People must not sell their conscience for personal gains. As far as I am concerned, those who defected after they had run down the party are like Ebola; the same way they destroyed the PDP is how they will destroy the APC. There are some good people in the APC, but they must watch their backs. Most of my political associates are in the APC.
What lessons do you think politicians should learn from the fallout of the elections?
As a politician, the major lesson I have learn is that the wish and will of the people is the ultimate, because if you look at the pattern of the results, especially in the north, it was definitive. It is not to say that a particular candidate was better; it is to tell you that we are now sophisticated, politically. President Jonathan would have won that election if he was not in the PDP. It was a PDP problem, not an individual thing. You can be a good candidate but be in the wrong party.
Political parties must go back to the drawing board and bring back sound, ideological programs that are people friendly. Knowing Nigerians, one year after the inauguration of the new president, people are going to be critical, that is why we cannot afford to elect just any sort of people to rule us. There is no reason why President Jonathan should have lost that election; unfortunately, he was surrounded by the wrong people. PDP at a point started derailing and thus disappointed people.
Some have called on the president-elect to run an inclusive government, what is your take on this?
If Buhari does that, I think it will be a major plus and hallmark of his administration. He is a man that wants to work for Nigeria. If he understands that a large chunk of the people in the APC are from the PDP, then he will be careful when choosing people. He has to choose wisely so that the government will be rid of criminally minded people. I think he ought to have a think tank that must work on that specifically.
As one of the states that were heavily hit by insurgency, how is Adamawa faring presently?
I think it is beginning to return back to its former glory, especially the northern part of the state, which is the worst hit. There are still a lot of IDPs all over because they are afraid that their security is not yet guaranteed. Some people are still in the mountains, afraid to go back to their homes; but by and large, there is relative peace. It is just that those areas affected are close to the border and the insurgents come in, attack and flee.
As a female politician who has been married for decades now, what do you think of the belief in some quarters that female politicians do not keep good homes?
From our courtship to marriage with my husband, it has been 33years. We have been blessed with children and grandchildren. Whatever you see me become today cannot be explained outside God, my husband and parents. I always tell female politicians that if you want to be a successful politician, then you need your husband because the Nigerian political terrain remains tricky for women. If a woman does not have a good partner, a succor, a shoulder to cry on, then she will break down. You must also be able to strike a balance and understand that your marriage comes first. Show me a successful woman and I will show you a woman that has run her home successfully and whose husband is proud of her.
What have you been doing since you have been out of political limelight?
I have an NGO that I started when I was in the Senate which I still continue to run and my husband is its major supporter. We touch the lives of women and youth through empowerment and skills acquisition. We also take care of their health. It is a platform we have been using to reach out to our people.
What has been your main challenge?
Our main challenge is finance because right now, it is just my husband that sponsors most of our activities. I have not reached out to international donors, but I am thinking of doing that because the burden is beginning to weigh us down. What we are doing has a political undertone because we see politics as a divine opportunity to impact our world, not as a means of trampling on people.
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