Exclusive: Sen. Gershom Bassey Speaks On The #ENDSARS Protests And 2023 Elections

In an interview with CRBC Correspondent Maurice Inok on Tuesday, 16th February 2021, the Senator representing Cross River State Southern Senatorial District, Gershom Bassey, bared his thoughts on the ENDSARS protests, the aftermath, and 2023 elections.

Maurice Inok:

First of all, this is our first time talking to you on CRBC since the #ENDSARS issue that was hijacked by hooligans. Let’s commiserate with you on the vandalization of your property and your family’s property. We’d like to say we’re very sorry that it happened. It shouldn’t have happened and we pray that it never happens again. Okay Sir, so we just played a sound bite of an interview that you had, and in the interview, people were talking to you about the #ENDSARS movement, this new protest that wanted to come out. Actually, since then it came out. A few of them were picked up, with one entertainer, Mr. Macaroni, and a few others. In the sound bite, which we just played here for everybody to hear, you had said that you wanted the protesters to guarantee safety and security. Now you saw what played out with the police and with Mr. Macaroni and the few others who went there. What is your take on what happened? Do you think at this point, the protest is something that should have happened? Also, do you think that the people who own the Lekki Toll Gate should have gone back, or was it a bit too early for them to try to repossess that place? What’s your take, sir?

Sen. Gershom Bassey:

Well, thank you. Once again, good morning to your listeners out there. For me, the #ENDSARS protests were, well most of my colleagues at the National Assembly, wholeheartedly supported. We specifically supported the constitutional rights of freedom of speech and the freedom of association, which of course protects their right to protest. So totally we as lawmakers, mostly support all that. What we do not support is criminality. The situation where a protest was initially peaceful but was later hijacked by hoodlums and even some people lose their lives. Prisoners were released from prison. I don’t know what prisoners in prison have to do with #ENDSARS. Psychiatric hospitals were invaded and looted, infectious diseases hospitals were looted, I don’t know what the infectious disease has to do with #ENDSARS. TINAPA was destroyed. The Convention Center was destroyed. Of course, you’ve already talked about my house, but other people’s properties were also destroyed.
And a situation where they did all that, under the banner of #ENDSARS, calls for serious concern. We appreciate and acknowledge the rights of the youth to protest, and the very serious issues they were protesting about, which we have also been debating at the National Assembly. For example, police reform and the police trust fund, and we have even passed laws to that effect. So, we are fully on the same page with the youth on that. But when you protest, you have to be careful that your protest is not hijacked. Yes, it’s the responsibility of the police to protect you. But when you say you have applied to the police for protection, and the police say “look, I’m not sure that on Friday, Saturday, Sunday, we cannot protect you on that day. Let’s think of another day.” Then I think that you should listen to the police. So that is my position on all that. In summary, I totally support the rights of anybody to protest anything, anytime, anywhere. It’s a constitutionally guaranteed right, but it should not infringe on the rights of others. That’s all.

Maurice Inok:

Okay Sir, this new wave of protests that wanted to come is as a result of the fact that it’s alleged that the owners of the Lekki Toll Gate want to go back and start taking fares again. Do you think this was a little bit early, things have not healed? There are still tribunals sitting, committees sitting. What do you make of this situation? And the fact that finally, a few people did go, they were picked up, arrested and once again, there were still some pictures or videos of what looks like some form of police brutality?

Sen. Gershom Bassey:

Well, I didn’t follow those events very closely, but I’m aware because I also like Mr. Macaroni. So, I’m aware that people were picked up. But I don’t think that they had a police permit and the reason why the police give permits is not to stifle your right to protest, it’s to protect your protest and to protect other citizens from all these hoodlum invasions and so on. If you recall, the earlier #ENDSARS protest had police protection. The police were moving with the protesters. So, you need to have some level of security so that you don’t have the kind of situation which we had in Calabar. And if the police say, “look, we don’t have enough personnel or manpower at the time to guarantee your protest,” then you need to sit down and reason with the police and agree.
So, I don’t know the details of what happened at Lekki, but I’m just saying this as a general comment. With regards to the Lekki Toll Gate itself. I’m trying to understand, where tolling is a private business, public-private partnership, and where there are loans and so on to pay. You recall that the Lekki Toll Gate is already being used. They’re using it, it’s just that after October they stopped charging tolls. So, what are we protesting? Are we protesting the use of Lekki Toll Gate or the tolling of Lekki Toll Gate, in which case are two separate issues? People have been protesting about the tolling of Lekki Toll Gate for a long time. In fact, at one point they were talking about alternative routes because, in all concessions, you must give alternative routes. And that was an ongoing protest, which has been ongoing since the construction of the Lekki Toll Gate. That is a separate issue from the #ENDSARS protesters, who are talking about what happened at the Lekki Toll Gate. We need to be clear so we don’t misunderstand what was being protested on Saturday.

Maurice Inok:

Okay. So, let’s quickly come back to Calabar. There’s the issue of security in our country. It’s a very dire situation right now, but since the advent of Operation Akpakwu, there seems to have been a restoration of some form of calm in Calabar and Cross River State. Your colleague, Senator Ordia rose on the floor of the Senate to say that maybe Nigeria should come and take the Cross River model of Operation Akpakwu and put it in place in the country. What’s your impression about the way Senator Ben Ayade has managed the security situation in the aftermath of that very serious security breach in our state? There’s still a curfew in place in Calabar from 10:00 PM to 6:00 AM.

Sen. Gershom Bassey:

Well, I’ve already said it. I think that so far so good. But it’s not over, security is an ongoing thing. While I commend the Governor and his cabinet for having a focus on this security issue in a way in which has brought some successes. This security issue, by the way, also includes the swearing-in of the Chief Judge of the State, Justice Akon Ikpeme. You need to have a proper judiciary in place to prosecute criminals, and so on. The approach to security includes both reducing crime and having a fit-for-purpose judiciary. So, I have to commend the State Government for that and that is why I say that all of us should join hands with the state government, and encourage them to do more because security is an ongoing thing. But so far, for the successes since the October matter, I must commend the state Governor.

Maurice Inok:

Okay. Distinguished Senator, we had Barrister Alphonsus Ogar Eba, DG Due Process, on our show and he reiterated the fact that His Excellency, the Governor has said that “for equity, power must return to the Southern Senatorial District.” And with these conjectures in the air, people have also started looking at possible candidates for this election. And of course, your name has been raised as one of the people who may want to succeed His Excellency, the Governor. Now, the fact that it’s coming from Southern Senatorial District, which is your Senatorial District, are you throwing your hat into the ring as one of those who want to contest for governorship? Let’s ask you directly. What do you make of the fact that it’s said that power is coming back to the South. Some people have said, “Let’s start all over again.” What’s your take as one of the “three wise men” who started the new Cross River from 1999 politics?

Sen. Gershom Bassey:

Well, the issue of rotation is a separate issue from the issue of contesting an election. It is too early for anybody to come out, to say he’s contesting any election at this time, whether it is Councillorship election, or Local Government Chairman or Senate, Governor or even President. I think it’s too early to come out. Except you are in one of those out-of-sequence elections. If you are in a normal sequence election, then it’s a bit too early. Right now, we’ve just talked about weighty issues that are on the Governor’s table. You have only one Governor at a time and he has weighty issues on his table, with his government and his cabinet. I think we should join them, support them to focus on the issues. He doesn’t need to be distracted by people saying that they are contesting for the governorship.
I think when the time is right or we are nearer to the time, you will find that people will come out. I mean, the usual way for us in the PDP, we will find a resolution to that issue of a candidate for the governorship in 2023. But for now, it’s too earlier. That’s number one. On the issue of rotation, the rotation in our state has been an unwritten tradition, which we have had in our state since 1999. And I am very happy that the governor is keeping to that tradition. You will recall that in 1999, the governorship started in the South and then moved to the center and then move to the North. I’m glad that Governor Donald Duke kept faith with that tradition. Governor Liyel Imoke also kept faith with that tradition and I am happy that Governor Ben Ayade is now keeping faith with that tradition. That is the way to go, in order for there to be fairness and equity in political power in our state and I am a hundred percent behind the Governor on that.

Maurice Inok:

Okay Sir, but some people may have argued that this could reduce the quality of the choice and that by now we should have been sophisticated enough to have anybody come from any local government, or any part of the state to become governor. What’s your take on that?

Sen. Gershom Bassey:

Well, whoever says that can go and test it at the polls. You will recall that in the last election, that proposition was tested at the polls and it collapsed. So clearly the people of Cross River State are fully in support of the rotation because, in situations where people have tried to run out of sequence, they have not been able to succeed. So, we’re not just talking for ourselves. We are talking on behalf of the people of Cross River State, and clearly, the people are fully in support of that rotation. That is why you’ve seen that in successive elections, people from particular senatorial districts have been able to succeed. But anybody that wants to test it can go and test it and see for themselves.

Maurice Inok:

Okay Sir, finally before we let you go. Of course, we can’t end this interview without asking this question. You’ve said some very nice things about His Excellency, the Governor, but on social media or public spaces, a lot of people have been making insinuations that there is a lot of aggravation between the National Assembly and the state government. What’s your position on this as the leader of the Cross River State National Assembly caucus? What word would you have to say about the relationship between the National Assembly and His Excellency, the Governor, and the Executive in Cross River State?

Sen. Gershom Bassey:

There is absolutely no problem between the National Assembly caucus, members of the National Assembly caucus, the leadership of the National Assembly caucus, the National Assembly caucus in any way, shape, or form. There is absolutely no problem between us and the Governor, none whatsoever. Where we may have disagreements may have been with some of the Governors advisers and lieutenants. But with the Governor, we have no disagreements. The disagreements are not personal to them, but it is to some of the advice that they have been giving. We believe that some of the advice is not in line with the party constitution and we have said that, we have discussed it with the Governor and a lot of those issues have been resolved. So, there is no problem between us and His Excellency.

Maurice Inok:

Okay Sir. Thank you very much for talking to us, and we hope that once you get into Cross River State, you will come into the rebranded CRBC and we’ll have a full interview with you.

Sen. Gershom Bassey:

Okay then. Thank you very much and thank you, listeners. Have a wonderful day.