It was alleged that you have stopped campaigning for President Muhammadu Buhari in the South-West; that you have even closed the campaign office you opened in Ibadan. What is the true situation?
With due respect, I think that idea that I would stop to campaign for Buhari is nonsensical. I was the first cabinet member, who started the campaign for Buhari’s reelection. I am still a part of this government; I am still a part of APC. In fact, I am a foundation member of the APC and my interaction and relationship with General Buhari isn’t just starting with APC. I was his party’s governorship candidate, the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) in Oyo State in 2011 and he continues to earn my respect and adoration, because he is one president who must either be the first , or may be the second, to voluntarily reduce his salary by half. I think the first Nigerian leader who did that was General Murtala Mohammed. If he could reduce his legitimate salary by half so that the Nigerian state can utilise it for the good of this country, I still believe in him.
So, why would I close down my campaign office? I think it was a mischief. We had a rented apartment; the house in question wasn’t my property. We rented it and we simply couldn’t afford to sustain the rent and the landlord was impatient with us and said we either pay or get out of the place and we took the most sensible decision by vacating that premises.
We are in the process of looking for another building, which would be used for the campaign for General Buhari’s second term office campaign; hopefully we would be able to get something cheaper than we had. So, it isn’t true to say that I am no more campaigning. It was the handwork of mischief makers and I think the media, a section of it can’t be exonerated from fake news. Some put the story out without getting my own side of the story. That means the story was self-serving and politically-motivated, it was a hack publication.
Two governors on the platform of the APC have said categorically that they wouldn’t campaign for the party’s candidates in their states. You also tried to pick your party’s ticket in Oyo state. Now that the primaries are over, are you going to support Bayo Adelabu?
I think it doesn’t arise. I will be a bastard to be defrauded out of a primary process and to simply behave like a slave. It won’t make sense. I am a foundation member of APC and I have twice aspired to be governor. In 2011, I aspired and I was defeated by the incumbent. In 2015, I aspired and was defrauded from the primary at that time and I challenged that process which produced Governor Ajimobi who won for a second term.
I went to court; we were still in court when my appointment was announced. That made me to abandon that case and the governor, instead of him to thank his God that he was relieved of the case, started a campaign against my confirmation by the Senate. He was going around, blackmailing me, urging senators not to confirm me. At the end of the day, common sense prevailed, I was confirmed and ever since he has continued to attack me. And what is the basis of the attack? He believes that, which is wrong anyway, that he and his cohorts cannot have a Buhari at the federal level and another Buhari in me at the state level. He told people close to him that if Shittu succeeds, he would be in jail. Why he would think so, I still don’t know.
So, if the party announced that those interested in the primaries for various positions should apply, they asked us to pay N22 million, they didn’t advertise any condition outside the provisions of the Nigerian constitution. After we had paid, screened and certified, the chairman of our party unilaterally and in violation of the constitution got me out of the way so that they could impose a newcomer into the party. Somebody who is barely two months in APC was foisted on the party. Of course, you can’t expect me at my level to support such candidate.
I believe I have given enough warning. Now they are talking of reconciliation and I have said before the deadline: before you talk of reconciliation, you first talk of restitution. If you violate somebody’s right or you steal somebody’s property and you are found out, instead of you to deliver what you have stolen, you are now calling for reconciliation. It is like craving for peace even if there is no justice. I think it was Bob Marley, who said everybody is calling for peace, nobody is calling for justice. Justice must be done even if the heavens will fall but I want to assure you that if you do justice, the heavens won’t fall. So, as for me, I don’t recognise the candidate of APC. I am in court and I am sure that I will triumph over those who were less than intelligent in hoisting a stranger on our party in Oyo State. It is as straightforward as that.
Don’t you think your stance could be viewed as anti-party? You have taken the party to court and the party is seeking reconciliation with those of you who are aggrieved?
Of course, they had an opportunity and they misused it. The party will certainly pay for it. I have, with all sense of humility, passed the stage where any party official will threaten me. I have passed that stage. We are in court, if the party is sure that it has better basis for what they have done, let us meet in court. You don’t start threatening those who feel unfairly treated, thinking that you can get me out of the justice system. It isn’t possible.
It is obvious from what you have said that there is no unity among the party members in Oyo State. Don’t you nurse the fear that it could undermine Buhari’s chances in the presidential election?
Let me assure you that by the grace of God in January, we are going to inaugurate a coalition of grassroots campaigners for Buhari/Osinbajo election in 2019.
Coalition, because all those who were frustrated out of APC, either through the congresses which were held or through the primaries and who have been forced into various other parties, invited me to provide leadership. They all want to work for Buhari, they don’t have any problem with Buhari; they want to work for him and they want me to convene a coalition of grassroots campaign for General Buhari’s election. We are going to do that. So, the personality of Buhari goes beyond parties, he has supporters in all the parties, even in PDP and all of them are going to be galvanised into one strong campaign force and by the grace of God, in Oyo State, we hope to be able to garner about two million votes for him.
There is the perception that as the leader of the party, General Buhari isn’t living up to expectations in ensuring peace. Governors and the APC leadership aren’t on the same page on the eve of an election. Is the APC family in order?
You see, like you said, Buhari is the leader of the party; in the Constitution of each party, that position doesn’t confer on you any extraordinary powers as the leader of the party. Buhari is the exact opposite of the dictator that Obasanjo was in Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). You will recall that during Obasanjo’s time as president, the National Executive Committee of PDP became a toothless bulldog. It was General Obasanjo who was calling the shots and he ensured that the NEC was under his jack boots. Again, that was a violation of the democratic credentials of political parties. So Buhari as a symbolic leader has no role under the APC constitution to overrule what the NEC of the party said. Again, you must understand that Buhari himself is an aspirant also just like the rest of us and for an aspirant in a clime where you might have to be very careful in dealing with some executive who may perhaps be waiting in the wings to even jump boat! That was a possibility; to embarrass him and then jump boat. He had to behave contrarily to what Obasanjo did, the manner he manipulated the PDP.
So, I don’t blame President Buhari; I know that he sympathises with all of us who have been unfairly treated and he has been giving the moral support that he should give, particularly as revealed in his stance that everybody must be accorded his/her constitutional right to be heard. You know what happened thereafter, but he has made his own point. So, as far as I am concerned, I don’t believe that in the circumstances of trying to nurture a better political party, Buhari could have dictated or insisted on a particular course of action. For him to have done that would amounted to putting himself over and above the executive. So as things are now, if anything goes wrong, he is exonerated from blame. The NEC of the party will have to take responsibility for whatever befalls the party.
With regard to the APC not having formed a presidential council, I want to take you down memory lane. In the 2011 election, Buhari in the presidential election scored over 12 million votes across the country. In that same election of 2011, the PDP which could be regarded as traditional opponent gave itself 22 million. Of the 12 million plus votes that Buhari garnered in the election, it came from the Northern part of the country, less than 1 million came from all of the southern states. In 2015, Buhari got 15 million votes; the PDP fell from their Olympian height of 2011. Of the 15 million votes that Buhari got in 2015, again 12 million came from the North. The whole of the South gave him three million. Contrarily, the PDP got 12 million scattered all over. That was one of the freest and fairest election. You ask yourself, the 10 million short fall, where did it go? That will show to you that PDP, for most of its time in government, was never popular but cooked up figures in 2011 elections.
Having said that, since the last three years that General Buhari has been president, every day of his performance and the performance of each minister were his campaign and I give you the statistics. Today, on top of the 12 million sure votes, we have 500,000 who have benefited from N-Power, and you can be assured that those families will make appreciable figures in votes.
Secondly, during PDP governance, rice consumption in Nigeria was 90 per cent imported. Today, by the reform in the agricultural sector, only 10 per cent of rice is imported and about eight million new jobs have been created in the agriculture sector. The All Farmers Association of Nigeria that claimed to be about 12 million have committed themselves and have said that as a result of the reform in the agriculture sector by Buhari, all their members will vote for him. Thirdly, before Buhari came, the last budget of the PDP on roads was N20 billion and not a single kobo was spent on road construction. In 2017, the government spent N265 billion on roads alone.
Also, you will recall that for two years before Buhari came on board, there was no work on any federal road in this country, because contractors had abandoned sites, as they were not paid and there was a lot of job losses. Today, all the roads are busy and all those working there will definitely appreciate what Buhari has done. There are so many others and that is why I said that for every work the government is doing, we are already campaigning. We are conscious of the difference Buhari government has brought.
In the book recently launched by [former President Goodlubk] Jonathan; he said only N20 billion was realised from corrupt politicians and during Buhari’s time, over N400 billion was recovered. In his logic, he said that means there is more corruption now than there was during his time. He forgot that all those people from who the money was recovered are PDP elements. Of course, Nigerians will not do anything that will make the PDP have access to all these recovered money again.
I can assure you that as of today, there are over 1000 Buhari support groups and I know the efforts we are making in Oyo State. I also know that some two weeks ago, [Babatunde] Fashola launched a door-to-door campaign in Lagos State. So, the delay in constituting a Presidential Campaign Council will not affect the fortunes of the president. As I said, you can rest assure that about 12 to 15 million votes are sure for Buhari. In the North-East where Atiku comes from, it is Buhari who restored people in the Internally Displaced camps and they could go back to their homes. This government came and made sure that Boko Haram ran for dear life and almost all IDP camps have now been disbanded and people are now in positions of going back to their homes. I want to assure you that the 2019 election will be a walk over for Buhari.
What would you is the heaviest pain the rejection by APC inflicted on your political career?
On three occasions, my mentor, General Buhari was frustrated in his desire to become president of this country. He contested elections three times and the elections were massively rigged. He went to court and was also frustrated in a conspiracy between politicians and the judiciary. At the end of the day, at God’s own time, people who were frustrating him were taken out of the way. I always tell people that if God loves the people of Oyo State, He will make me the governor irrespective of whatever impediment mischief makers may bring. I know that if I become governor; I will make all the difference, because I have a lot of experience. I have been in politics for over 40 years and I learnt politics from Chief Obafemi Awolowo who has been the greatest political leader in this country.
Will it be right to say, you have lost confidence in the leadership of APC and its possibility of delivering for Buhari?
I have told you that Buhari is the product of more than just APC. He is the product of Nigerians, irrespective of party affiliation and by the grace of God, you will see what will happen. Oshiomhole was my friend and I used to have confidence in him. Today, I can say he is my former friend. I was the first person to tell Oshiomhole that I will talk to Mr. President to appoint him as Political Adviser and I did deliver that to the president, even though he never got appointed. That must have influenced his current position. The day we were screened, I spent almost one hour in his office. Human beings forget that life does not begin and end with them. I am lucky that he gave reason for my disqualification, so I have something to take to court and to prove that he was wrong.
and then