APC must be sent back to opposition, it is what they are good at —Senator Olasunkanmi, Osun PDP gov aspirant

A former Minister of Youth Development, Senator Akinlabi Olasunkanmi, speaks with SAHEED SALAWU on his ambition to represent the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the September 22 governorship election in Osun State and why he is the best man to lead the state from November.

 

You are said to be an elitist; they say you don’t relate with the ordinary people on the street. With your aspiration to govern Osun State, how are you going to handle that perception?

Those who are saying that might be some of my opponents who want an unfair advantage for themselves. But I am sure that the generality of Osun people, both our party men and the electorate, do not see me like that. I was elected as a senator of the Federal Republic representing Osun West and people saw me as having performed excellently. I was about to return when the then governor of my state, together with the leaders, asked me to step down, which I did. And I was nominated subsequently to be a minister of the Federal Republic. I also served in that capacity for four years. That is a rarity. I don’t think that perception – of somebody who is aloof with the people, somebody who is not close to the people – is correct. That perception cannot be right based on the political offices that I have held in the past.

 

You appear to have just given us a trajectory of your political development. Who is your godfather?

When I served as senator, the people of my senatorial district were my godfathers. When I served as a minister of the Federal Republic, all the people of Osun State were my godfathers (and godmothers, if you like), and that was how I was able to deliver on the mandate they gave me to represent them. They are asking me to go for more and that is why I am offering myself, again, for service. They will continue to be my godfathers.

 

Who do you owe allegiance to in politics?

I owe allegiance to the electorate. That is what I just said. My allegiance is to the people. I am a servant of the people. My allegiance is to those people who will elect me and take me to where I am aspiring to, and that is, to be the governor of Osun State. And I tell them that I will do all in my ability to serve them very well.

 

What were the circumstances that surrounded your nomination and emergence as minister in 2007?

The system by which a minister emerges is that the presidency calls for three nominations from each state of the federation. The president has the prerogative to pick one of those names. As far as I am concerned, I was the choice of the late President Umaru Yar’Adua. Whatever politics went into the picking of my name must have been behind the scene. All I know is that I served meritoriously as a senator and [former Governor Olagunsoye] Oyinlola then, for reasons best known to him, asked me to step down for the late Senator Isiaka Adeleke. My withdrawal gave Adeleke the chance to become a senator in 2007. They promised to compensate my loyalty to the party with something different. You know, I was in the legislature and this [choice as a minister] was an executive appointment. Even if the motive was questionable, at the end of the day, it worked out fine for me. It gave me the opportunity to have both the legislative and executive experience at the highest level in the country.

That is why I can say categorically that out of all those aspiring to become governor of Osun State today, none can boast of a better experience than me. I was the only minister that served for four years and in the same ministry. I must have done well within the period. And I served two presidents; after the passing of President Yar’Adua, President Goodluck Jonathan retained me, in the ministry.

 

Aren’t you intimidated by the debt profile of the state?

In 2014, when I aspired to be the governor, that was a very sore point of this current [Rauf] Aregbesola administration. We always questioned him on exactly how much Osun State owed under his management. Up to today, his administration still dances around that question.

What I am going to do when I come in is to conduct a forensic audit of the debt the government of Aregbesola has plunged the Osun people into…

 

Your party, PDP, already put the debt at about N200 billion.

In fact, some people are saying it is about N400 billion. He said recently that the debt was one sixty-something billion naira and that it would be paid in 2019-2020. You see, I can’t take his word for it. When we get there, we will conduct a thorough forensic audit of how much we owe and determine what is genuine and what is not genuine. Then we take it from there.

 

Generally, how would you assess the current administration?

Aregbesola is a good man, I can say that, but I question his managerial ability. You know he was a commissioner in Lagos. He brought Lagos management style to Osun. Lagos and Osun are two different states. They are incomparable. For example, the concept of mega schools is misplaced. We are not short of land in Osun State so, why do you have to merge schools? I think he is a good man. It is his managerial ability that I question. He has not managed Osun State competently.

 

What are you going to do differently if you get there?

My administration is going to be a collective one. Every member of the cabinet will be allowed to make their input. We are going to tap the knowledge and resources of everybody that has one or two things to contribute to the development of Osun State. I believe with that, there is no doubt that we are going to excel.

 

Osun is adjudged to be a predominantly civil service state hence its level of development.

That is correct because we have really not developed our potential. Osun is an agrarian state. We can have agro-industries, agricultural value chain. We have so many agricultural produce here. We have cassava. We have maize. We have orange, you know, fruits generally. We can create agro-processing, cottage industries for these produce so that Osun would not be continually tagged a civil service state. We will go back to the system of farm settlement and create an enabling environment.

But it takes a lot of commitment, a lot of political will, to do that. The ability of the chief executive of a state to perform may be limited, in some instances, by the second-term syndrome: you want to do things that the people will see at the detriment of real development. I will not be bothered about whether I want to do second term or not. I will execute real development projects that will benefit the people, especially youths and women. My major concern will be how to harness the abilities of our women and youths so that they can be useful to themselves and the society.

 

Senator Ademola Adeleke, like you, is a major contender in this governorship race under the PDP. How do you see his participation?

The PDP in Osun State is one big family and it will, at the end of the day, have the responsibility of choosing whom they want to lead them at this critical period, especially after the administration of Aregbesola, which the Osun people generally believe has not done very well. I am sure our party will look at the pedigree of each aspirant and then determine whom they want to give the mandate to lead them come November. I am sure they are going to look at experience, exposure and other qualities before they make up their minds.

 

How is your personal relationship with the Adeleke family?

My relationship with not only the Adeleke family but everybody that is contesting is very cordial.

 

How is your relationship with former Governor Oyinlola?

Also very cordial. I relate with Oyinlola as a brother and former governor of Osun State. I hope you know that we don’t belong in the same party right now. So, politically, we don’t have a relationship. He is a big brother, an amiable man.

 

What is your party doing to ensure that its chances are bright in the governorship election?

There is no crisis in the PDP anymore. We have been able to put that crisis behind us. That is why we were able to conduct a successful South West rally. Or did you see any problem with the rally? You saw how the people of Osun State and, by extension, the South West were eager to take the mantle of leadership from the APC which they believe has performed below their expectation, even at the federal level.

 

You said earlier that you had operated at the highest level of governance, at the federal level, why do you want to govern Osun State?

It is my passion to serve the people because I believe I have what it takes to govern Osun State. I believe I have what it takes to make a difference. It would be irresponsible to see your people suffering and stand aloof. That is why I am offering myself for service. My philosophy is politics without bitterness, and not do-or-die politics. It is my responsibility to offer my service to the people and it is up to the people to accept that they want me to serve. If they know I have something to offer, if they know I have the experience, if they want me to replicate in Osun State, what I have done at the federal level, so be it. But my ambition is not do-or-die. With what the APC administration has done in Osun State, it would be irresponsible of me, when I still have the energy, to stand aloof and not want to contribute my quota to taking Osun State out of a sorry state. Everything I am trying to do, I have the interest of the people at heart and I am going to put in my best if they give me the chance to lead them for the next four years.

 

There is the prior claim that the governorship of the state should go to Osun West, which is your senatorial district, this time, the two other districts – Osun East and Osun Central – having continuously produced the governor…

I am a stakeholder in Osun West Senatorial District and our people have resolved that for fairness and equity, the district should be given the chance to produce the next governor of this state. Chief Bisi Akande governed the state for four years. Former Governor Oyinlola governed the state for seven and a half years. That is almost 12 years. The current governor, Aregbesola, is from Osun East and he has done almost eight years. Politically, it is expedient for the next governor to come from Osun West. That is what our people demand and that is what I support.

 

What is the stand of the PDP on this?

I wouldn’t want to read the mind of the party but the PDP believes in fairness, justice and equity. This is an unwritten rule but even if that is the case, everybody knows that every part of either a state or the country must be given a fair chance to rule. I believe that our party believes in fairness and I believe they will not do anything contrary to that if they don’t want to alienate the people of Osun West.

 

The All Progressives Congress (APC) holds sway in Osun State and at the federal level, aren’t you and your party intimidated by the might of the ruling party?

The one with the people is in the majority. We believe in the power of the people. Regardless of the intimidation the Federal Government might present, power still belongs to the people. And with what our people have suffered, we believe they are yearning for a positive… I don’t want to use ‘change’ now because some people have used that word to deceive our people. They are yearning for a change of administration from the APC to the PDP that they have known.

We used to be in power at the federal level, too, but our people were deceived by the ‘change’ mantra and they have seen that they have nothing to offer but propaganda. Look at Lai Mohammed, for example. The man still behaves as if they are still in the opposition. He forgets most times that he is a minister of the Federal Republic in charge of information. The people have the power and they should be able to send the APC back to the opposition, which they are very good at.

 

How do you see the current scheme of the Olusegun Obasanjo-backed coalition now in the form of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) to oust President Muhammadu Buhari?

I want to make a prediction that at the end of the day, the PDP and this new coalition will work together. And this is not just my wish, I am sure it is going to be the best thing to happen to this country.

 

In your view, how has President Muhammadu Buhari performed?

If Buhari has been doing very well, you won’t be seeing this level of decadence in the system. Nigeria is not moving forward under Buhari’s administration. We are stagnant in all facets. That is why we are saying that hehas done his best and he should go and rest. The people have seen that he has no magic wand to manage Nigeria’s economy. Are people faring better than they were in 2015 when they [the APC] took over power? The answer is no. Nigerians are tired of the bloodletting alone. They want the PDP government to come back.

 

How do you see the Osun State electorate now in terms of political awareness and maturity?

I believe they are now much more politically aware and that is why we are asking the PDP to get it right this time and present the best candidate. I believe all the aspirants are qualified but one person is more qualified than the rest. Our party should do the needful and look at the antecedents and experience of each aspirant and see who is best prepared for the job.

I believe the Osun people are sophisticated and they know exactly what they want. They will not repeat the mistake of 2010 when this APC administration came to Osun State. I think the personality of each candidate presented by the parties will inform the choice of the people.