Dr. Eddy Olafeso is the immediate former National Vice Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) South West. He speaks with HAKEEM GBADAMOSI on the current state of Nigeria, the preparedness of PDP to come back to power.
PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari recently promised that Nigerians will witness some changes in terms of fighting insecurity in the country. Do you see this happening?
There are even putting insecurity in a frypan. There has never been any form of action that will reassure Nigerians that Nigeria is a better place or secured for foreign investment and domestic development. It is getting worse. Recent events have shown that the federal government is oblivious of the sensitivity attached to certain regional issues in Nigeria. The ‘abduction’ of Nnamdi Kanu and his re-arraignment in court with handcuffs and the ransacking of Sunday Igboho’s house in Oyo State are all clear indication that the country is far away from the promise. .But then, is anybody listening to his promise anymore? How many of those promises have been broken in the past? He does not really care about Nigeria. For me nothing has changed for me to have the confidence that Nigeria is moving in the right direction.
Agitations from some ethnic groups seem to be gaining ground; are you not concerned about the grave implications for the oneness of the country?
There are cacophonies or noises. But specifically, what is pointing to is the revisit of the constitution with a view of ensuring that there is fairness and equity in the country called Nigerian. And that is the reason why everybody is talking about this issue of restructuring, both in governance and in terms of management of resources. I’m not one of those who says that Nigeria should break, but then I’m one of those who believe that there must be fairness and equity if all of us are going to live together in peace and harmony. So, the noises will continue because the Federal Government is appropriating it to individuals as if they are the issue. Sunday Igboho is not the issue in the South-West, Nnamdi Kanu is not the issue in the South-East and ditto all the other people that are being hunted. You can hunt this people but you are not doing anything about banditry, kidnappings and killings, about Boko Haram in the North and in the entire country. It is like some people are sacred cows and no matter what their offence, they will never be brought to book. Nigeria is the only country in the entire planet, where people will perpetually commit murder, atrocious murder and nobody is ever brought to book.
You heard lately that 20 people were executed for banditry in Somalia. Have you ever heard that here? So the noises about secession, about breakup will continue unless we all sit together to look at this. Let me take your mind back, how come these noises were not rife in the first republic when the regions were still on their own. Give autonomy, devolve power, pay attention to the needs of the people; block corruption and secure the nation. The propinquity and sovereignty of the state must be your paramount priority and responsibility. Yet, none of those things are done. We have porous borders. People troop into Nigeria from everywhere and commit every atrocious crimes and walk away without any form of correction. It is atrocious. These are end times. Some months ago, I told you that we are on the highway to Rwanda. Are we not inching towards that at this moment? It is dangerous. I’m not pessimistic, but I see it every day, I’m worried. And the Yoruba nation is not even prepared, we are so divided; Leadership does not care about the ordinary people on the street. I’m talking about this in all the parties. Not only in PDP, not only in APC, leadership across board. Political elites, economic elites, everybody that is somebody don’t care about the next man on the street. It is like the bottom is off our bucket. How do you take that to fetch water? That is the honest truth.
You spoke about the Somalia situation, are you advocating capital punishment for these bandits?
Certainly, if you take a person’s life, you equally should be killed. That is the truth, it is the best deterrent for crime. Certainty of punishment is the best deterrent for crime. So if they do it and they get away with the murder, kidnap, rape and you treat them with kid gloves, it cannot happen, it will not stop. Let us be fair to ourselves, why this has been going on for a long time is the fact that nobody has been brought to book. So, to me if there is anything beyond capital punishment, it should be meted out to anybody that kills, that rapes, that kidnap, that decides to make life harrowing for another person. Man inhumanity to man can only be dealt with, with certainty of punishment.
I’m one of the advocate of capital punishment. I’m one of the advocate of capital punishment for somebody who can be so heinous and devious to the point of killing another person.
The Federal Government recently openly to toldl those advocating for restructuring of the country to forget about it. What is your view on in this?
They are ignorant of history. Sooner than later, their folly will be wide open onto their faces. You cannot stop an idea whose time has come. They will all be consigned to the dustbin of history because you cannot stop somebody to express his desire to be free. Freedom is the most sacred gift to man, and anybody that attains to force people to want to be together, they are fooling themselves. This military constitution will not last. Sooner than later, you will see what it is. When President Jonathan called the national conference in 2014 and the conclusions could have helped Nigeria get better but these people, they are not ready. Their insistence is just to continue in power. You could see what they are doing to PDP and what PDP Governors are doing to themselves, some of them, not everybody. So, in all reality, no matter what the presidency is thinking, they cannot stem the tide of history. It is not possible and they are going to be the victims of history too.
Towards 2023, Nigerians are looking forward to PDP as the Messiah to save the nation but PDP is being depleted, two or three governors defected to APC, with senators and the raid continues. Are you not worried?
I feel a sense of internal peace, and knowing fully well that those governors do not make what we called the Peoples Democratic Party. It is the Peoples Democratic Party. No matter their sojourn to the dustbin of history, our party will rise from the ashes of their exit and build something virile, indestructible to prevent the total collapse of Nigeria in 2023. They came by default and left by default. And I tell you, it does not, it will not subvert that opportunity for us to be able to win back this country to the Nigerian people. I’m so convinced that despite their exit, our party will be stronger to be able to defeat these narcissistic backward government of the APC.
But the exit of these governors and others will certainly have adverse effect on your party especially on the road to 2023.
All it has done for us is to strengthen our resolve to fight harder. Those who cannot make up what is called the Peoples Democratic Party, the ordinary man on the street who is a party member has the same vote as a person. Do you think they are sleeping? Don’t you know that we all know that they have taken all the advantages and they want to walk away with it? Either they have committed one crime or the other or they have compromised themselves one way or the other, you know, it is coming back to haunt them. History is replete with characters like that. But then can they stop the time? It is not going to be possible.
I have said Nigeria is getting closer to the Rwanda scenario. We are getting closer because all events point to the fact they were not learning, we are not ready, we are impervious, we are dump, we are deaf. We think it is okay to continue the way we have continue not to look at the use, not to look at the employment, not to look at the economy, not to look at the general situation of the country. Nigeria is a pariah state. Your green passport is an attraction to be humiliated worldwide. One day, we would rise from the ashes like I said and we will rebuild this nation, I’m so convinced. We have set a clear examples. Well, the perception at this moment is that some of our governors, senators are leaving. But yes, they will have the resources. Is it the first time that rulers, oppressors and people that have taken the people as prisoner have gone through what they have gone and the people at the appointed time… Remember the Bolshevik revolution. They are lots of examples across the world. When the the people decide on their own to take over power just because the people they trusted with that power must have misused it. It is a great lessons to all Nigerians, we have abdicated our responsibility by constantly acquiescing to all their jokes and crude invasion of our rights during electioneering process. We must stand our ground for once and say our votes must count.
You see this electoral bill that has been left hanging, is the most critical thing towards 2023, and they can’t stop it. Once we take charge of the counting of our votes from the units to the wards, up to the local government, you will see that there will be reduction in the usual thievery, stealing and the corrupt election practice.
But in some quarters, even within PDP, there is this belief that the leadership of the party is not doing things right, which is responsible for the defection of some senators and governors.
Beyond that, what can you do as a party leader? You fought so hard to restore somebody as a governor of a state. He is the Chief Executive of a state. The party did everything under the sun. I was once a National Working Committee member of my party. What you see outside is just a tip of the iceberg when it comes to the activities and actions that lead to producing a governor, sacrifices, financial, emotion, physical will, go into it. When you produce that governor, you expect him to work hard in ensuring that he develops his people and the next thing is that he takes his bag and baggage. He is not funding the party. Some of the governors don’t even bothered to contribute to the party in such a way that the party can carry on its on activities. Why are you going to blame the leadership? I worked closely with Prince Uche Secondus. He did all his ultimate best from 11 to 17. What can you do now? When you take the horse to the river, can you force the horse to drink? You see, they have made a date with their own destiny history. And believe me, history will not be kind to them. I can guarantee you, many of them regret like Judas did for betraying their party like Judas betrayed Christ.
The National Chairman and the National Working Committee did their utmost best to produce these governors. So if they are leaving, it cannot be the fault of the party but their own selfish pursuit of an agenda beyond that of the party. We can always wish them well because we know for sure that the outcome will be significantly tragic for that.
The PDP in Ondo state, the Appeal Court just dismissed the Appeal filed by your party and candidate, but heading to Supreme Court. Do you see the Judgement favouring PDP or just a tactics to keep the party supporters together ahead of next election?
I think it is an issue of quitters don’t win and winners don’t quit. You have to give it a try. I’m not a lawyer and I’m not working in the justice department. But the truth is that our candidate is a Senior Advocate of Nigeria and if he wants to try the Supreme Court, we all should encourage him. You don’t hold a party together by fake promises. You can only hold the party together by working very hard, bringing everybody together and encouraging everybody to continue to join, create equity and utilize the articles of the constitution in managing and running the party. That does not arise and I don’t think they are doing that because I know fully well that at the end of the Supreme Court, this party will still have to come together and build it strong enough to contend with opposition.
If you want to be fair to us, we are not existing now. With all these inactivity, inanities of governance and we have no opinion, it is a shame. When I was the National Vice Chairman of this party, I probably will not have kept quiet and silent.
You are talking about our state. How about the entire South West zone. What is really happening? In each of the states, there are contradictions, conflicts that should have been resolve by the leadership.
So, I just believe that whatever happens at the end of the Supreme Court decision, we have to pick the pieces of our lives and move on as a party. The party needs quality men, capable hands with intellectual capacity to be able to run the affairs. When you are in opposition, you have to work extra hard to catch the attention of the people. This is not the best of times for our party but I pray that we shall overcome.
But some people, PDP is no longer active in Ondo State?
We are here. It is the peace of the graveyard. At the appointment time, you will see the resurgence of actions of energy to rebuild the party. A lots of inequities, unfairness has been melted out to a lot of people. Nature abhours vacuum. By virtue of your statement, there is a vacuum here but nature will fill it at the appointed time.
Your party recently alleged that Governor Akeredolu is trying to provure the Supreme Court judgement with the state resources, particularly the worker’s salaries. What’s your position on this?
I will not join anybody to insult the judiciary. They are noble men of honour and integrity and somebody has such debased diabetic mind I will join issues with such character. Let us still believe that our system work adequately to melt out justice where it should be melted out. I cannot comment on such a sick opinion.
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