Senator Babafemi Ojudu is the Special Adviser to President Muhammadu Buhari on Political Matters. In this interview, he shares his aspirations of governing Ekiti State and why his party, All Progressive Congress (APC), will take over power from the ruling Peoples’ Democratic Party. KOLAWOLE DANIEL brings the excerpt.
HOW far have you gone in preparing for the APC primary ahead of the gubernatorial election coming up in July in Ekiti State?
I will say it is quite encouraging, very interesting, stimulating and we are ready to do battle. To do battle in the sense of winning the votes of Ekiti people.
There are many of you in the race, how do you think the party will be able to mend fences after it selects a candidate?
It would not be right for now to say we have so many of us in the race. The reason is that the party has not even called for a nomination. We have not obtained forms, in about a month’s time the party will call for nomination. Then we will obtain forms. When you now see the number of those who obtain forms, it is then you can now say whether we are many or not. Right now I know those who are out, saying they want to become governor but some of them actually want to become chairmen of local government councils, some want to become commissioners, senators and members, House of Assembly. People are calling attention to themselves, they want people to know them, and they want to have something at hand to negotiate with. If I become governor and someone comes to me and says afterall I wanted to become governor, so what do you have for me? These are some of the prevailing circumstances so far.
Don’t you think others may hold this belief and there may be a coalition between you and others?
We are talking, some elders are calling them. They are talking to people for us to come together. It is not going to be as difficult as you think. We are all Ekiti people, many of us who are in the race, have been compatriots. Somehow, we find time to sit down at the table and then address issues. We come out with strong points that can serve the interest of our party and state.
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How has the party prepared to nip in the bud post-primary crisis?
In case it occurs, we have elders and leaders who will bring everybody together. But, one thing that is going to determine what happens after is the transparency, fairness and justice that people are able to observe in the course of the primary. I was one of the people that conducted the primary in Anambra State, many of you must have watched that primary. You could have seen how transparent it was, how fair and everything was in the open. It was difficult for anybody to come out and say no, I won’t accept this. See Senator Andy Uba, who everybody thought would have won, came to embrace the man who won and they went into the election in unity.
But the Ondo experience is still fresh in the minds of the people?
Someone asked in the course of an interview if we are prepared for the Ondo formula. I said well, I don’t know of Ondo fomular and when I asked what Ondo formula is, he translated it as manipulating delegates list. I said no, that will not happen here. I have been to the party headquarters and they have assured me weeks before the primary they would give us the list of delegates which we all have to study and bring back our observations. They will now invite us to a roundtable, to resolve issues observed in the delegates lists amicably before going to the primary. I don’t think that was done in the case of Ondo. I expect that this may be different because I am Special Adviser to the President on Political Matters, I’ve been a journalist, reporter, editor and media manager. I have been a senator and it will be very difficult for anybody to come and do that in my presence. There is Segun Oni, who had been governor before, who is now Deputy National Chairman of APC South; it will be difficult to give him nonsense. Others who may also want to come have pedigree and reputation and I can assure you that I will be as vigilant as I can. I have team of lawyers; one of them a SAN and they will examine every process and make sure everything is just and fair.
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Why should Ekiti people prefer you to other contestants?
Why they should vote for me is because I have been involved and passionate about this state. I was born and raised here. I struggled for this place I don’t think there is anybody who has been governor here from 1999 till date that I have not been involved with. I have headed so many associations here either Ekiti Progressives, E 11, human rights organizations, Pan-Yoruba organizations, I have done so much here. I have removed a governor here; I have installed a governor, so I have done quite a lot. On the social level, I belong to at the Ado Progressives Union, I belong to the Parapo association of Ekiti. I have given scholarships here; I have assisted quite a lot of people even before I became a politician. I have empowered and employed Ekiti people, I think I have done quite well for the people, I have paid my dues. That is why I told everybody who cares to listen that this is not an ambition for me, it is a mission. It is a mission to make an example that governance should not be as difficult as some make it to appear. That we can do it, I want to show that we can turn governance and make it easy. That we can reduce all those things that make governors become swollen headed. I told people that I would live in my house when elected. I have a three-bedroom bungalow, so I am living there because if I leave governance, I will go back there. So, why don’t I just live there and drive to the office every morning? All these methods of driving with many cars in your convoy, blaring siren and pushing people off the roads are odd. I won’t be part of that. I want to give my profession the dignity it stands for. Journalists make things work. When you leave your house in the morning as a journalist, you are supposed to come back with result to your office in the evening. That result is your story and when the story is published the following day, you feel accomplished. That is the kind of thing I want to bring to Ekiti.
What about zoning arrangement in the party for the coming governorship election?
There is no zoning here; we have never had zoning here. Ekiti is not like Ondo, where you have Ilaje, where you have Akoko, Owo, Ondo and Akure. Here in Ekiti, the kind of things people are talking about is just geography. When you talk of zoning, you want to satisfy interest of different people, who have different languages, culture and different background. Here there is nothing like that, Ado Ekiti is central, Ikere Ekiti is South and between Ikere Ekiti and Ado Ekiti is less than 10 kilometres. You can get from one side to the other in less than five minutes. Ilawe is South and between Ilawe and Ado Ekiti, it takes 10 minutes to get there. Ilasha is East and beween Ilasha and Ikole, it’s just 10 minutes drive. From one end of Ekiti to the other end it is less than one hour. We speak the same language every time in Ekiti. We are one people, we are all related.
Governor Fayose has been quoted as saying there will be a repeat of the 16-0. What is your take on that?
If there was 16-0 then, there will be another 16-0 in the coming election in favour of APC.
What about the claim that you are planning to use federal might?
No, we don’t do that. You all witnessed the election in Anambra, did you see federal might or federal power? You have witnessed elections everywhere, President Buhari, the leader of our party and president of this country, does not believe in federal might. He will tell you ‘go and work’. If today, I contested with his wife, Aisha, he will not raise a finger in favour of his wife. He will probably advise her on what to do to win the hearts of the electorate.
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