THERE seems to be a crack in the People Democratic Party (PDP) in Ekiti State as a result of Governor Ayodele Fayose’s decision to endorse his Deputy as his successor in 2018. What do you think about this development?
I think it is normal in politics. The two people who are opposed to the governor’s decision are Senator Abiodun Olujinmi and former Minister Adeyeye. The PDP hierarchy, headed by Governor Fayose is not joining issues with anybody. Fayose has stated that there would be primaries. Some people may have concluded that the adoption of Fayose’s deputy as his preferred candidate indicated that he has won the primaries. Governor Fayose was in a similar situation before when they had a consensus candidate at the top and they were trying to pick the PDP candidate. It was actually my younger brother who was the consensus candidate, but he said no. He made himself clear that it was better to go for primaries where he eventually won. So, if anyone of them feels otherwise, they should go for the primaries and convince the delegates.
Looking at your political antecedent in the last few years, there was a time you left the All Progressives Congress (APC) for PDP. What was responsible for your movement?
I left the APC for two reasons and I will explain for the purpose of this interview. The leaders in the APC did not handle the affairs of the party very well. There was no cohesion in the party. Everything was all about naked ambition. People with naked ambitions don’t make good leaders because they will shut out the people because of their ego. The leader of the party, former Governor Kayode Fayemi, who I worked with, played bad politics. He has been sectional, talking to a group, and not talking to the other group, and I wondered what kind of set up was that. I’m older than most of them and I just thought I could no longer be part of that arrangement. One must put himself in a place where his political principles can be realised.
Your younger brother is in the APC and he is likely to become the party’s flag bearer. Would you support the PDP’s candidate against your brother?
I was in APC when he joined the party but I had told him I am not happy with the people he is hobnobbing with. I am from a family where we are free to express our minds without fear or prejudice. He made the decision to leave the PDP for APC because he is Buhari’s man, while I a stand firmly with Fayose. I wish him luck. I’m a party man and I do not believe I should vote for the same party as my brother.
You are one of the people supporting Fayose’s presidential bid, do you think he is qualified and how does he want to achieve that?
He has the right to say he wants to become the president. I believe it is the turn of the North going by the permutation and I am one of those who believe in rotation. I believe we should buy into a constitutional arrangement after restructuring, but this government, headed by President Muhammadu Buhari, has attempted to thwart this rotation plan because of his attitude to non-Northerners. At the inauguration of his government, he emphasised that he belonged to everybody. I believe everybody has a defined number because we are not endless in Nigeria. People know that you belong to the largest number of people that voted you in. That’s my interpretation of the situation of the country and the president’s body language. People have also complained about the appointments he has made till date. The Northerners have taken over the juicy positions in the country. They are the head of key positions. From the Police to DSS, the Army and even in the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and the ports; we have seen how the appointments have divided the people. As far as I’m concerned, after Senator Bola Tinubu, another Yoruba leader who has continued to represent the interest of the people is Governor Fayose. If Fayose decides to contest for the position of the President today, many people, especially from the South East and South South, will vote for him, because they know they can trust him. He’s a free man, who always say things as they appear.
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