Jumoke Akindele is the Speaker of the Ondo State House of Assembly. She speaks with HAKEEM GBADAMOSI on the crisis rocking the assembly and the way out. Excerpt:
WHAT is the genesis of this crisis in the state House of Assembly?
The people who are in the best position to talk about the genesis should be the ones who feel aggrieved. Frankly speaking, I don’t know why they are aggrieved. I was in Lagos on Friday, the 27th January and I got a call around 5:30pm that some activities are happening at the state House of Assembly and I said… so? I said this because we are all members and anybody could come to the house. So I didn’t even know it was happening in the chambers and they said that the Paymaster was caught with some funds and that I allegedly instructed him to bring the money to me. That was weird, because at no time did I have any communication with the PM about the destination of any fund whatsoever. Now, what happened is this: at some point within the week last week, I knew I was going to travel and usually if I am travelling like that I sign some schedules. I am not signatory to any of the account. All I sign is schedule, and I left for a function in Lagos. I also recall that I didn’t even speak with the clerk of the house before leaving, because ideally the clerk would have asked me what to do with the cheque. I am not the PM, and the PM is supposed to be the lawful custodian of all funds and how he went to get the funds is not something I gave instructions about except that I sign the schedules. And these funds are usually made for the house. So, I really don’t understand what the problem is; even as I speak, I don’t understand.
But you accused the APC of fuelling the crisis…
Well, from all development so far, I am sure I’ve been proved right about that. We have only five members of the APC in the House of Assembly and there are 21 members of PDP. But the one problem existing right now is that people want to be speaker and deputy speaker at all costs. The reality on ground in Ondo State is that in a little while, things would change and I’ve signified my intention to resign anytime I’m asked to. But what I’m doing there now is providing a measure of stability before the gladiators for the speaker and deputy speaker sort themselves out. At some point, I was made to understand that APC members are desirous of also becoming speaker and deputy speaker. Some of us are induced into believing that they had the support of the APC and they are going about misbehaving. That’s just the bottom line. I am not actually saying it’s the numero uno of the APC in the state or the incoming governor, but I know many of the people who surround him are behind this and, unfortunately, we have a set of party members who are ambitious and this ambition thing is like a virus and its worse than Ebola attack. It has eaten so much into them and they would do anything, anything at all, including imagining there is a problem between the PDP and the APC, there is problem between the incoming governor and the outgoing administration and they think the best thing they can do is to prove to him that they are worthy of being used as speaker, knowing full well that our standing orders preclude the APC from being nominated at all.
But there was this allegation that you did not allow these lawmakers to get what they were supposed to get as members, that you did not push their case before the governor.
Did they get all that they are entitled to? I will be the first person to say no. Did I push their case? I would also be the first to admit that, yes. Did I always get results? I will also admit no. That’s why we’ve always agitated for fiscal autonomy of the houses of assembly across the nation, as long as we have to cajole the executive to take anything that we are entitled to, we will always be in this kind of quagmire we have found ourselves and I dare say that every speaker in this nation has the same challenge that I have. It’s one thing to go to Mr. Governor to say please, my members need some things. Even some things that are statutory, the governor each time would say paucity of funds. And in all honesty, we live in this society; we indeed know there’s paucity of funds, but do I now get police to arrest him or charge him to court or begin to combat him everywhere I go to? I don’t think that is part of my mandate and I would not want to do that with the governor, the leader of my party. So I’ve been caught between the rock and the hard place.
Now that the House is divided, what do you think will be the relationship between the assembly and the incoming government?
I’m afraid unless we have God’s interventions, it may be turbulent, but we are praying that it does not get that bad. On our part, those of us who are still in the PDP, on our part, we desired to work with the incoming administration. The truth of the matter is this, the entire assembly and myself, not just this session but in the seventh assembly, have always be apostles of good synergy between every arm of government, particularly between the legislature and the executive. The reality on ground is that we are two big elephants and if we decide to fight, we know who will suffer and we carry mandates that are far too weighty for us to play with, because of our personal beliefs, feelings, needs and even wants. We owe the people far too much to play with them by making life miserable for Mr. Governor and by extension making life miserable for the people. I do not intend to be speaker under Mr Akeredolu and I’ve said this repeatedly and the reason is simple: Ondo State has an age-long tradition and things have shifted and of necessity the speaker must come from the central senatorial districts and I am not going to be the speaker that works with him, but I will be a member of the assembly that intends to work for the people of Ondo State and if that means I have to work with Mr Akeredolu, so be it. And I’m speaking for every right-thinking member of the Ondo State House of Assembly. Nobody is coming to play opposition to a government that was lawfully elected to lead all of us. Nobody. I don’t know why the fear is so high and why the desperation is coming from this terrible quarters of APC. They don’t need it.
But the present crop of lawmakers in the state House of Assembly are seen as just a rubber stamp?
We have heard that before, that the House is a rubberstamp, but what do we have to do? The house is supposed to bring out the things that are good in government and the things that are not good in government. At no time was any member of the house is shut up from saying wnat they want to say . The reality on ground is this: if the government has been working against the people, this house would have cried out. There is an adage in Yoruba that says “ Ti omi o ba daru, e ma je ka da idoti si” (you don’t unsettle a clean water). If there is no reason to fight the government about, why must I fight, because I don’t want to be perceived as a rubber stamp, so the people will hail me that I am anti-government? I will not join the multitude to do evil in my life.
So are you thinking of resigning as the aggrieved lawmakers maintained that’s the only option for peace to reign in the House?
You see, the truth of the matter is that, even if they say what they have to say, it doesn’t matter how long a war takes, we will still have to dialogue and they cannot stay out there and be giving us conditions. The people on this side too also have conditions. After all, we are all elected members of the house under the same platform . At some point, we have to have a meeting point. At some point, we have to sit down and dialogue. I have said it again and again that I am not interested in being the speaker of the Ondo State House of Assembly under Akeredolu, but I don’t want my name to be dragged through the mud because of some people’s inordinate ambition. I will say it again for the avoidance of doubt that the Paymaster, that the aggrieved members of the house manhandled is the lawful custodian of the funds of the House, particularly the physical funds of the House. I feel embarrassed that any right-thinking person would think that N15 million is a problem to me. I don’t have money, but I am not hungry. Everybody around me knows that I am contented. I don’t want my name to be dragged through the mud.
What are the steps taken by your party, PDP, to settle this crisis?
I would be an ingrate to say the party is silent about it. The party has called all of us several times. They have refused to heed the call of the party. They are trying to prove to the incoming administration that they are no longer part of the party, we are on your side. Though they would remain in PDP, knowing that the APC cannot lawfully nominate anybody into that position. The APC support will be presented with a “fait accompli” and they don’t have a choice but to nominate one of us. In fact two of them are jostling for this speakership from the other side. The APC would not have a choice but to support one of the two. That’s what it’s all about: inordinate ambition.
Do you foresee any of these aggrieved members defecting to the APC after the inauguration of the new government?
Probably, they would or would not. But they have to be sure that all of them will have to defect so that we can have a 13 – 13 equal members and that is another ball game entirely in which case they would lose their edge. They won’t defect until they become speaker and deputy speaker.
The leadership of the NLC in the state has called for punitive measures on those who manhandled the Paymaster. What do you have to say to that?
Let me start by apologising profusely on behalf of all the entire members of the Ondo State House of Assembly for that shameful misconduct. As a leader of the house, I take responsibility for that. I want to apologise to Mr. Makanjuola Adesina, the Paymaster of the assembly. I empathise with the NLC; I understand that they demand for punitive measures against those involved in the maltreatment of the paymaster and I want to ask of them that there is no punitive measure that can in itself redeem the damage. I want to appeal to them to, please, embrace dialogue in the resolution of that crisis.
There have been series of allegations against you; are you innocent?
Absolutely. I am innocent.
Do you regrets being the speaker?
No. If the opportunity comes again, I will do it. I am the wiser for my experience however tough, challenging it might have been. I am the tougher; I am the wiser. I have more confidence and I thank God for this experience. If I’m called upon to do it all over again, I will say, Father I thank you; I accept.
and then