Large number of aspirants testimony of APC’s popularity

In this interview with KUNLE ODEREMI, a stalwart of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and former deputy governor of Oyo State, Chief Iyiola Oladokun, speaks on next week’s presidential convention and related issues.

What can you say about the fact that 25 aspirants are seeking the ticket of your party?

In my own opinion, we are having a large number of individuals declaring their interest in the 2023 presidential race because of the appreciation of our people of the fact that our party, APC, is the party to beat in the incoming general election, not only the presidential elections. This also is a testimony to the current administration of President Mohammed Buhari’s national acceptance and performance, as against the woeful performance of the last administration in the country. For instance, people can see the good work the administration is doing in the past seven years, most especially in the area of enduring infrastructure developments. Most of the non-existent or abandoned critical infrastructure for both physically, economical and human development are being initiated and completed by the administration. The same thing is obtainable in the states under APC. It is very evident that people considered all these as good selling-points in an electoral contest, hence the popular desire to benefit from the party’s good standing. It also shows that within our party, we have in abundance people who are competent and dedicated to national services with genuine zeal and patriotism and are ready to take our nation to the higher level.

Many are called, but few are chosen. Then, who do you consider as frontrunners in APC?

Those I will call frontrunners are those aspirants that have the courage and conviction in their ability and aspirations to lead this country come 2023 and have been going round the country to convince our party members of their suitability to clinch the party’s ticket for the 2023 presidential election. We have a sizable number of them. Sincerely speaking, it will be a difficult task to attempt ranking those aspirants that are going round the country to sell their candidature in terms of strength of acceptability by the party members. However, judging from the feedback that we are getting and on the basis of what one has observed in places and states we have visited since the beginning of this exercise, one can comfortably say that in terms of genuine and sincere expression of party members, the choice of Dr John Kayode Fayemi (JKF), the governor of Ekiti State and Chairman, Nigerian Governors Forum stands out as the aspirant to beat in the APC primaries. Our party members appreciate his sterling qualities such as being a democracy activist; he participated actively in in the struggle that led to the present democratic dispensation. He is a democracy intellectual, security scholar and expert; he is versed in democratic governance experience among other qualities that are endearing him to our members as their number one choice as APC candidate.

Fayemi, no doubt, has so many attributes/qualities that would project his general appeal to our party delegates at the forthcoming Presidential primaries later this month. He is youthful and full of energy. He is humble and sincere in his dealings with people. His intellectual capacity is remarkable. A politician with national appeal and a democracy foot-soldier with international contacts. He has the ability to arouse national feelings and patriotism; a generational bridge builder imbued with leadership qualities, courage, conviction and competence.

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On top of all these and more Dr Fayemi has tremendous experience in the administration and management of men and materials. He had been a two time Governor of Ekiti State where he had and still performing creditably well. Two-time chairman of governors forum, both the progressives governors forum and that of the governors of the 36 states. In those position, he has had the opportunity of going round the country attending to one problem or the other confronting his brother governors in their respective states. In fact, there are numerous testimonies that he did and is still doing very well for his brother governors across the country, the high point of which is that he usually takes their problems as his. He was the minister in charge of solid minerals and steel, where he performed creditably well to the admiration of Mr President and Nigerians. He opened up new frontiers in the discovery and exploration our numerous minerals deposits we are endowed with in this country. He holds a Doctorate degree( Ph. D) in War Studies from reputable Universities around the world which will stand him in good stead in tackling our present security challenges. He had done it for other countries, he will do it here also. Lastly, Dr Fayemi presided over the APC maiden presidential primaries that produced our current president in 2014. The evidences of the successes achieved cannot be easily forgotten by our party members.

But some believe there is disconnect between him and the ordinary Nigerian; that he is too elitist; that he does not bond with the masses?

It will be a misnomer for anyone to refer to Dr Fayemi as an aspirant that lacks grassroots support. This is a person who, on his first attempt at the governorship election in 2007, won the election hands down against a sitting Governor but for the “wuru wuru” and shenanigans of the then Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in cahoots with the PDP Federal Government, he ought to have been declared the winner but many thanks to his tenacity and the judiciary, who stood its ground to get back the victory from the jaws of the rampaging PDP rigging machine and restored Fayemi’s victory.

Besides, it was evident that based on his sterling performance as governor in 2014, he actually won a re-election but again due to the fraud perpetrated by the PDP, he was denied victory. That time, he conceded the ‘defeat’ in the overall interest of peace and progress of the state. To attest to Dr Fayemi’s grassroots acceptance, in 2018 he successfully won the governorship election against a sitting PDP governor. It will therefore be wrong for anyone to posit that such a politician lacks grassroots acceptance. I want to add that it is only a person who has never visited Ekiti State in recent times to see the good and quality works of Dr Fayemi in all the 16 Local governments of the state that will not appreciate his good work. He has a good relationship with the traditional institution; he is a good mobiliser of youths, very accessible to people of all cadres; gender activist and he is a Labour friendly governor.

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