Your movement to the Social Democratic Party (SDP) from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), a party you were a founding member and officer is still generating discussion. How does leaving the party make you feel?
My movement to the SDP started when the PDP became very unattractive to all of us, particularly immediately after the governor began to operate the party as a private enterprise. And a political party is a voluntary organisation. If a party ceases to protect your interest, then it’s only logical for you to move out. It’s very painful indeed because I was one of those people that formed the party in 1998 and we have made enormous contributions to the development of the party.
So, leaving at this moment is painful because at the time we formed the party, the man who is in charge now was nowhere to be found. As a matter of fact, I had been appointed ambassador before he joined us in 2002. I believe I shouldn’t be in a party where the governor would single-handedly nominate even my ward chairman, my councillor from my own ward and do all appointments without reference to anybody.
To me, it’s an aberration and I believe we cannot continue to be part of that system. The last one was the imposition of his deputy as the candidate of the party, which I consider as not only arbitrary, but illegal and immoral. Since I do not want to quit politics yet, I believe that I should seek an alternative platform where people still believe in democracy; where people believe in social justice; where people believe in one man one vote and where people still respect integrity and good conduct.
So, are these the attributes you found in SDP?
Yes. If you look at the gladiators in the party both at the national and state levels, you’ll discover that they believe that the people is the main target of political activities and governance and having regard to all that, I believe the SDP is the proper place for me to go to.
SDP as we speak is seen to be relatively new, especially considering the current political dispensation in Ekiti State. Don’t you think this may affect some of the things you intend to achieve through the party?
To those who are not politicians, SDP may appear as a new party. But it has been around for a while. Remember that it was the platform used by the late Chief MKO Abiola and the party also contested the last governorship election in Ondo State. For us, it’s not about Ambassador Bejide moving to the SDP, it’s about almost half of the PDP moving away from PDP to SDP. So, as I speak to you we have our members in all the wards in the state. I’ve gone round the state; I’ve even visited traditional rulers to tell them why I moved. With due respect, I’m one of the political gladiators in this state so it took me a while before I had to move. I did a lot of consultations. I’ve been able to appraise my chances and I believe that at the end of the day, it would boil down to individuals contesting and not about a political party. In Ekiti, we have experienced the government of APC and PDP and the people will make a clear choice about who they want. I believe that at the end of the day, it will be very clear to the people that Bejide would do better.
What are those things people should expect from a Bejide government?
The first thing they should expect is doing things in a different way. It’s not going to be business as usual. We are going to unite the people once again. Ekiti people are thoroughly divided along partisan/political tendencies. In terms of religion, they are divided, the present administration has thoroughly divided the people. The political class are not united again. When I was in government, I remember holding meetings with members of other political parties. I was the Secretary to the State Government, I was the person midwifing it. We would invite party leaders from the then Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and the then members of the Conference of Nigerian Political Parties (CNPP).
They were all coming to my office as the SSG, we held meetings and some of our opponents got appointments. This is because we believed that the political class is one. That has been destroyed. Even the PDP people are complaining in Ekiti today, under a PDP government. So, you can imagine what would have been happening to members of other political parties; and I believe that Ekiti is a homogenous people where all of us should be united as one. But the government has divided the people and has been so vindictive in attitude. That would change to start with. We will come back to what it used to be in accordance with the adoration of those who fought for the creation of Ekiti State. When we were in Ondo State, we were agitating, we cannot come here and be agitating again, but we need good leadership.
Now in SDP, you’ve said it’s not all about Bejide but making sure that Ekiti moves forward, how would it amount to you when it turns out at the end of the day you happen not to get the ticket? Are you leaving that allowance?
Yes. Whoever is going for an elective position should always envisage the possibility of winning or losing. The bottom line is the ability of the party to provide a level playground. The reason why I left PDP is not because of fear of contesting with anybody, it is about an individual trying to pick a governor for the entire state. It is ridiculous. An individual trying to say ‘this is your next governor’. As far as I’m concerned, if at the end of the day I don’t win the ticket of the SDP, once there’s a level playground I would support whoever emerges. But I believe the SDP would do the needful. They would do the right thing. I was at the party secretariat and we are all happy. It’s like when we formed the PDP in 1998. So, there won’t be any hard feelings if at the end of the day but I’ll work very hard to win.
As things stand, the APC-led federal government is also coming under severe attacks from top Nigerians as a former heads of state, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo and General Ibrahim Babangida. These people should have sympathy for the SDP. What does this tell you, going forward?
I feel encouraged to continue to be part of SDP in Ekiti State because the interest shown by, not only former presidents, but by Nigerians generally is an indication that the APC government has not done well. In terms of the economy, as far as the common man is concerned, not many of them are interested in what government is doing. What they want is the process of getting food on their table. If the prices of commodities have gone up in the market, the value of the Naira has gone down; cost of transportation has gone up and it has become increasingly difficult for them to sustain their families, then that government has failed.
In the same manner, we had the PDP government for 16 years and at the state level in Ekiti State, government is not protecting the interest of the people. So, the logical choice is for them to look elsewhere and everybody is talking of a third force and I believe the SDP represents just that. I feel encouraged and I believe that if we work very hard, we are going to win in Ekiti State, particularly when there’s another election coming in Osun State. Everybody will be focussing on Ekiti State because whatever happens in Ekiti State will determine the direction of the next dispensation. Any party that wins Ekiti State will be encouraged to go further. We are going to win in Ekiti State and we will be energised to move to Osun State and win. When that is done, you can be sure that at the end of the day, the SDP will win at the national level.
and then