Following the verdict of the Supreme Court, which laid to rest the leadership crisis in your party, the PDP, there have been efforts at reconciling warring groups in the party at all levels. How far has the effort gone?
I am pleased to tell you that we are recording huge successes in the reconciliation efforts among our leaders and members, so that the PDP can remain united as it was when we started in 1999. You would recall that our national leader and national chairman, Alhaji Ahmed Makarfi (CON), declared immediately after the court verdict that there was no victor or vanquished. In other words, the past conflict should be laid to rest .He speedily put on course efforts towards genuine and sincere reconciliation. It is gladdening to tell you and the public that the terrible storm is over. But I acknowledge that it is not completely over; the reconciliation is work in progress.
Can you prove that assertion that efforts at reconciliation were recording successes, especially with insinuations that things are not yet Uhuru in your home state’s chapter of the party?
Why not? In Osun State, there are no more faction. Even before the court verdict, I was fully involved in the preliminary peace accord held at Gbongan to ensure that we went to the bye election in Osun West Senatorial District with a united PDP. Despite the fact that Chief Abiola Morakinyo is a father figure to all, he brought us together in his house. We forgot our differences and worked as one PDP. The result was the victory of Senator Ademola Adeleke in the bye election. You would recall that he won convincingly in nine local governments.
But could the unity towards that bye election be enough to prove Osun PDP is now united…
Yes. Definitely. Nothing is as good as unity. You can imagine our losses in Oyo State, which was caused by internal wranglings. If you look at the governorship election result in that state, you would discover that we lost because of the internal conflict. The APC exploited our internal crisis to its own advantage. Record has it that Governor Abiola Ajimobi, won with 34 per cent of the entire votes cast. This was because the aggrieved PDP candidates went to other parties to contest because they complained that a candidate was imposed on the party. The same scenario was repeated in many states of the federation and APC profited from the crisis. But like I told you earlier, the storm is over. That does not mean we have stopped the meetings on reconciliation. It is not yet over until it is completely over. We are still on course and our achievement, in this exercise, has become an albatross for the ruling APC, which is making life hell for those who voted it into power and who have seen that it is a party of deceit.
One of the issues that is said to be threatening the peace in your party is that of the governorship ticket. There is already an array of aspirants, with the issue of zoning already being thrown up. It was learnt that you are interested in becoming the governor of the state, how sure are you that your zone, Ife Zone or even you, will get the ticket?
I want you to note that four ethnic groups make up what is known as Osun State today. They are Ife, Ijesa, Oyo and Igbomina. Of these groups, it is only Ife that has never produced a governor. The Oyo has produced former Governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola, the Igbomina produced Chief Bisi Akande and the Ijesa produced the incumbent governor, Mr Rauf Aregbesola. It would, therefore, be a demonstration of justice and deep appreciation of the commitment and loyalty of Ife people if the PDP should allow Ife to produce the governor in 2018. It would be a travesty of justice if the area is not allowed to produce the next governor. Ife area has, for long, been marginalised by the ruling party for being ardent supporters of the PDP. Ife should be compensated by the PDP this time round.
Are you suggesting that the PDP should just zone the governorship to Ife people?
The PDP should be magnanimous by allowing an Ife man to contest the governorship election on the platform of the PDP in 2018. Ife people deserve this on silver platter, because they sustained the life of the PDP in Osun State until the recent victory at the Osun West bye-election.
But, how sure are you that you will even get the party’s ticket?
The outcome of our party primaries, this time, would decide who would be standard-bearer of the party in 2018. God being on my side, I will emerge.
What gives you that kind of confidence, in view of the army of aspirants on the queue?
Let me tell you that the more we are, the merrier. Democracy encourages that. The essence of democracy is to allow full participation; it would amount to injustice to keep some people away. As to what gives me the assurance; I have all it takes to govern the state. I have the privilege of receiving higher education in the areas of administration, politics, economy, law and above all, I was a public servant who had seen it all and gone through the gamut of life. My vision is to drive a government that will improve the lots of the Osun State citizens. There is the need to encourage and fund the agricultural sector with more than 30 per cent of the state budget in the first two years of being in government. Education, which has been the baby of my heart, will be pursued vigorously in order to rewrite the poor academic performance of our children in schools at all levels. Without being arrogant, and with all sense of humility, I am from a royal family in Ile Ife and a chief in Ipetumodu, the headquarters of Ife North local government, so I have a good vision for the state. I am not going into public office to loot or to amass wealth at my age. My desire to rule Osun is driven by public service.
You have been in the National Assembly for some time. What has been your impact in your constituency?
Let us get this fact straight, members of the National Assembly do not occupy executive positions. They are there to make laws. Nevertheless, I have made good impact on my constituents. We have empowered a number of people. We have assisted artisans through our empowerment programmes. Some have been assisted to secure jobs. Boreholes have been sunk in many towns like Ipetumodu, Ifetedo, Ife, Olode, and many others. Feed mills and collapsible ponds were distributed to farmers.
Many classrooms were built and some renovated. Some parents were assisted for the payment of their children’s and wards’ school fees. Beneficiaries of my scholarships are there to testify. The facts are there to confirm these assertions. And it is going to be a continuous exercise, God help me.
Most members of the National Assembly have been accused of going there to feather their own nests at the expense of those who voted them into power. Members of the public, for instance, condemned the way the budget for Lagos/Ibadan Ife road was tampered with by the Senate. Generally, the National Assembly is being criticised for not caring for the masses except their personal interests. What is your reaction to this?
Globally, criticisms are always against lawmakers. It is not, therefore, peculiar to Nigeria. But I want to correct the misconception in some quarters that the NASS tampered with the cost of repair or reconstruction of Lagos/Ibadan expressway, which has claimed the lives of many promising Nigerians. Believe me; the executive, through the Minister of Works, was responsible for that issue. It is a case of calling dog a bad name in order to hang it. Many false allegations are being levelled against the parliamentarians. You can imagine a man expected to know much saying that lawmakers receive N500,000 daily. Some even believe members receive N25 million every week. I do not know where they got these figures. But we are undeterred; we would do our best regardless of blackmail. They always close their eyes to ministers who are going about with many security men and fleet of cars in their escorts.
Do you support the growing calls for restructuring?
Yes. The country must realise the need for restructuring if we want to move forward and promote justice, fairness, equity and equality. We have all realised the problem created by Colonel Frederick Lugard in 1914.The military incursion into politics further worsened it. Though some people erroneously misinterprete restructuring as call for the dismemberment of Nigeria; that is not the case. Far from that. We should unanimously speak for restructuring; we need true fiscal federalism, state police, autonomy in the control of resources, agriculture, roads and other benefits including rotational presidency. The component states of the Federation should be allowed to have their constitutions, which should not be in conflict with the federal constitution. States must be allowed to chart their development programmes without the control of the government at the centre. All these and others would be addressed if the nation restructured.
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