Dr Kola Balogun was Commissioner for Commerce and Cooperatives before he ran and won as Senator representing Oyo South district on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) n the 2019 elections.
He speaks with DARE ADEKANMBI on the Appeal Court affirmation of his election, his bill on independence for judiciary, the suspension of Ibadan Circular Road projects, among others.
I believe you were in court when the judgment affirming your election on February 23, 2019, as the Senator to represent Oyo South district was read at the Appellate Court. How did you receive the news?
I was not in court. I was at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) in Ibadan, trying to partner with IITA to see how we can use agriculture to create wealth, generate employment for our youths and empower our women. I had already had a prior scheduled meeting with them for 9am today (Friday). I was holding the meeting at IITA when the report came that the appeal has been dismissed
How did you feel?
The first thing is to thank God Almighty because when you look at the journey so far, I had a pre-election matter that went all the way to the Supreme Court and the then the election petition which has now ended at the Appeal Court. In all, we are talking about five judgments and God gave it all to me. So, the first thing is to thank God Almighty for being faithful and then the people of Oyo South Senatorial district because from what I have seen, 99 per cent of the people of the district were praying and giving their support. So, I must thank them for their steadfastness, aside from thanking them for voting massively for me. I also have to extend my appreciation to the people of Oyo State n general because this thing cuts across the state. I have been receiving goodwill messages from almost every local government area of the state and you won’t believe it, even nationally. I thank everybody for their support.
I renew my pledge to serve the people because this mandate is just an opportunity for me to perform as the people’s representative. This was why I was at IITA because there are a lot of proposals on the table with the federal Ministry of Agriculture and involving the Ministry of Finance and African Development Bank. These proposals, if implemented, will create jobs for 1,000 youths in every state of the federation. If we can do that, a lot of our unemployed youths will be gainfully engaged. So, after my meeting, I am going back to Abuja because we have reached an agreement and I will also work with the chairmen Senate Committees on Agriculture and Finance. Even if it means by way of National Assembly intervention, I will even bring a motion to ensure we do that. Unless we get our youths out of the unemployment market, this country will have no future.
Fortunately, a representative of the Oyo State was at the meeting because we have to synergise. Whatever I am bringing from Abuja will complement what the state government I doing. So, I was delighted when I got the report. The judgment was accurate and was consistent with the lower court judgment. It was one judgment that was delivered with the maximum fear of God. So, I am happy about it and I give all glory to God Almighty.
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With the distraction of election litigation over now, what should the people of your district expect from you?
Fortunately for me, while the litigation was going on, I believed so strongly that this project is God’s making. So, I never for once thought that it would be taken away from me. I was already working for the people. With litigation now over, my energy will be renewed and I am more energetic and reinvigorated to achieve the objectives I have set for the people of my district. In the last two weeks, I have been in Abuja trying to ensure we return the country to January-December budget cycle. I have been involved in several committees and I have been making sure the interest of my senatorial district is taken care of, making sure we get what is due to us as a district in the 2020 budget. This is the reason I have to go back on Sunday (today) because by Tuesday, we should round off what we are doing. I have been working and will not stop working for the people. And as you said, now that the distraction of litigation is finally over, it means I have a lot of work to do. Let me again pledge to the people of my district that I will not let them down.
What do you make of the judiciary in the way the cases brought against you were handled?
Even before my victory, I had always thought that one of the best ways to deepen democracy is to have an independent judiciary and I am already working on a bill to strengthen the judiciary in this country. The other time, the CJN was lamenting publicly, complaining about the independence of the judiciary. So, if the judiciary and INEC are independent, definitely our democracy will be strengthened. So, I am working on a bill that will strengthen the judiciary in a way that the judges will give judgment without fear or favour and Justices will be giving judgment with the fear of God.
In my own election, I know that all the way from election petition tribunal, the judges have been very fair and just and they have delivered their judgment as such, all the way to the Appeal and even the Supreme Court for the pre-election matter. So, it is a model of what we expect from our judiciary. My own election and the governorship election in Oyo State has been a model for the country. It is an election where people shunned money and resisted the so-called power of incumbency and voted their conscience and picked their choice. We just hope that we can replicate what happened in Oyo State in other states of the federation for us to move forward.
Could you tell us the contents of the bill, the specifics of the bill?
The idea of the judiciary still not being financially independent is key and it is part of what I am working on. Once the hope of those in the judiciary still lies in another arm of government, particularly as it relates to financial activity, then independence can be compromised. I want the judiciary to be completely, financially independent in its domain. When judges are handicapped just by that item of finance alone, it could be very difficult to talk about independence. Then, I am also looking at the welfare of the judicial officers and infrastructure they need to work with. In so many courts, judges are still doing hand-written judgment. These are the areas we are looking at once we do that, make the environment conducive to our judges and judicial workers, they will be able to perform to the best of their abilities. We also need to improve on training and re-training of those in the judiciary, expose them to more knowledge and international best practices as far as dispensation of justice is concerned. These are some of the areas we are looking at to further strengthen our judiciary. Beside the judiciary, we have to do something about INEC too and those two institutions control a very important area of our life and they need some improvement so that they can strengthen our democracy.
Despite its promise after the 2019 elections that future elections would witness improvement, INEC said results of the governorship election in Kogi and Bayelsa States will be manually transmitted. After the deliberation of budget 2020, will the Senate be looking at amending the Electoral Act early enough for other elections, particularly the one coming up in Edo and Ondo states in 2020?
There is already a bill being sponsored by the Deputy Senate President and the bill has passed first reading. That bill is focusing exactly on what we are discussing now. I am very sure the bill will sail through because we all know that when results are transferred electronically, the problem of rigging or thugs snatching resulting sheets and election documents will be reduced. The manual transmission of results has the tendency for people to manipulate the electoral process. So, we are seriously working on that and I am sure the bill will pass because I have spoken to a number of my colleagues and I see they are like-minds and are already thinking along that line. When the bill becomes a law, INEC will have no choice but to comply. To do otherwise, that is, follow the old order, will be illegal.
The suspension of work order given by Governor Seyi Makinde to the contractor handling the Ibadan Circular Road project has generated controversy. What do you make of this?
I am sure the governor and the government in suspending the project must have reasons. I don’t have the details yet, but I am sure the governor acted in the best interest of the people of the state. Governor Seyi Makinde means well for the state and wants to do things in a transparent manner. This is my opinion. When I get the details, I will be able to comment on it. But I am sure the governor would not have done it without god reasons. We all know we need the circular road, but things must be done properly. If irregularities have been detected, it is better to correct such now before the project moves on. The circular road will still be done, but things must be handled properly.
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