Dr Surajudeen Ajibola Basiru, a former Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice in Osun State, is the national secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC). He was a practicing lawyer in Lagos until I was appointed the Commissioner for Special Duties and Regional Integration in Osun in 2010 by the administration of ex-Governor Rauf Aregbesola. In this interview with ADEOLU ADEYEMO, Dr Basiru speaks on what he stands for and on politics, ongoing gang-up by the opposition parties in the bid to defeat APC in 2027, the governorship election coming up in Osun State in 2026, as well as other contemporary issues. Excerpts:
WHAT can you say about yourself, especially your adventures into party politics?
I was a practicing lawyer in Lagos until I was appointed the Commissioner for Special Duties and Regional Integration in Osun in 2010 by the administration of Governor Rauf Aregbesola. After the first term, I was reappointed this time as the Attorney General of the state and Commissioner for Justice. In between, when I was a commissioner, I was also giving pro-bono lectures at the Osun State University for about five years.
Eventually, I won the nomination of my party and was elected a senator in 2019. Having served in the Senate for four years, I lost my re-election. I didn’t challenge the outcome at the tribunal because I believe that ‘He who savours the victory of democracy must also be able to weather the storm of loss in a democratic contest.’ So, I went back to my law practice and two months after I left the Senate, the leadership of my party called upon me and I got elected as the national secretary of the All Progressives Congress and some few weeks ago, President Bola Tinubu appointed me as the Chairman of the Board of the National Sugar Development Council.
People view you from different angles; some believe you are arrogant, while others claim you are principled. Which category do you belong to?
I’m just myself. I don’t have to defend myself S to what anybody believes I am. I know who I am, and as I’ve told you, I’ve been elected by the majority in my constituency, and I’ve also lost an election from the same constituency. Of course, I have people who like me. So many people have reasons to say whatever thing they want to say about me. Some may be because I’m in a contest with them. For me, you can’t be 100 percent acceptable to everybody. Even the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria has his own enemies. So, it’s part of the sacrifice you have to make as a person in public space, but I know that I still keep friends that I’ve had since I was in primary, secondary, and even my university days. I know my onions, and as a politician, I don’t know how to bend the truth, I say it the way it is, and, of course, things that have to do with issues of principle and integrity, I don’t joke with it. Like the Yoruba adage says, ‘You don’t go to the stream and be afraid of the water’, anybody that is afraid of people labeling him does not have any business coming into politics but what I know is that I resonate with the mass in my constituency, I resonate with the people on the street and I resonate with the common man. I am a person that people have access to any day any time.
There are insinuations that you are interested in running for the governorship seat of the state. To what extent are you prepared for the task ahead?
First and foremost, the race for governorship has not started. The notice for election has not been given, and I’ve not formally declared that I’m contesting governorship, but I will say that I’m competent and have the necessary ability to lead this state to the path of prosperity and sanity away from the rudderless administration of the PDP that we have presently. From what you’ve seen in my profile, in terms of academics, I am qualified. I have a Ph.D in law, and I’m a scholar, and also a teacher. In terms of political experience, I’ve served this state in several capacities. I was a two-term commissioner, and I was the chairman of the state consultancy board. I am a political mobilizer, and at the national level, I was elected as a senator representing Osun Centra,l, and my accomplishments are there for all to see. As a senator, I brought no less than 12 schools to my constituency. I brought light up Osun Central, where over 1,000 solar lights were installed in markets and public places. I facilitated the construction of roads and the empowerment of our youths and women. I also gave out scholarships and organized career fairs, which allowed some of our youths to secure jobs in the private sector aside from facilitating employment for some of our youths. I also gave trade support to our traders to be able to have access to capital for their business. So, in terms of relating with the mass of the people in the state, I will say that I’ve been a able to do that well. Of course, whether you like it or not, whatever criteria the party wants to look at, I have become an issue in the politics of Osun State, not only within my own party but also in Osun State, and I give glory to God Almighty.
Also, when it comes to acceptability and support, I know some say I lost my re-election, yes, but go and check the result. Even with all the shenanigans and manipulations, I was still able to deliver my own base, which is Osogbo and Olorunda, not only for myself but also for the house of representative candidate of my party and President Bola Tinubu notwithstanding that we were not in government then. This speaks to the fact that I am a politician who has the support of the people of my own base. So, I will say when the contest really begins and with the support of the leadership of the party both at the national and state level, I believe that I am the person that the party should look into if we are really committed to rescuing our state from the present Peoples Democratic Party government.
Your humanistic gesture to the people, is borne of innateness or because of politics?
As much as possible, I separate what I call my philanthropic gesture from politics because I believe that as a Muslim, one day I am going to stand stewardship before Almighty Allah, and one of those things expected of a Muslim is to show kindness to fellow human beings. There are so many things I do that I don’t disclose to people as a matter of policy because I don’t expect gratitude from people for that.
Myself, I can say that I am a testimony to the grace that fellow human beings can give for you to achieve whatever you want to achieve in life. I was expelled from the university, at some points, I could not come home to collect money from my parents. So, it was good-spirited individuals who supported me to finish my education at the University of Lagos. It was some good-spirited people who were not even from this state who paid for my law school education and also gave me a monthly allowance of huge sums that even students from rich backgrounds did not have when I was at the law school. I was also fortunate to have met, in my political journey, philanthropists who have also supported my political ambitions. If you look at my economic background particularly, I might not have been able to achieve what I’ve accomplished now. It’s good for you to say you are brilliant and intelligent but if you don’t have a giant on whose shoulder you can stand, it might be difficult. So, I always think back, and I say if God Almighty has used some people to help me, I should also be in a position to help people. So, there is a difference between acts of humanity and acts of political patronage. You must be able to know those things you do only for the purpose of public space and those for which you do by which you are seeking the grace and glory of Almighty Allah.
Your party says it is poised to return to the Government House, Osogbo in 2026. What should be the focus of APC stakeholders in who gets the ticket of the party for the governorship election? A lot of interests and tendencies are beginning to emerge on the matter.
We must realise the critical situation that our party is in Osun, and I will say it the way it should be said. In the 2018/2019 election cycle, we had a governor, two senators, 23 House of Assembly members, and six House of Representative members. After the 2023 electoral cycle, we had nothing. Also, the local government election that was done had some legal challenges, which are still in court. So, as of today, Osun APC is operating in a clean state. That means that we are not in a position to have the luxury of being sentimental, sectional, or emotional as to who should be the flag bearer of our party. We should be scientific and look at where we can get the demography that can support us in getting the necessary numbers to be able to win the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate. Nobody will have to hide the fact that it comes from a constituency that they vote in a community in support of their own. So, my party must first consider the demography of where you should pick your candidate from. Secondly, we have to also look at the pedigree in terms of contributions to the party and in terms of acceptability by the party members. I dare say that I know our party is a party of leadership, and leadership will be guided by so many factors in picking whoever they will pick, but I know our leaders will be conscious of the fact that in picking a candidate, we don’t have the latitude and luxury to be sentimental.
There have been a lot of people talking about equity, fairness, and justice. When you are in government, that could well play out, but when you have nothing, you have to look at the reality. It is only when you get something that you can now call for fair sharing. So, I want to appeal to our leaders and members to do away with sentiments, emotions and face the reality that we need a candidate who resonates with the party members, the public and has the content, character, and courage to confront the PDP and I think that should be the guiding principle for our party.
What do you think are the chances of the APC in Osun State in the coming governorship election, due to some internal issues?
I cannot tell you today that this is the chance of my party. I will only be talking on suppositions. But I will tell you that our party will be in a good stand to be able to take back the state from the PDP if we get the choice of our candidate right in a less rancorous atmosphere and that is why I’m appealing to anybody that wants to stoke the ember of district, region, religion to do away with such. We also need to begin to re-evaluate our political machinery in terms of galvanising and motivating our party members to have what it is in them to say that they must do everything within their capability to sensitise and mobilise the people and galvanise our party to victory. It will just be a lame statement to say winning in 2026 will be like a walk in the pack. It is going to be a struggle, so you must have a candidate who is ready to see it as a struggle, and you also need to get the bulk of our members to see this as a struggle they must be part of. So, the choice of candidate must not be such one that would be seen as something that emanates from a particular cliché or group which do not resonate and will not go down well with the mass generality of the members of the party. So, a lot of variables are involved in the chances of the party. We must come up with an alternative platform that will be able to show that our party has a better offer for the Osun State people than what the PDP administration is doing in the state.
What is your view of the journey so far in Nigeria’s democracy, especially in the current dispensation?
Democracy is a journey, and when people want to make an analysis, you have to look at the plus of democracy. The fact that anybody can criticize and abuse the government on television or radio and walk free when you juxtapose it with what we experienced during the military rule, you will see that there has been an achievement in that regard. Secondly, the fact that there is continuous improvement in our election is also part of the plus for our democracy. Gone were the days when election results would have been ready even before the polling units were opened and you saw ballot papers being snatched! So, improvement in our electoral system is also part of the plus of our democratic process.
Thirdly, there appears to be a correlation between the demand for good government and our election being more credible. Our politicians now must be able to deliver or get booted out of office, unlike during the military era when there was power and no responsibility. We only have a government with impunity in that regard.
As to the negatives, you will also discover that because of the economic situation of the people, our democracy is still largely being driven by money and the choice of the electorate is not really a free choice. At times, it is actuated in the economic demand and economic need of such electorate. So, I believe that as much as we have a democratic system, the democratic system will only develop and get to where we want when the economic situation of our people improves in such a way that they can make free, independent decisions without any form of inducement.
We also have a situation whereby we, who are now in the democratic dispensation, have inherited decaying infrastructure in almost every sphere, which has not allowed us to galvanize the economy. For instance, somebody said the national grid has collapsed many times, but the question is, when was the national grid constructed, and for how many Nigerians? Since it was constructed, even when we have oil boom and excess crude, when has it been expanded? So, we as politicians inherited decayed infrastructure in terms of power and roads and the resources we have is not enough to be able to fix it. Therefore, one of the challenges is being able to reach out to the masses and ensure that they have dividends of democracy in terms of education for their children, health, sanitation, and economic development, which can only come about when necessary infrastructure like power is actually in place. So, it is an ongoing process and I believe that in a matter of time, we will get there. I am very optimistic.
What do you think are some of the missing links so far in our democracy, given the socioeconomic challenges facing the country?
There is no society in this world, even the advanced capitalist society that does not have socio-economic challenges. In fact, the reason the world still continues is because we continue to face challenges, and like I said before, some of the factors for the socio-economic challenges are historical based on past decisions that were wrong and of course, necessary adjustments and amendments that ought to have been made to ensure that we have a real productive economy. For a long time, we have not really had a productive economy. We’ve been having an economy where people just get rich through having access to power. The present administration of President Bola Tinubu is beginning to let us have a real economy that is based on realistic productive capacity and engagement of our people and of course, it’s going to be a long time for us to see how those things work out. In every society, the economy is mixed with politics. I believe when we get our politics right, our economy will also get better and when we get our economics right, the politics will also get better.
What is delaying the All Progressives Congress (APC) from holding its National Executive Council (NEC), meeting which has been postponed a couple of times?
We are in the process of conveying a NEC meeting possibly this February.
Let’s talk about the ongoing efforts of some prominent politicians, especially in the leading opposition parties to form a coalition capable of giving your party a run for its money in the next elections. Why Is the APC afraid of the move? general election?
We are not afraid of anything. APC has never complained to anyone. You will realize that it is the opposition parties that are coming out to say it is the APC that is not allowing them to have a stable party. We are not afraid of anyone, and let me tell you this, the so-called oppositions are not even performing the role of oppositions beyond issuing abuses.
When Chief Obafemi Awolowo was in opposition to Shagari, anytime Shagari brought out a policy, Chief Awolowo would come out with an alternative policy and show people the way he would have done it. Opposition is not just about abusing or slandering social media. The question is, for the economic policies of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, what are the alternatives that the opposition has brought out beyond also only planning for the 2027 elections. If 2027 comes, what do you want to campaign with, and what alternatives are you giving the people. They don’t have any alternative. The so-called oppositions are just power mongers. The only job they have is that they want to access government power for personal aggrandizement without any program or policies for the Nigerian people. I am not a soothsayer but they will not be able to merge because all the leading opposition figures are driven by personal ambitions.
There is a rising outcry by the opposition parties that about an allege move at the official level to castrate the opposition parties in the bid to foist a one-party state on Nigerians. Is the APC comfortable with the perceived gravitation of the country towards that direction?
The way I will answer your question is that there is a Yoruba adage that says, ‘malu to yoke, idunnu alapata ni,’ meaning a cow that has a hunchback is to the joy of the owner of abattoir. So, if Nigeria gravitates towards a one-party system, how is that the problem of the APC? A political party is formed to articulate its programmes and ensure that its candidates win elections. So, if all elective positions in Nigeria are won by the candidates of APC, it should be to the joy of the APC. We cannot be drinking panadol over the headache of another person.
Meanwhile, Nigeria cannot be a one-party state. Nigeria is a multi-party state. However, there are political parties that can never win the elections because they are not properly structured and organized. The cry of a one-party state is for those people who think that winning the presidential election is the only way of saying you are a political party. There are more than 1,000 Houses of Assembly seats, there are more than 774 local government chairmanship positions, and there are thousands of councillorship positions that people can win. So, it is a fallacy to say because our party is waxing stronger with an overwhelming majority in the two chambers of the national assembly and the presidency that is resonating and coasting to victory at the 2027 election does not mean Nigeria is on the way to one-party democracy. They should concentrate on areas they can get little electoral gain and if they are also not very careful, the APC will be happy to win in all the elections.
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