Oyebanji doesn’t believe in automatic ticket, but… — Ayeni, Ekiti APC chieftain

Yemi Ayodele Ayeni, a legal practitioner, is a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC). Ahead of the party governorship primary slated for next month, he dismissed perceived threat to the emergence of the incumbent Governor, Abiodun Abayomi Oyebanji as the party standard bearer. He spoke with TAIWO AMODU in Abuja. Excerpts:

You are a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ekiti State. What is your take on the opposition parties’ narrative that the present administration hasn’t met the expectations of the average Nigerian?

I won’t subscribe to that. I think it is a matter of perception by people. If you look at what Tinubu is doing. He is doing projects and formulating policies that have far-fetched, long term effect on the economy of the country. Something that has been bastardised for a very long time will take time for any president to address within a twinkle of an eye to rectify. It will take time. But I can assure you that what Tinubu is doing are on the right track to ameliorate the sufferings and attend to the yearnings of Nigerians.

But people look at his cabinet and they are very dismissive; that you can count on your fingers, those actually making impacts on the economy. What’s your take?

For Tinubu to have appointed all these people, he knows their capacity and capabilities to do the job. When we are looking at different Ministries, it will be difficult to have two Ministries that are doing the same thing on the same pace. There are those who won’t go on the same speed with others. But looking at the benchmark, the President will know what to do about that. I know that if any ministry isn’t performing the way we expect, perhaps he could be dropped.

Politicians from the North, even within the APC have severally accused the Tinubu administration of nepotism; that he seems to favour the South West in projects distribution and appointments. What is your own candid estimation?

I am not the spokesperson for President Tinubu but I will tell you that there is a Federal Character Commission that looks at how appointments are being made and I don’t think that any part of the country is sidelined at the moment. There is even distribution of projects and nominations for federal appointments in Nigeria. If you look at it very well, if you look at any Board or parastatal, there is no way it will be only South West that is there. It is equally distributed among all the regions in the country.

But the North insists that Lagos, not even the entire South West, gets priority above the other geo-political zones.

If you look at the population in Lagos, it happens to be the commercial hub of Nigeria and there is no way what is given Ekiti, Edo or Kebbi will be higher than Lagos State. Lagos must be prioritized as well, being the hub and considering its population as well. All the regions in Nigeria are represented in Lagos State. It will be difficult to see such instance in the Northern part.

Do you agree that the criticisms trailing his administration from the North is driven by a wrong sense of entitlement? Do you align with that submission?

To be candid with you everything is politics and it will always happen. Even in a family, people will allege that father or mother is favourable to one person or the other. It is political and it will continue to be like that in Nigeria.

Let us digress to Ekiti State politics. It is almost taken for granted that Governor Biodun Oyebanji is the consensus candidate against the background of his endorsement by party leaders and the convention of right of first refusal to the ticket. There are people who are saying his performance is nothing to write home about to warrant a fresh mandate?

As a lawyer I will tell you that there is nothing like Right of First Refusal in politics because it is democratic. Everybody must be allowed to go into the field to collect nomination forms, and go to the field. I believe that’s the position of the Governors as well. Governor Oyebanji believes that everybody must come out to contest if you have the wherewithal. And if you look at it this way, if anybody is saying that Oyebanji hasn’t done much to warrant a second term, I want to confidently tell you that he has been the only one that has taken the development of Ekiti a step ahead of those who have ruled in Ekiti State. Others have done their part but he has taken the development a step forward and everybody is seeing it in Ekiti. This is the first time Ekiti is witnessing the monumental development and progress. Even the state is peaceful. If you go to Ekiti today, it is because of the leadership skill and acumen of Governor Oyebanji.

You have said he is doing well but party stakeholders are saying they can’t see infrastructures, even there are no good roads. Ekiti has dropped in performance ratings in WASC. The hospitals aren’t in good shape.

Who are these stakeholders that are saying that? Look at all the formal governors, they are behind him. If he isn’t doing well, they won’t queue behind him. The governors that ruled under opposition are supporting him because they know. When they talk about roads, we have many areas to focus on in governance. We have agriculture, ICT, Healthcare is also there.

They are saying Ado Ekiti doesn’t look like a state capital. Are you impressed with what you see when you go to the state capital?

Sometimes we listen to people who are making political comments. There is no one who is interested in that position that will praise Oyebanji and whoever that is supporting an interested person for that office would never acknowledge the significant achievements of Oyebanji. Many roads that lead to Ekiti State aren’t intra-state roads, they are inter-state roads! You don’t expect the governor to be embarking on roads that fall under the purview of the Federal Government. Now because of his listening ears, despite the fact that those roads don’t fall within his purview, he has gone ahead to patch them so that they could be motorable. You know it will be difficult to seek refund when you embark on federal government projects; you wouldn’t know when you will get your money back.

Ekiti isn’t an opposition party. The Leader of the Senate today is from Ekiti State. Is there something the governor isn’t doing right in terms of human relationship with other top political leaders in Abuja?

That question is very, very important. Roads alone aren’t what the government faces. There are other many areas of life that need the focus and attention of the government. Now, when a policy is made, you don’t implement it same day. Efforts are being made, according to information before me, government is having useful discussions with the Federal Government on how to do all these roads. At the moment, they are doing Akure-Ikere road, which belongs to the Federal Government. I passed there last week, it just remained a bit to finish it. And Itawure, looking at the road to Osun State, it is undergoing construction as well. The one that is giving many people the concern is this Lokoja-Ekiti. I believe the state government is talking to the Federal Government on how to fix it but you know the bureaucracy of how projects are being implemented in Nigeria. They can be deliberated upon and assigned but they won’t start in the next one year. How many years has Oyebanji spent? Two and a half years.

Are you saying two and a half not enough to assess any serious government?

Yes, you can assess him but do assess him in other areas. It isn’t only on the roads and to be candid, give him 80% on the issues of roads construction. I have passed through Ifaki-Ado, this is an abandoned site and this man has done it. I have listened to people who said they are getting free health care services from the state government. Nursing mothers have said they benefitted from free health care services that the state is providing. Also look at youths who are being encouraged into farming. That is one area that has been neglected. We are known for agriculture in the South West.

How do you reconcile your claim that Oyebanji is taking care of former Governors and other former political office holders with the accusation that those who worked for his victory have been sidelined?

Let me use my Christian faith to respond to that. In Christianity, you don’t preach only to those who have accepted Jesus as their Lord and savior. You preach to those who haven’t accepted Jesus, to bring other people into your fold.

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Is that why the likes of Fayose are the ones calling the shots in an APC government?

Do you know the number of followers of Ayo Fayose that have become APC because of Oyebanji? It is a plus to APC and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu because APC membership is growing everyday because of the peaceful and welcoming heart of Governor Oyebanji. He is embracing everybody. Sometimes you can make your enemy your good friend and he will be your supporter. So, I agree with what he is doing. I also joined APC because of what the governor is doing in Ekiti. The governor is doing very well. At the moment, everybody is embracing Oyebanji. Go to the streets.

Does Engineer Kayode Ojo stand a chance for the ticket?

I won’t disparage anybody. It is an open race. He is a member of APC and he is eligible to contest.