Oyo opposition parties will sack APC in 2019 —Adigun

Abass Adigun retires from the United States Navy after 13 years of service and joined the Senator Rashidi Ladoja’s political camp. The Accord chieftain from Ibadan South-East Local Government Area of Oyo State speaks on the non-conduct of council election in the state, moves to return to PDP, among others, in this interview with DARE ADEKANMBI. Excerpts:

 

HOW  lack of merit in admission system shut him out of the military

After two years at Offa Polytechnic, Kwara State, that is, after my OND, I travelled out of the country specifically to the United States. On getting there, I decided to pursue a career in the US military. When I was in Nigeria, I wanted to join the military, but I didn’t know people who could connect me to get admitted into NDA in Zaria. My father did not know anybody. In those days and even now, you have to know a king or a governor or a Senator or any other big politician before you can be admitted into NDA. But in the US, it was not so because there was and there is still a place for merit. I passed the entrance exams very well and also passed the physical test and was admitted into the US Navy. I was even given the opportunity to become an engineer. I went to their Civil Engineering school in Texas. From there, I was posted to my first Command, Construction Battalion 4 in California. I was there for five years. I spent 13 years in the US military and retired in 2008.

 

Foray into politics

Before I left Nigeria, the passion to always give back to the community had been in me. I always want to fight for the people and do things for them. I came to the conclusion that the best means to further realise my dream for the community is to join politics, even though my parents were not politicians. But I joined because my personal resources will not be enough to cater for the growing needs and yearnings of the people of my constituency. Apart from the needs of the community, I also joined politics because of my passion for the development of the youth.

Growing in Ibadan South-East Local Government and coming back home after years abroad, I saw that nothing changed in terms of development of the council area. This also fuelled my going into politics with the sole aim of seeking opportunity to serve the people and develop the area. I am seeking this opportunity to better the lives of our people, improve infrastructure and look after widows, children and those in the vulnerable groups.

The party I have aligned myself with since 2012 that I first announced my interest in elective office is Accord and this is because ever since our Baba, Senator Rashidi Ladoja, left the PDP, my cousin and I had moved with him to Accord in 2010. I ran for the state House of Assembly, but lost the ticket.

 

Moves to woo Ladoja back to PDP

After we conducted our primary in December 2014, I won the primary in Accord. What we have seen in the state is that the people of Oyo State are tired of APC administration and no longer want them in the saddle. PDP was a very strong party at formation, but with misunderstanding among stakeholders, people fell apart and spilt into parties such as Accord, Labour, SDP. But as 2019 approaches, our leaders are trying to come together to present a formidable front against the ruling party. Our leader, Senator Ladoja, is at the centre of it all. For those of us who are his foot soldiers, we will go with him wherever he goes. It is where he directs us to go we will go. My loyalty is to him and will always be sincere with him as I have always done. When in the build up to 2015 election I stepped down for the House of Assembly candidate, Honourable Akeem Ige, Senator Ladoja explained why it had to be Ige to me and I accepted his appeal. I took it in my strides because my intention is to serve and not sap the people. Being steady, loyal gave me the opportunity to get the chairmanship ticket of the party for the yet-to-be-announced local government election date.

But as we are going to PDP now, a lot of people have been talking about how the whole thing will figure out. But I have always said if the chairmanship slot is mine, it is going to be mine. I am in politics to help people realise their full potential and not because of what I am going to get. There is this negative narrative that Ibadan South-East is a home of the uneducated, illiterates and thugs. But the council has produced a lot of noble and international men and women who have excelled in their calling.

 

Cash strapped LGs and challenge of development

If the funds allocated to the councils from the federation account get to them and are not intercepted by governors, the councils should be able to perform even if not optimally, but beyond what we see all over today. We all know the reason the governor of the state has refused to see to the conduct of local government election. We don’t need to have caretaker in councils. They can’t do anything and their loyalty is to the governor who appointed them, rather than the people of the council they administer. The councils, in addition to their regular monthly allocations, have also got excess Paris Club refund two or three times. Ibadan South-East Local Government is a shambles. What the council ought to be doing is being done by the lawmakers representing the constituency- Honourables Fatai Adesina and Akeem Ige. These lawmakers a refilling the gap created by the absence of a democratically elected council chairman. This is what we have got from the APC government and this is why we are determined to have all opposition parties come together to ease out the APC in 2019. We are now one and we are strong enough to send APC packing in 2019.