THE APC primary election in Kogi State has continued to generate ripples, what is your assessment of the exercise?
Can we call that a primary election? What happened on 4th October was not a primary election. I have chosen to keep quiet because I don’t believe in fighting over spilled milk. What happened in Kabba was a sham. In the midnight of that fateful day, they hurried people to vote after delegates had gone home after waiting for two days. So, as far as we are concerned, no primary took place in Kabba. But our hope lies in God. Let me give you a recent example; in Kogi State, we had an election where the late Prince Abubakar Audu campaigned and went everywhere. He was the perceived winner of that election whether anyone liked it or not, but Governor Yahaya Bello, whom we all knew what he did and what he stood for, was sworn-in because he finished second in the primary election. The election was already over and the winner died or the perceived winner died; if that could happen, then anything can happen about our case too. I am still very hopeful.
Do you think there is hope of reconciliation in Kogi APC?
Is it not when they want to see you that they can reconcile with you? Did they even think of me till now? The major actors have not reached me and I’m not going to beg anybody. But I can say categorically that in Kogi West APC, I am a voice; a major voice that must be heard. So, if they are still playing god, let them continue. For now, nobody has approached me. From within the state no one has thought it fit to talk to me. There was a time I met the party chairman in Abuja, and I told him in simple terms, ‘you people are taking me for granted’ and I said ‘you will see’ and that statement is loaded.
With the present situation, what do you think will happen in the next general election?
One thing I have always said is that I will not work against my party. If anything is going to happen, it will happen within the party. What do I mean? My followers whom we have been together over the past 18 months for this exercise have made sacrifices to be in the cold, in the heat and they know what to do at the appropriate time. They may be waiting for my body language but when it is time for me to indicate to them the direction to go, I will certainly do that.
Don’t you think the developments in your party can affect it in the election?
I won’t deceive you; my voice has dropped since after the primary. I really don’t know what would happen. The primaries held by the APC all over the federation were marred by corruption. Some governors even had the effrontery to say they would not work for the party. They said they would also field and work for their candidates, while a minister even said he would not work for the party. Till this very hour, people are defecting from our party and that is weakening our resolve. Party politics is like a system and when parts are fallen off, it cannot function effectively. Just like a car, if any part is bad, it cannot function well. So if you ask me, there are cracks in the APC.
Are you sure you were on the same page with the governor regarding the primary?
For me, I was on the same page with the governor but maybe he was not on the same page with me. I can say you are my friend, but it is only you who know whether I’m your friend. Except to the extent that I don’t go to his house to wake up from there or beg, I can say I we are on the same page. But some people do that [go to his house to beg], so if I was not doing that, does that presuppose that I’m not on the same page with him? Then it is wrong, because I have wished the governor and especially the party well. I have done all I could. All those that are there today; none of them did 10 per cent of what I did for the party. So, how do you want me to be on the same page other than being a worthy party member and I am that? If there is any issue from his side, or from the government side, then I don’t know. But if they could direct all the appointees and elected officials to do everything possible to make I did not emerge, then definitely, I don’t think we are on the same page. If appointees, even people from my community, could go against me knowing the implications, then, I think they are on the same page with him and I am not. I may not be on same page with him, but he is still our party leader in the state.
With all this, do you still see APC winning Kogi West?
This is a very difficult question. It has been a long running battle between the various dramatis personae. Already, the situation on ground generally in Kogi State may have adverse effect even on the presidential election. The only saving grace is that the bulk of where some of the votes come from are avowed APC members. But that aside, the event of the primaries and how the candidates emerged is creating problems and people are getting disenchanted.
This is not the time for anybody to stand up there and think that all is well. Everywhere I go, people want to hear the way forward. I have supporters all over; I listen to what they say, and if I do a sum total of what is going to happen. Then, there is problem if they too are pretending that all is well. I know that there is serious a serious problem ahead.
What do you think the party can do to win election?
The party has to do more. They know there will not be primaries, yet they collected our money. I am not saying the refund is an issue, how much is N7 million compared to several hundreds of millions I have spent. They know what to do to win election, even if it means going to prostrate, roll on the floor and beg, because people are hurt and angered.
I have exhausted all available options to seek redress. The party has its own method of solving the problem and immediately after the primary elections, they constituted a National Peace Committee and I went there based on the appeal we wrote. They said the candidate should be Toyin Akanle; it is on record and on paper but the NWC did not implement it, because some people, unfortunately, are playing God. People all over at the national and at the state levels are playing God and it is unfortunate. That was why when we were going round; some people just sat down and said ‘we will give the ticket to you.’ So, these people never bothered to go round. That is why they allotted result to him and so he doesn’t care.
What do you think is the hope of the Kogi West people as far as the 2019 elections is concerned?
Very bleak, because the two principal actors have been there before and what was the outcome? One was there for eight years, what does he have to show? Some people campaigning for him on social media said he gave cars, what kind of cars? How many people can drive the cars now? If you have organised an empowerment programme that would enable people acquire skills and they can employ others through it, would it not be better than giving cars? They said he gave some rickety ambulances to some clinics; ambulances that never moved after they were delivered. We know the source of all those things, yet they are making it look as if they are spending their money. That is deceptive. Over the years, I cannot count lives that I have impacted positively. By virtue of my background, I don’t make noise about it. I’m not like a senator who would paint one classroom and make so much noise about it.
and then