We’ll sack jackals, vampires in Nigerian politics —ADP spokesman

Chief Yemi Adetoyinbo, a former Legal Adviser of the Labour Party in Ondo State, is the current national publicity Secretary of the Action Democratic Party (ADP). In this interview with KUNLE ODEREMI, he speaks on the 2019 general election, the strength of his party, among other issues. EXCERPTS:

The Anambra State election was contested and won, and most people expected a party like yours to use it post a statement about your readiness to create an upset in subsequent elections in the country. But your party, which was initially touted as a third force, performed abysmally. What happened?

The Action Democratic Party (ADP) did put up a fight in the election on November 19, 2017. By our qualification and classification, we fielded a formidable candidate in the person of Dr Ifeanyi Okonkwo, a veteran in gubernatorial contest in the state. We expected him to put up a very good fight against the incumbent governor, Willie Obiano, who emerged winner in that election. At a time, we were supposed to organise campaign rallies that would have positioned him very well, from the national level, but he told us he wanted to employ an underground method of campaign, which was unknown to us. So he detached himself from the national leadership of the party, as he made us understand he had a method to emerge as the winner of the election. While I was listening to the collation of results on the television service of the NTA the following day, there was a result from a certain polling point in Onitsha South where we had 10 votes, another in Onitsha North where we had 19 votes; it was so embarrassing. On funding, we are a new political party; we are not in government, therefore, we are not financially buoyant like the PDP, APC and APGA, which won the election. The APC, which came second, had the backing of the Federal Government and even the PDP, with all it possesses in terms of logistics and resources, finished a distant third. The incumbent governor was able to match the financial muscle of Tony Nwoye. Our candidate went solo, which made it difficult for the party to deploy its machinery as a major platform to pose a serious threat to the aspirations of Governor Obiano.

Don’t you think the loss portends danger for your party in subsequent elections?

I don’t think so. Our intention was to test-run our machinery and that we have done through the Anambra election to some extent. We underestimated Obiano thinking that the crisis rocking the APC and some of the other parties could work to our advantage. But we learnt a big lesson from this; anybody that we shall be putting forward henceforth must be ready to carry the party along. The structure of the ADP now cuts across the 36 states in Nigeria and the FCT Abuja. I can assure that if we have local government elections in a number of the states today, we will have councillors and chairmen from our party. I can assure you that for the 2019 elections, the National Assembly, state Houses of Assembly and the presidential elections, the ADP is prepared, ready, determined, structurally and logistically to wrestle power from the PDP and the APC. We will produce the president of Nigeria in 2019; we are not forming alliance with any party. We are going through the hog to say that we can win and contest favourably with any party. We are sure of victory in the 2019 elections.

The PDP, APC have zoned their presidential ticket to the Northern part of the country. How far is this going to affect your choice of a standard-bearer?

I am aware that their decision is based on the principle of zoning; that a zoning arrangement exists between the North and the South.

So, your party is looking in the direction of the South-South?

For the Buhari administration to be defeated in a free and fair contest, the issue of zoning cannot be discountenanced, because the North has more states than the South-West, South-South and South-East combined. There are 19 states in the North as against the 17 in the South. The PDP has zoned its presidential ticket to the North and its national chairmanship to the South. Our party is going to do the same thing, because coming to the show for the very first time, we want to put up a very strong leadership. So, we have decided to get someone from that area (North), and I want to believe that most of the other parties will be doing so. That we have chosen to do so goes to show our determination to succeed. But for the vice presidential ticket, we shall look towards either the South-West or the East, so as to put us on a position to compete favourably. We know we are at a disadvantage as a young but vibrant political party, but if we can muster the support of both the southern and northern hemispheres to push our popularity, we will win convincingly. In fact, we are targeting 40 million registered voters for our party. Our party will give you direct ticket to participate in every election and also constitute an Electoral College even in your local unit, so that you can have a say in the choice of candidates for various political offices. That is the carrot we are dangling before Nigerians. We have a template and the issue of funding is being worked on by my party.

Both the PDP and APC boast of godfathers, not just with deep pockets but who equally wield awesome influence. Don’t ADP leaders feel intimidated by such credentials that often sway voters in Nigeria?

We don’t need godfatherism; it has destroyed the ethos of Nigeria’s politics; fractured democracy and good governance. In this arrangement, we don’t depend on godfatherism; we don’t have any godfathers, but we are pushing for equal opportunities and abundance of good things for all to benefit and enjoy. Our core value is that we can contest on an equal basis with anybody; the social, political and economic aims and objectives granted in the Nigerian Constitution are contained in the constitution of our party. We are fighting the jackals, the vampires and the corrupt people; we want to take back our country from the jackals that have torn Nigeria apart. There will be a systemic balance and corruption will be taken off and we will wipe off the inequality, especially between the rich and the poor. We want to bridge the gap that has continued to widen in the land. Nigerians must be ready to bring a stop to the impunity of people recycling themselves in power.

But the absence of eminent politicians in ADP is a major disincentive for a party with a mission to dislodge APC and PDP from power?

It has its merits and demerits. The so-called advantages have been the bane of Nigeria’s development since 1960. A platform like ours does not have to depend on anybody; we are all for new value; new ideas and ideologies; equal opportunities for all Nigerians; we want to promote the culture of servant-leadership, good governance, innovation and innovativeness across board; transparency, culture of openness in government, accountability; rule of law. Look at what is happening in the ruling party. Some politically wealthy Nigerians have been stranded by the APC. Our party is giving everybody unequal opportunities; the contest for presidential ticket of ADP is going to be open to everybody.

The aspirants will have to face the electorate at the grassroots level as the due process will begin counting votes from the mini-ward to the unit and national level through an open ballot system. No big man will be imposing anything on anyone; everyone will participate actively. Nigerians have a chance now, the singular opportunity and chance to enthrone candidates of their choice across board. At the end of the day, we will now have a responsive and friendly government, by the people and for the people. Our party is offering a platform, where the previous parties have failed. ADP is a vehicle that will convey confused and stranded politicians to the next level; it is also the party that will convey the poor from their poverty-stricken situation to richness.

Our party is bringing innovation to Nigeria for the first time. Things have worked in the past in this country. We have worked with the past, we are working with the present, and we are going to work for the future. And we have veteran politicians like the former Chief Whip in the Senate, Senator Roland Owei, who is from Edo South; Senator Yusuf Usman Agogo from Nassarawa State (gubernatorial contestant); former Speaker of the House of Representatives; Honourable Dimeji Bankole from Ogun State (a gubernatorial contestant); his father, Chief Alani Bankole (chairman, BoT of the ADP),and many other eminent politicians and statesmen. We have the backing and support of eminent Nigerians that will not want to be mentioned for now, as well as the generality of Nigerians, some of who have been dumped by other parties after making enormous sacrifice to put those parties in government. We want to leader by example. We want to drive Nigeria with action not just by rhetoric.

What is so special about your party that you are bringing to the table?

We have five core values; ADP wants to put action into everything we do. The issue of stomach, monetary issue and infrastructure, war chest will not work in 2019 and beyond. Our core value is to provide good governance; it is not going to be business as usual. We are telling Nigerians that there is a new platform and better alternative, where everybody is equal; not based on national delegate issue. We must be ready to toil, to go to the nooks and grannies of the country ad propagate that we are Nigerians and we must set out to shape the destiny of this country. We must sack the jackals and vampires and corrupt leaders from the corridors of power; those associated with mismanaging our patrimony.