Generally, how would you score the performance of the INEC under the leadership of Professor Mahmood Yakubu on the 2019 general elections?
Well, I can say he has tried in ensuring that the election was free, fair, credible and transparent. But I want to implore INEC not to make the mistake it made during this 2019 general election, where hit suddenly shifted the election date on the very day of the election. Many voters wasted their money and resources travelling to their various places where they were to exercise their civic right. You would have also heard how many billions of Naira the country lost to that postponement. I believe it was a learning curve that is necessary for our democratic experience but we should continue to improve.
You said the INEC chairman tried in making the elections credible, free and fair but the PDP presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, has alleged massive rigging in the presidential election. With Atiku already in court, don’t you have fears that the judgment may go in favour of the PDP?
Honestly, I have no fear and I don’t believe Muhammadu Buhari can lose to Alhaji Atiku Abubakar in court. For the mere fact that there were crises in some parts of the country or in some few polling units during the presidential election does not mean that they should call for the cancellation of the entire result. This is an election that many foreign observers have described as free and fair and many people from other countries have been congratulating Buhari. If the election was not free and fair, a majority of the foreign presidents wouldn’t have been congratulating Buhari. Take for example, the APC national chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, lost his home state to PDP, at least if it wasn’t a transparent and credible election, the ruling party APC would have used every machinery at its disposal to make sure it wins in Edo State and other places where the opposition won. So, with all these examples that I have given, I think you can now agree with me that the election was free, fair, transparent and credible. Now, talking about the court case, I want to believe that Atiku will not only lose at the election petition tribunal, he would lose at the Supreme Court whenever the case comes up for hearing.
As you have been elected to represent your people at the lower chamber of the National Assembly, the question that will agitate their minds is what will be your first priority. What should they look up to?
My priority as soon as I’m sworn-in is going to be on how to fulfill all my electioneering promises. You see, as I have said in one of my interviews that my constituency has been well represented in the past eight years by the current representative; I also want to continue in that good representation.
Secondly, apart from my primary assignment of law-making, I will make sure that my constituency is not left behind in the area of provision of infrastructural facilities like good road network, provision of good drinkable water, stable electricity supply, completion of Ojutu Bridge, Ilobu and assisting market men and women, artisans, farmers and students. I intend to do all these through my constituency project allowance. I have promised to fast-track activities that increase the federal presence in my constituency. My people should look forward to the timely fulfillment of this promise.
Again, in the area of employment generation, I will do my best to facilitate gainful employments for youths and the unemployed graduates and to also put in place a mechanism assisting others to become employers of labour.
The Election Petition Tribunal sitting on the Osun State governorship election reserved judgement on the matter. What is your expectation?
My expectation is quite simple; the people’s mandate will be upheld. Osun State is APC and our people have freely given their mandate to the APC by electing Governor Gboyega Oyetola and as you can see, he has been doing a good job in leading the state. In fact, let me use this medium to appreciate him and all those who supported me during the election, including the leadership of the APC in the state…
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