APC has failed Nigerians – Oyo APDA Chairman

Recently, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), announced the registration of some new political parties. Advanced People’s Democratic Alliance (APDA), is one of them. In this interview with BOLAJI OMOSANYA in Ibadan, APDA’s interim chairman in Oyo State, Hon. Oluyemi Adewale Taiwo, a former House of Representatives member, speaks about the new party’s emergence and the state of the nation amongst other issues.

******The APC government appears to have failed the people of Oyo State and nationally, do you share that view?
It is obvious to everyone; even a kid born yesterday knows that APC has failed the people. There was so much expectation from Nigerians that the party would bring the desired dividends of democracy to their door-steps. It appears they were wrong despite campaign promises of the incumbent administration. It was all noise without substance. And all of us know that the APC-led government of Muhammadu Buhari at the Federal level and in some states and in Oyo State would not have happened if not for the crisis within the PDP before the general elections. It gave the party in power the free chance to ride on this crest to victory. But we have seen what they have been doing since over two years that they have come on board.

*****Do you see APDA upstaging APC in 2019?
With the way they have been running things and the home work we have been doing; nothing can stand in our way to achieve victory in 2019. Like I said earlier, everybody can see that the APC administration is running a bad show. It has failed the people when you take a score card of all the sectors of the Nigerian economy. They have performed woefully so far. They don’t have what it takes to turn Nigeria’s economy around positively.

*******What do you make of the administration’s anti-corruption war?
We have heard about moneys being recovered from all over the place. But how many perpetrators have so far been prosecuted successfully. After so many outcry, we have so many of this people still working free because of shoddy management of cases or because the EFCC blew whistle on them pre-maturely before a thorough investigation is done.
Most of the trials are mostly in the newspapers. With some in government being accused of involvement in corruption, but the government has not taken steps against them.

******Some pro-Buhari groups have been flying the kite of second term for him. What is your take on this?
You know this is a free world and all are entitled to a freedom of expression. However, the question many of them should ask themselves is whether Buhari’s performance so far justifies a call for second term. I don’t think so. Our party has been launched in Abuja, and we are set to take over the stage from the APC government come 2019. We are well prepared for it. People are now more politically sophisticated and the only better alternative available to them is APDA. With the coming on board of our party, Nigerians are in for a new deal and a renaissance come next dispensation.

******Like we have experienced in the past, won’t your party be hijacked by money -bags?
This will not happen. This is a new era of equal opportunities. Everybody has learned their lessons. I would say that of course, we have many big wigs in our party from all the geopolitical zones of the country. They are sincere people and do not entertain the idea of taking over the party for themselves or because of their personal ambitions. All of us are living witnesses as to what happened to the PDP. The crisis that led to the PDP losing to the APC in the last election was caused by overriding personal interests over party interest. Every member of the party is going to be a financial member. There is only room for loyal and dedicated members. There is no room for money bags to hijack the party.