Aregbesola’s performance will give PDP governorship seat in Osun come 2018- Ayanwale

Mr Kehinde Ayanwale, a lawyer is a Chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Osun State and the publisher of London based Entertainer International Magazine. In this interview, he speaks on issues as they affect the PDP in Osun State and Nigeria. He also speaks on other sundry issues. PATRICK OKOHUE reports

Let’s look at the last election in Osun West Senatorial District where PDP won despite the fact that APC controls the state, how do you see that election?
Actually, the election is a message to those in power, those in government, especially Governor Rauf Aregbesola that the business is no longer as usual and that people have spoken through their votes.

Their votes were not determined by money or deceit any longer. The election was very good and clean, free and fair, and a victorious one for PDP across the board.

So, all in all, the electorates through their votes have pointed to the direction they are going in the coming election in the state.

PDP won in nine local governments out of 10, that is what is called hands down and by this it is unchallengeable in any court of law.

Although it is a constitutional right for any person to challenge the election if the person is not satisfied with the result, but I don’t think any person from anywhere in this world will challenge the result of this election.

By next year, there will be governorship elections in Ekiti and Osun states. What is your expectation from those elections?
In Britain people decide and look at how election will be through opinion poll, the last Osun West Senatorial by-election is a symbol of opinion on what to expect in the governorship election in 2018 in Osun.

As a politician, publisher and journalist, I do sample people’s opinion across the state, the feeler is that people are tired of APC in Osun State, a state that cannot pay salary and pension.

Series of abandoned road projects despite the fact that it received Paris Club refund twice. The pensioners are suffering, the governor was commissioning uncompleted projects despite the huge amount available to the state in the last quarter.

Lots of PDP members are now performing government’s responsibilities as social responsibility and community development services. Even a councillorship seat from Aregbesola’s Ward will be won by PDP in any election in Osun presently.

How united is the PDP in Osun State?
Under the leadership of Soji Adagunodo, Chief Gbenga Owolabi in Ife, Chief Odekunmi in Gbongan, Fatai Akinbade in Ogbagba, Lere Oyewumi in Ikire, Senator Akinlabi in Ode-Omu, they have united the party and they have been able to take the party to higher level and this made us victorious in the last Osun West Senatorial election.

Honestly, there were two factions of PDP before the election, both factions united for the election and came victorious. After the election, the Supreme Court judgement solidified the unity.

So, there are some who have moved to SDP, Labour, Accord or even APC but with the recent victory and the judgement, many are coming back while leaders are working seriously with all possible means available to them to bring others back into the fold.

And I can assure you, all of them will be back to PDP before the next year’s governorship election and 2019 general elections.

Do you nurse any political ambition?
I am a PDP man, PDP member and a solid and full PDP person to the core. I can’t say I am going for a particular position, if the party decide that my responsibility should be within the party Secretariat I will abide by the decision of the party leadership.

Presently, what interest me most is to work tirelessly to ensure that all aggrieved party members return to the PDP fold.

PDP ruled the country for 16 years, and APC has been in the saddle in the last two years, how will you compare the government of the PDP and APC?
When you are comparing the government of the two parties, you are not being fair to the PDP because there is no government in this country that can match the success of the PDP government in terms of performance, development and policies.

We all know the exchange rate during the 16 years of PDP, we all know what it is now, what of the price of food stuffs, and others.

So those in the best position to judge both is the masses, and I think one of the judgement was the outcome of Osun West Senatorial election.

Sometimes I am amused when I hear the Transport Minister, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi boasting that he has done this, he has done that, all the projects he is boasting about were started during Jonathan’s government.

This government is yet to start any tangible project of its own. And mind you, apart from President Muhammadu Buhari, Babatunde Fashola, Dr. Kayode Fayemi and few others, 80 per cent of the present executive members, including Senators, members of House of Reps and even APC party executives are part of PDP 16 years rule.

So this present government is an extension of PDP government under a new platform, which is APC. So, I can assure you most of them will be back in the PDP before the 2019 election and as such the PDP will come back to power to correct some mistakes this government is presently making in terms of policies and what have you.

When you were mentioning PDP leaders in Osun State you excluded Senator Iyiola Omisore. Why this omission and who are the people that are in the forefront of getting the gubernatorial ticket of the party in next year’s election?
The issue of party leadership is quite different from gubernatorial aspiration. Don’t mix the two. As far as PDP is concerned in Osun, Omisore is one of the leaders.

He is not the leader but one of the leaders but for him to say he want to contest the governorship election again on the platform of our party, I am totally against that.

We cannot keep recycling a single person as if there are no other competent or qualified persons. Do you think we are so daft in Osun PDP that we will continue to present a candidate that people have rejected in the past.

Do you know why we lost the gubernatorial election the last time, it was because of the candidate and I believe that PDP is not going to make such mistake any longer.

Omisore is a strong party member, very serious party leader, but for the governorship ticket of the party in 2018, please forget it and more so the gubernatorial ticket is not zoned to his senatorial district.

Has the PDP zoned the gubernatorial ticket and which zone will produce the governorship candidate now?
Osun West
And who are the people from that zone that you think can carry the ticket and successfully deliver for the party in the next governorship election?
We have two prominent people that are very good and I am also a factor that they cannot do away with.

Who are these two prominent people?
To be honest with you, Senator Olasunkanmi Akinlabi from Ode Omu, a former Minister is there. So also is the former Secretary to Osun State Government, Alhaji Fatai Akinbade from Ogbaagba . These two people are committed party members.

The National Assembly has refused to confirm Ibrahim Magu as the Chairman of the EFCC, but the Presidency is adamant that he should be the chairman. How will you react to this development?
You know in Nigeria we are not of good mind. If any institution is doing brilliantly and its performance is affecting another institution, the institution that is affected will not be happy with that particular institution.

The President as far as I know as a lawyer has the power under the constitution to appoint either in acting or substantive capacity anybody to head the EFCC and mind you, do you think the National Assembly is doing well or performing brilliantly, that is not true.

Magu is doing well and he is helping the country, you people are not looking at the damages that corruption is causing the country, you are only looking at the personalities involved.

If they know that they are clean and have no skeletons in their cupboards, they should allow Magu to be doing his job. Confirmation or no confirmation to me is a ceremonial matter.

Quote
People are tired of APC in Osun State, a state that cannot pay salary and pension. Series of abandoned road projects despite the fact that it received Paris Club refund twice. The pensioners are suffering, the governor was commissioning uncompleted projects despite the huge amount available to the state in the last quarter. Lots of PDP members are now performing government’s responsibilities as social responsibility and community development services. Even a councillorship seat from Aregbesola’s Ward will be won by PDP in any election in Osun presently