He stated that going by what Oshiomhole has done in six years and his vision for a better Nigeria, the country needs such a man at the helm of the Federal Government.
In this interview in Lagos, Afegbua also talked about the politics of Edo State, among others.
You have been in the news lately, saying Edo Governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, could run for the Presidency. How did this come about?
It is by mere looking at the unfolding political scenario in the country and the level of leadership atrophy that we have. The political leadership at the federal level needs some level of bite and courage, some level of brilliance and energy to contend with the challenges confronting us as a nation. We need leaders that are ready to die for us, who are also ready to sacrifice their life for us.
President Jonathan could not go to Chibok because he is not ready to die for us for, according to his publicists, the security situation in Chibok was not safe for him. When you reconcile that with the kind of leadership in other civilised democracies, the moving theme in the voices of those leaders, the power of their oratory and the conviction in their voices, you will come to the easy conclusion that there is still gap in our leadership orientation. But a leader, like Comrade Oshiomhole possesses all the essential attributes of modern day motivational leadership that is direly needed to confront our seemingly behemoth problems. That is why some of us younger Nigerians across the country felt the need to pressurise him to declare for the contest. There is no harm in trying.
Has he notified his party and what level of feedback is he getting, taking into account that the APC appears set to concede the presidential slot to the North?
You know Comrade Oshiomhole is not the typical Nigerian politician. He has been able to learn the ropes at a much faster pace than one had earlier expected. What concerns him most is how to utilise resources to develop the country. He has not formally notified his party but at the appropriate time he will do so, having consulted with the chieftains of the party. Once he declares, which is what we are praying for, he will join the fray of those other aspirants to engage in the party’s primaries. Talking about ceding the presidential slot to the North, well that decision has not been taken by the party; but once there is anything like that, as a party man, he will concur. Just that some of us cannot just sit by the side without asking him to test his political strength, knowing that he enjoys a lot of support nationwide. Whatever be the decision of the party, I am sure the Comrade Governor will adjust to that but talking seriously, he has very strong credentials to take him to Aso Rock. He will offer stronger and more compelling leadership to the country than what we are presently witnessing.
We understand that Governor Oshiomhole enjoys warm relationship with President Goodluck Jonathan and might not want to confront him since the president is also from the South-south region of the country. How do you reconcile that?
But you also know that the governor is not a member of the PDP but as a stakeholder in the collective patrimony of the country. He has a moral duty to play his part in ensuring the unity of the country, no matter who presides over the affairs of the country. I think he has a warm relationship with the president, to the extent that Edo State is part of the union; he needs to extract some commitments from the Federal Government from time to time, as they affect Edo State, as part of the obligation of the all-powerful centre to the states that are usually treated, though painfully so, as vassal states. It is true that the president is from the South-south but also true that he is not a member of the APC. If the governor finally declares to run, he will be doing so under the auspices of the APC, his political party.
Edo State has been in the news in recent times for the wrong reasons. Chief Tom Ikimi and others defected. Also, the Edo House of Assembly is polarised along party lines. What is the issue?
There are no serious issues per se, except that Nigerian politicians usually behave like nomadic herdsmen, searching for greener pastures. I have given reasons, in my opinion, Chief Ikimi left. I have also said Ikimi did not represent the conscience of modern day politics. As much as we are desperately searching for role models in the political spectrum, conduct such as defection at the slightest prompting does not add up to make for good role modeling. I don’t want to dig further on the Ikimi defection brouhaha but just to conclude that Nigerian politics is desirous of good role models.
Having said that, let me give this clarification about the Edo State House of Assembly, which you refer to as being polarised. As far as we are concerned, either as spectators or participants in the political scenarios, the Edo Assembly is not polarised. What we have is one Assembly that is populated by two political parties; PDP and APC. The APC presently has 15 members, while the PDP has eight members. One has his seat already declared vacant. Out of this number, four of them are under suspension validated by a court of competent jurisdiction. The remaining five have been absent from the Assembly and rather curiously showing solidarity to the suspended four. As far as the procedure and law are concerned, those five members have refused to perform their constitutional roles, as lawmakers. They have not been attending the sittings and nobody stopped them from participating in the business of the Assembly. From the above, you can draw your conclusion that the Assembly is simply one. As you are aware, majority carries the day in any democracy while minority will have their say. Call it tyranny of the majority, you will be right but that is the central kernel of any democratic process.
The governor sent the Appropriation Bill to the Assembly a few days ago. What informed the decision to send the Bill early when there is still so much time?
Well, your assertion is just a matter of opinion. I think the governor has to be commended for taking this decision, which, to a lot of people, represents a good omen for public policy and governance in the country. The expectation of the people has always been that budgets should be presented in good time so that their passages would fall in line within the labyrinth of the financial year. I remember that the criticism against the Federal Government is that budget proposals get to the National Assembly often late and thus causing some level of discomfort in the system. What we try to do in the state is to present the Appropriation Bill in good time, so that the lawmakers will dispense with it on time before we get into the critical period of electioneering. We have received a lot of commendation from respected members of the public for taking this proactive step on the issue of budget proposals.
The PDP chairman in the state, Chief Dan Orbih, recently accused the state government of wasteful spending. He went further to display some memos that tend to confirm his accusation. How do you react to that?
Let me say, without equivocation, those so-called memos are manufactured and fabricated documents. We cannot be blackmailed. I have elected before now that I will not be responding to Dan Orbih because he does not understand the dynamics of governance. How can you possibly pair up a Dan Orbih with Comrade Oshiomhole? Tufiakwa! With respect to those accusations, they are utter rubbish or at best gibberish meant to please the sheer hollowness of PDP chieftains, who, for want of what to do, have decided to advertise falsehood repeatedly so that it can wear some semblance of truth. If there is anything the governor needs to be commended for, it is his prudent management of the state resources. That is why it is possible for him to carry out this level of development in the state, especially coming from the PDP background when the state resources were squandered in a buccaneer manner.
Are you saying the state governor did not squander the alleged funds on frivolous trips, as claimed by the PDP chairman in the state?
I find the allegations very ridiculous and laughable. Go and crosscheck your records. The governor is the only governor that I know of in the country that travels alone without his aides and other lieutenants. Go and check PDP governors, at least, you will find seven to eight aides, travelling with them. How can such a governor squander resources? If we are in the business of squandering and share-the-money, like the PDP used to do, we would not have been able to achieve this much in the state. The level of infrastructural development in the state is second to none in the history of the state. His achievements in less than six years surpass that of PDP in 10 years. The PDP squeezed blood, in a manner of speaking, out of Edo people, impoverished them by their deliberate non-performance and left the state, bleeding profusely like a wounded cow. But for Comrade Oshiomhole, who came to rescue the state, only God knows what would have been the lot of the state.
The figures don’t event add up. On the one hand, he said N428 million. On the other hand, the figures he reeled out are within the region of N80 million. In April, he said N45 million was being wasted on travels. In August, he says N17 million. We don’t blame him. We can only empathise with him because he needs help. And because elections are coming, he will come up with such documents to create the wrong impression but Edo people are wiser than that.
There are criticisms as to the style of the governor. Some see him as very dictatorial while others see him as temperamental. How would you describe the Governor Oshiomhole?
Well, people are bound to have different opinions about any individual and like the common proverbial bluff; there is nothing one can do that will satisfy human curiosity or please every human being on earth. So far, working with the governor has been a pleasant experience, especially as it affords me the opportunity to learn a few notes about governance and decision making process. You know the governor is a very brilliant orator and one that is given to quick wits, coupled with courage and boldness. He bows to superior argument and logic but if your intellectuality is not one that can sustain any serious argument, you cannot be his friend. He is neither a dictator nor does he practise dictatorship. He is simply a governor, who does not have a heart for inanities and shenanigans.
The PDP seems to be waxing stronger in the state. Are you not disturbed that they could upstage the APC in next year election?
The PDP is not one to lose sleep over. In fact, the PDP is in trouble across the country; that is why you see them deploying enormous resources and tax payers’ money to run documentaries and adverts to create awareness. You see them breaking the INEC code of conduct and campaigning all over the country, using our resources. From the president to the deputy, they are using our paraphernalia of office, serviced by tax payers’ money, to embark on campaigns. That is very unfair.
Coming back to Edo State, the APC is firmly on ground. When the next elections come, the result will underscore this assertion. The APC has a lot to show Edo people about what they have been able to achieve in the last six years. They know exactly what Edo used to be and how it looks now. They understand that the era of let’s share the money is over. They can see for themselves what the Comrade Governor has been able to achieve within a spate of six years. That is why irrespective of the lies that PDP advertise in the public domain, people don’t believe them. APC is solidly on ground because it is connected with the people in the grassroots. While the APC will be pointing at projects that they have been able to accomplish in the last six years, PDP will be pointing at the relics of their year of the locust.
Let’s come back to Chief Ikimi. He left your party for the PDP. Observers see this as a big minus, judging by the fact that he is a political heavy weight. What do you say?
You make me laugh. You arrogate too much power to individuals, who are at best paper tigers. I have spoken my mind on Ikimi. His Special Adviser, Segun Awosanya, responded to me and I later put the records straight in my response. There is no bad blood, just to conclude that we saw it coming and for those who are professional political jobbers, decency does not exist in their dictionary. I think we need more role models. That’s all I will say but Ikimi, leaving us, is a plus because we have been let off the hook of his bogey. At 70, if I am in his shoes, I will live by example by simply rallying everybody together. When they play his tape of contradiction to him, it will humble him. That is not how to be a good politician.
Do you have any political ambition?
Not in the immediate terms. At the appropriate time, I will seek office based on my attractions. In future, I will like to contest for any position where I can attract development to my people.
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Why Oshiomhole should run for president –Afegbua |
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