Rasheed Elegbeleye, a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain, is the Minority Leader of the Ondo State House of Assembly. He represents Akoko Northeast Constituency. In this interview with OSAGIE OTABOR, he speaks about the crisis in the PDP and why the national chairman, Dr. Iyorchia Ayu, must go
Why did you file a suit seeking to nullify the primary in your constituency?
I am a founding member of the PDP since 1998. In the 2019 general election, members of my party worked against me in the general election, including our so-called leader. They worked against me but I emerged victorious. In the last PDP primary, I intended to contest for the House of Representatives because we do turn by turn since 1999. It is the turn of Akoko Northeast to go to the House of Representatives after Akoko Northwest. I later discovered that members of the PDP in both local government areas were on the payroll of the incumbent lawmaker who is in the APC. The state leader was also involved. I decided not to gun for the House of Representatives because they will work against me if I picked the party’s ticket. The incumbent House of Representatives lawmaker is the Chairman of the House Committee on the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC). He has been performing in our area using the NDDC. The budget of the NDDC is more than a state budget. The lawmaker is using the office to the benefit of the people. I later told my people I should return to the assembly. If I am not popular, how could I defeat the incumbent Deputy Speaker in my local government? During the primary, they removed my ward delegates. The names of three delegates from my ward were removed. The second reason is that the authentic executives in that ward as certified were not allowed to conduct the adhoc delegate election. They did not allow them to conduct the ward congress. That was against our constitution. They, instead formed a parallel executive and the Ondo PDP chairman recognised the parallel executives who conducted the fake congress. It was the fake list they took to Akure and Abuja as delegates. I told the party chairman and he promised to look into it. In my local government for the national delegate elections, two persons were allowed to pick nomination forms instead of one. They were to go to the field for the election. All delegates were seated and present in Akoko Northeast but those to conduct the primary went to another place to write a name. The state chairman recognised the fake result despite our protest. Some persons petitioned the appeal committee but till today, we are still waiting to see the appeal committee. They never appeared at the secretariat but were lodged in a hotel. If they want the PDP to win the election, they would not have done that. In the history of Akoko Northeast, when you talk of performances, I have done what no lawmaker has done. Since 1999, no lawmaker has done empowerment. There was a time we have a speaker and deputy speaker but they did not do any empowerment. Only me, Rasheed Elegbeleye did it without constituency project funding. I used my salary and my imprest for the empowerment programme. It was obvious to the people of the locality who were amazed at what I did. The primary is to be nullified. I will pursue the case to the Supreme Court.
Are you threatening to leave the PDP?
I cannot leave the PDP. I have benefitted from the party and the party has benefitted from me. I can never go to the APC; the APC is not a party. They just want government and they got it. Can anybody mention what the APC has done in this country? I will never leave the PDP. The experience of Nigerians in the past seven years is worst than the 16 years of the PDP. Are you talking about security, economy or education? Students are at home now, what has the APC done? ASUU has been on strike and the president said a few weeks ago he didn’t know they were on strike.
What were you doing before you were elected to represent your constituency at the assembly?
I was a pioneer local government youth leader of the PDP. I then served as a supervisory councillor between 2003 to 2007 when the late Olusegun Agagu was the governor. I became an electoral officer in 2009 before former Governor Mimiko took over. I was the state youth leader of the PDP till 2014 when Mimiko returned to the PDP. They harmonised the executives with the former Labour Party members but after the harmonisation, only two of us in the state working committee remained in the party. Others left for the APC because they were not happy. I opted to remain in the party. The bitter experience I had at the election convention in Abuja was enough for me to leave the party but I stayed on. That was enough for me to leave the party. I remained in the party. Later Mimiko identified me and appointed me as a special assistant but I rejected it. He had to upgrade it to a senior special assistant on local government mobilisation. Since Akeredolu came to power, the opposition party has been begging me to join them but I refused. In the past primary, Mr Governor spoke to me but I said no. He believes in me and I also believe in him. It is not that he has done anything personal for me that could convince me to join the APC. He dualised Ikare road, so why should I be campaigning against him? That is what the PDP is expecting from me. I should be fighting the governor. Why should I fight the governor? I am loyal to my party but the governor is changing the face of the local government I am representing. The governor constructed Akunnu to Ikaram and I must continue to appreciate him.
What is the relationship between the governor and lawmakers?
The relationship is not bad but on the other hand, he has not done enough for the House of Assembly.
How much is each lawmaker entitled to for constituency projects?
For the past four years, Governor Akeredolu has not released money for any constituency project. At the time we resumed, they projected N25m annually but no money was released. When we had a conference in Ibadan, we heard what other states are giving their lawmakers as constituency projects. He has never released a dime for constituency projects.
But, your constituents are waiting for projects from lawmakers…
That is the orientation we need to change. Lawmakers are not executives. Lawmakers are to make laws and not award contracts. You cannot award a contract and cannot be given a contract. People believe that because you are a lawmaker, the only thing you need to do is to spend money. You cannot spend money in this Akeredolu government, where are you going to get the money? Your salary and imprest are the only things you get. When we resumed, he gave us plots of land along Oda road but for nine of us that failed to support the impeachment of Agboola Ajayi, our land titles were revoked. That action does not move me. My father told me when he was alive not to join the multitude to pull anybody down. If they are looking for a team to impeach the governor or the speaker, I will not be among them. I remain a PDP member. I told them I will never join to support the impeachment of Agboola Ajayi. If I did it, it is taboo in our community.
How did you carry out the empowerment programme without constituency funds?
From my monthly entitlement, I did contributions with other members and the little I saved, I used to buy empowerment materials worth N22m. That was the contribution of almost two years. I have empowered my people with employment. I bought generators, sewing machines, sport wears for students, grinding machines and others. I donated food items to vulnerable people.