Dr. Gbade Ojo is a Political Science teacher at the University of Ilorin. He is also a former Special Adviser on Political Affairs to Governor Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State. In this interview with JEREMIAH OKE, he speaks on the recent Supreme Court judgment, the agitation of the people of Oke-Ogun for power shift in 2019 and other issues.
What’s your reaction to the recent Supreme Court judgment on Oyo State governorship election?
The judgment couldn’t have gone otherwise because Governor Ajimobi’s victory was obvious and incontrovertible. As a Special Adviser to the governor, I was an insider and I knew very well that there was no issue of election rigging before, during and after the contest.
What is the import of this judgment?
Going to court after election is a way of boosting the legitimacy of the mandate of the person who won the election. This is because when an aggrieved person proceeds to court, and the court delivers judgment that the election was free and fair, then, you are boosting the legitimacy of the government that was formed as a result of that election. Our democracy is still very young and the option of going to court by any aggrieved person is far preferable than inciting their supporters to engage in burning of houses and killing of innocent people.
What is your advice for the opposition parties, particularly the Accord Party?
They should go back home to re-strategise and wait for another election. That is the beauty of democracy. In a democratic system, the electorate could vote for a fool they could vote for an incompetent person, as well as a thief. But, they have the opportunity to sack the person they voted for in the last election in subsequent elections
With this verdict, what should the people expect from the government?
They should be optimistic that the present administration will deliver all its electioneering promises. The last election was like a payback time for Governor Ajimobi. If he did not deliver, it would have been difficult for him to win the election. Secondly, as at that time, Governor Ajimibi’s party was not the ruling party at the federal level that conducted the election. So, if he was not popular, it would have been difficult for him to win. Therefore, they should expect good governance.
Eight months after inauguration, there is no commissioner and no elected local government chairmen. What is delaying this?
After election, the views of the elected leader should be respected. Being a man on the saddle, if he believes that it is proper to delay constitution of his cabinet, it is not bad, primarily because of the financial crunch.
But, some states have appointed commissioners, despite the financial crunch…
The financial position of each state differs. For instance, Oyo State will require minimum of N5. 2 billion to pay salaries and wages and when you look at the statutory allocation advertised by Federal Ministry of Finance, there was no month since June last year that Oyo State got up to N2.5billion. If the state could not generate N1.5billion, the two added together is not sufficient to pay salaries.
The people of Oke-Ogun are agitating for power shift i 2019. Do you think the zone can produce the next governor?
I read a report about it recently. It is a reasonable agitation because any zone has the constitutional and fundamental right to agitate for executive power. But, my grouse is the argument being put forward that their roads in Oke-Ogun are not motorable and that their indigenes do not occupy prominent positions in government. The reasons are ludicrous. They also said there is no tertiary institution in the zone. They also go to a ridiculous level of saying that there is no portable water in the zone. But, my take as a political scientist is that much as it is reasonable that they can agitate or demand for power shift, we also need to remind them that Governor Ajimobi believes strongly in a principle of spatial development. The present administration has taken care of all the zones in terms of power sharing. If anybody talks of road, I will tell such person to visit Iseyin which is the gateway to Oke-Ogun; you will see a dualised road that was commissioned by the governor before the election. The issue of tertiary institution in Oke-Ogun, the satellite campus of The Polytechnic, Ibadan in Saki was upgraded by Governor Ajimobi to an autonomous Polytechnic of Oke-Ogun with a rector from the region. Not only that. The school of Health Technology in Oke-ho and the School of Nursing and Midwifery in Kishi, both in Oke-Ogun, are tertiary institutions. In fact the best NYSC camp in Southwest, if not in Nigeria, is located in Iseyin, which is also in Oke-Ogun. In terms of water, I am very conscious of the fact that the water works in Igbeti-Saki-Igboho-Agoamodu, all in Oke-Ogun, are all functional. Talking about the positions in the state, the chief judge of the state is from the Oke-Ogun, the deputy governor is also from Oke-Ogun while the minister of communication is also from Saki in Oke-Ogun zone. So, with all this, Oke-Ogun politicians should thank the governor, rather than saying they are marginalized. I can tell you that critical ministries were given to indigenes of Oke-Ogun in that last dispensation. The commissioners for land, special duties, local government and chieftaincy affairs and currently, the Clerk of the state House of Assembly is also from Oke-Ogun. To crown it all, more than 100 political appointees were from Oke-Ogun in the last dispensation. So, with all these positions, nobody can reasonable argue that the zone is being marginalised.
