The run up to the gubernatorial election in Oyo State in 2015 promises to be interesting as the major political parties gear up for the polls. The man to beat is the incumbent governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi. But a chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Caretaker Chairman of Ibadan North East Local Government, Mr Ladi Oluokun, says no matter the efforts of the opposition, the governor will get a second term. He spoke with TAYO JOHNSON in Ibadan.
When did you come to political limelight in the state?
I joined active partisan politics in 1998 and I was a strong party member of the defunct Alliance for Democracy (AD).Mark you, I have never cross-carpeted into any other party since I opted for partisan politics. I am a consistent individual who detest political prostitution. I joined partisan politics because I have been exposed to how it is being played in the western world. Politics is to serve the people and this is my aspiration which is to bring smiles to the faces of people who are suffering in the society. This prompted me to team up with the progressive elements who are passionate about changing the society for the better..
What is your focus in relation to development as Ibadan North East Local Government boss?
Let me first appreciate God the author and finisher of our faith. I also sincerely appreciate Governor Abiola Ajimobi and the people of Ibadan North East Local Government for giving me this wonderful opportunity to serve them. I hereby reiterate my pledge that I will not let the governor and my people down Looking back after over a month now in office, I would say that my people have been exceptionally wonderful in terms of support from them. They have cooperated with us in achieving all we have done. The journey has been so tough, rough and challenging. I give glory to God because of the cooperation and motivation as well as encouragement of the people of the council.
There is a proverb that says uneasy lies the head that wears a crown. What are the challenges of occupying this position?
In governance, the major challenge is fund. What we are getting from the federal government is far below what should be coming to us. We only rely on internally generated revenue and Governor Ajimobi has been great in that aspect because he doesn’t touch our money but he is always concerned about the development of the council. He has given us an example of prudent management of our resources and we prioritize all our activities We must, however, serve despite the little resources coming to us. We need to alleviate the sufferings of the people. We are following the good example of our governor.
How would you describe your working relationship with Governor Ajimobi?
It has been very cordial, exciting and challenging. When you are serving under a hard working Governor who knows his onions, you have to be on the alert. This is a governor who is passionate about changing the face of the state which he met as one of the dirtiest states in the country. You can now imagine how Ibadan the state capital has become one of the neatest cities in Africa. First, working with Senator Abiola Ajimobi for the development of Oyo State has been wonderful. I see the governor as somebody who puts God first in whatever he does. He also has the love of the people at heart.
Many developmental projects are going on in most parts of Oyo State. Ibadan North East Local Government is not an exception.ý He has put in place the establishment of Ajumose football viewing centres to reduce youth restiveness. In this local government council, the distribution of eight transformers to eight communities has become a reality; namely, Oranyan, Oje, Odejayi, Idi-Ape, Aderibigbe, Sunmade, Eru-Omu and Surulere, while three police stations that got generating sets are, Agodi, Agugu and Testing ground in Iwo-road.ý Also we have ongoing bridge construction at Ile-kunkun, Onipasan area among others, all within my two months in office.
The crisis in Oyo APC has taken a new turn with the defection of some of its key members to opposition parties, is this not going to affect APC in 2015?
Your question is indeed a funny one to those of us in the party. Some of the defectors have no electoral value. I am not saying all of them. They cannot win anything even in their wards .Some of those defectors have been made to see reasons that they would be regarded as prostitutes if they insisted on leaving the progressive party but we are still trying to persuade them on why they should remain with a winning team despite their weaknesses. But let me tell you, APC is not at all rattled with the movement of some of those members to the Accord Party or PDP, though it is clear that the few members who decamped from APC are the aggrieved. The process of bringing them back to the APC is on course and I can assure you that they will return to the party. History offers us a great lesson. When you look at the history of Oyo politics, there has never been a time that a new party won election. Even Governor Olusegun Mimiko of Ondo State, who won election on the platform of LP utilised a lot of human resources from the Peoples Democratic Party. Even in families we do quarrel among our small members but later we will solve it amicably. Let me assure you that they will come back to where they truly belong.APC remains a party that would strengthen their weaknesses. What is important is tolerance of one another. The sacrifice which we are paying now will be highly rewarded later. So, my strong appeal to them is to come back home in the interest of their people in the state.
Former Governor Alao-Akala has recently joined the governorship race on the platform of PDP with other aspirants in the opposition party who have all boasted that they will win the governorship election in 2015. Is this not a threat to Governor Ajimobi’s re-election bid?
There is nobody that can defeat Governor Ajimobi in the next governorship election in the state. His achievements are unprecedented and unmatched by previous governments in the state. The first noticeable achievement of the incumbent government was restoration of peace to the state. He has brought an end to the era of brigandage and violence .Peace has been restored not only to the hitherto crisis-ridden transport union (NURTW) in the state but he has been sustaining the peace. The entire state is now peaceful bringing an end to the culture of violence. You can see the anti crime outfit called ‘’Operation Burst’’ which is being used to check mate the activities of criminals in the state .You would recall how many lives were lost because of avoidable scramble for power between factions of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW). The governor ensured that government did not get itself involved in the affairs of the motor union.
Apart from this, roads have been widened and infrastructure generally given facelift. This was in the area of environmental beautification. The state has never had it so good. Ibadan the state capital has been completely changed and this is a credit to the foresight of this government.
As to the legislative arm of the government, you can see the harmonious relationship among the members. The executive and legislative arms have since his assumption of office, been collaborating with each other thus paving the way for all round development in the state. There is no unnecessary interference bythe executive with the legislature and the leadership of the House under the Speaker, Alhaja Monsurat Sunmonu, has been doing wonderfully well and deserves to be commended for achieving what men could not achieve. The achievements of Governor Ajimobi, honestly speaking qualified him for a second term with less campaigns .Frankly speaking,ý and without being sentimental, Neither Ladoja nor Alao-Akala should be allowed to return as governor of Oyo State because they would bastardise all the good things that this selfless and patriotic governor has put in place to sustain the Pace setting status of the state. Do you know how many speakers Oyo State had during Ladoja and Alao-Akala’s administrations? It was bickering and confusion all through with nothing concrete achieved in terms of law making and oversight functions of the House. Now, the difference is clear
Are you not aware of the popularity of Accord party in the state?
Ladoja’s Accord party is only popular in a tiny part of Ibadan and little is heard about it in other parts of the state. So, he is no threat to Ajimobi neither is Alao Akala who has not even been picked by PDP as its gubernatorial candidate.
What is the future of APC in Oyo and Nigeria as a whole, bearing in mind that you just lost Ekiti State to PDP?
Our future is bright and we are not going to give up but will keep progressing. What happened in Ekiti State was the militarization of the masses and a day light robbery of people’s mandate. Such will not repeat itself in Osun State. In Oyo State, APC is standing aright and no opposition party can shake our stand. The citizens of the state are very wise and they can see the wind of transformation blowing in all sectors in the state and they will not allow any party to come and destroy it. APC has come to rescue Nigeria from the abyss she had been flung into by the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Believe you me, rescuing Nigeria was a mission that must be accomplished and the surest way of achieving this was through a merger of the opposition parties to beat PDP at the 2015 polls. We shall not be intimidated by PDP’s plan in 2015 but we shall continue to achieve our mission and vision by delivering the dividends of democracy to the people, not just on the pages of newspaper but by seeing it happening in concrete terms.
