Speaker of Ogun State House of Assembly, Suraj Adekunbi, representing Isokan State Constituency in Yewa North Local Government Area of the state, is currently angling to succeed Governor Ibikunle Amosun who will be concluding his second term in 2019. In this interview with Assistant Editor, Dare Odufowokan, the Aiyetoro-born Mechanical Engineer turned politician said he is the only aspirant that can consolidate on the development strides of incumbent Governor Amosun. He also debunked allegations in some quarters that as Speaker of the Assembly, he is a mere rubber stamp of the executive. He spoke on other salient issues. Excerpts
YOU may soon emerge as the longest serving Speaker of the Ogun State House of Assembly at the end of the current session. What is your staying power?
First, I want to give thanks to God for giving me the opportunity to serve humanity. After that, I appreciate the people of my constituency for honoring me with the mandate to serve them as their representative in the House of Assembly. This is because it is a privilege to be their representative. It is even a bigger privilege in our nascent democracy to be given the opportunity to serve two terms by your people.
I must say here that I am daily encouraged by the mandate given to me by my people because I believe in the masses, just like Governor Ibikunle Amosun. In addition to all these, I am blessed with highly responsible members in the House of Assembly here. They had confidence in me in the first term and when we retuned for the second term, they still made me their Speaker. I am grateful to them also.
But the staying power is that I see myself as first among equals. This is one thing they have come to appreciate in my style of leadership as the Speaker. I do not see myself as better than any other member of the assembly. And here in the assembly, we are concerned about making impact. It is therefore all that is needed to make that impact that is guiding our actions.
Some have said I am a rubber stamp Speaker because of that. But I tell you sincerely that there is absolute separation of powers in Ogun State. I am not a stooge and that is the truth because I have and we have our integrity to protect as well. I am not a rubber stamp. As lawmakers, we are not elected to serve as opposition to the government but as a compliment to the executive.
We disagree where necessary but we are more interested in making impact like I said and that is always on our mind when we address any issue concerning governance. Above all, my people know that when it comes to our legislative duties and our responsibilities as a part of the administration, I am always objective, unbiased and upright. This is one reason why I have been able to remain the Speaker of the Ogun State House of Assembly till date.
Since the return to democracy in 1999, Ogun Assembly has been known as one of the most volatile chambers. How have you been able to prevent the usual uproar in the last six years?
The magic is very simple. As a leader, once you promote the ideals of transparency, honesty and fairness, you will prevent a lot of misgivings and in the process ensure harmony. That is what is happening in Ogun State House of Assembly under my leadership. And you must do everything possible to give your colleagues sense of belonging because like I said, the Speaker is merely first among equals. Of course one needs the grace of God to succeed but people here know I am not a self-opinionated person.
It is not that we don’t have issues, but when we have issues, I come down and discuss with them as colleagues. That way, there are no issues left unattended to. With each member coming from different backgrounds, different constituencies and different parties, there is no way we could have achieved the results so far recorded without proper consultations and support we are giving one another in the House.
How would you say you have fared as Speaker and as representative of the people of your state constituency?
Given the background we are coming from, I want to say I have worked hard to represent my people well. Very importantly, I operate an open door policy. Anytime they want to see me, they are sure my door is always open for them to just walk in and ask me any question. This is both at home and here in the office. I am sure you saw the crowd waiting to see me out there; most of the people are my constituents.
I believe strongly that making yourself accessible to the people you represent is the first rule in good representation. And I can say I have done that since the day I was first elected till today. That way, I have been able to understand what my people want me to do at every point in time. They appreciate this and I thank them for appreciating me.
If you are not accessible, you cannot even get to know what is happening among your people not to talk of proffering solutions to such. But if you are accessible, you will promptly get to know of issues arising among your constituents and that way, you will be able to promptly provide solutions to such issues before they get out of hand. That is a basic rule in representation.
And as Speaker, like I told you before, I am enjoying the confidence of my colleagues. I cannot be a Speaker without being a member of the House, so I want to say it goes parri-passu. I will just say we are trying our best. Mind you, I cannot be the judge in my own case. The people of Ogun State are to score us and assess our performance.
But, speaking modestly, I think we have been performing our responsibilities as expected of the honourable members in the Ogun State House of Assembly. Initially, some people called us pushovers, but today, they know we are not. Right from inception, we had ranking members with experience in the House who have been assisting in the way and manner certain issues are discussed and resolved.
How have you been able to prevent the alleged divisive politics of your party, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), from interfering in the business of the house?
As a party member and as a stakeholder in the Ogun project, I have resigned myself to the manifesto of my political party as well as the constitution of the party. So, anything we want to do here is guided by these two documents. That way, we are able to manage the differences of party chieftains by resolving all issues as supported by our manifesto and the constitution.
Moreover, there is no division in our party. The APC in Ogun State is one happy family. In politics, we can disagree over issues; that does not make us enemies or mean that the party is at war. Here in the House of Assembly, we are guided by the need to give the people of Ogun State meaningful representation through adequate legislation. That is more important than any other thing.
The PDP, which remains the biggest opposition party in the state, says it is ready to return to power as soon as possible. Do you think your party can still retain power beyond 2019?
In politics, I have learnt not to underrate any opponent in any political contest. Even if an election is to be conducted between me and you here, I will not underrate you in any way. I will see it as a serious political challenge and put in all my best to win. But the fact remains that here in Ogun State, the people have entrusted their mandate to the APC and we as a party, we are doing our best to make the best use of that mandate.
Thus, come 2019, our performance will speak for us. The use to which we have put the people’s mandate will determine how the people of the state will vote. And I believe that we have delivered on our promises, the people are still very happy with the Senator Ibikunle Amosun led administration. So, any party willing to displace APC will have to convince the people.
You have indicated your desire to succeed Governor Amosun in 2019. Why do you want to be governor?
By the grace of God, I believe that my decision to join politics in the first place was a kind of calling. I have been given the opportunity to serve to this level and I have been rendering quality service to the people of Ogun State in the past six years. So, I see the need for me to further serve the state at another level. That is why I am interested in succeeding the governor upon the completion of his term.
Also, it is important to say that the enormous work done by Governor Amosun need to be sustained and improved upon by the next governor of the state. To do this, we need somebody who understands and shares the passion being put into the development effort by this administration. If you ask me, I will say there is no better person to do that than myself.
I have been part of the development effort in the last six years. I understand the governor’s passion and I share same. That is why you hardly hear of any serious disagreement between us. So, I am best suited for the task of moving the state forward on the part which the current governor has placed us. Sincerely, I think the only way we can consolidate on the immense effort of Governor Amosun is for me to be given the opportunity to lead the state after him.
And what is the governor’s disposition to your ambition?
Well, aside from the fact that I enjoy the constitutional right to vote and be voted for, the governor is my leader as well as the leader of the party in the state. We have a very good working relationship but I also understand that he is the father to all those aspiring on the platform of the APC. I believe strongly that when it is time for the party to decide on who our candidate should be, the party will do so.
How did your people back home receive your aspiration considering the Yewa agenda being promoted by your zone?
My people are solidly behind me. My performance is speaking for me and I am very sure that at the appropriate time, the people of Yewa land will show the preference without fear or favour. I am ready for the job. The most important thing is the commitment I have been showing to the betterment of Ogun State. In addition, I have the passion to serve and the people already know what we can offer if given the opportunity.
I am receiving a lot of encouragement from my people regarding my ambition. It is a good thing to see that the people who I have spent the last six years serving are appreciating my efforts by supporting my ambition to rule the state. I am happy to see that and it is making me more determined to pursue my set goals politically. I am optimistic and very confident.
