A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party [PDP] in Ondo State, Hon. Femi Adekanmbi, has given an insight into why the party bounced back quickly from its defeat in the presidential election by winning majority of the seats in the Assembly election. He spoke with LEKE AKEREDOLU.
How will you assess the State Assembly poll recently conducted in Ondo State?
The victory that we recorded in Ondo State by winning 21 seats is very spiritual. Spiritual in the sense that nobody has ever thought that PDP will bounce back like this considering what happened in the last Presidential election, where we lost woefully. Thanks to the governor, Olusegun Mimiko who sat down and critically analyzed where the fault came from. He discovered that we lost due to the unending crisis between the old and new PDP members. This was what we have been clamoring for that we need to resolve the issue. We thank God that some of the issues were settled before State Assembly election. Why did you reconcile with Mimiko despite denying you House of Representatives tickets twice?
My differences with the governor came just because of the issue of party primaries when we were in Labour Party in 2011, and also during last year PDP House of Representatives primaries and he denied me the ticket. After that, I sat with my family and critically looked at the issue that for the governor to deny me this ticket might be divine. Divine in the sense that when God says yes, nobody can say no, I believe destiny cannot be changed. If Mimiko wanted to give me, he would have done so but for not giving me the ticket, why should I be fighting him? He called me several times, though, I refused and eventually we met, we resolved our differences and he pleaded that I should forgive and forget.
Some of the old PDP worked against the party during the Presidential election, what is your take on this?
I sincerely believed that during the Presidential election, people had their differences against President Goodluck Jonathan, not particularly against Mimiko, because they expected Jonathan to have settled the issue. They expected his Chief of Staff, Arogbofa, who is from the state to settle the crisis. We held about three to four meetings with Mr. President and he never took any cogent decision on what he wanted to be done in Ondo State. That is why I don’t blame the governor because series of meetings were held, and agreement reached that the issue should be resolved. Our leaders in old PDP let us down, and that what why majority people worked against the party. We have corrected our mistakes now and that was why we got a resounding victory in the State assembly poll.
What was the magic behind the party victory in the State Assembly, particularly in the APC strongholds?
It is not longer news that my own northern senatorial district is the stronghold of APC but this time around, we got a victory there because we actually worked for it. In the last Presidential and National Assembly elections we did not win any seat there, but the magic was that we called some of the aggrieved candidates of old PDP together and we held series of meetings with the governor and we pleaded with everybody. At this time now, we can’t leave our party, we need to join hands together and build the party. The governor accepted his blames and he went around to apologise to the people in all the 18 local governments.
Are you saying the Crisis in Ondo PDP is over?
Yes, the crisis is over because those who refused to accept the pleas of the governor have left the party and that means those who are left behind are those who have resolved their differences with the governor. We believed that we should move ahead and work with the governor.
You were a leader of defunct ACN; did you regret leaving the progressive party?
I don’t regret leaving the party because every stages of your life you progress. As a man, you must not regret everything you do in life provided that nobody can point to you and said I made you in life. I don’t take decisions without consulting my people. When I was in LP, I never intended to leave the party because the governor appealed to me when he denied me the ticket but, when I got to my house in Owo, thousands of my followers were already waiting for me and they said all us must go to ACN. I left Ondo State ACN due to the fact that 80 percent of them were not progressives. But the leaders of APC at the national level are excellent. I have worked with them before and they are doing great. Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu is getting closer to the legend of late Obafemi Awolowo in Yorubaland. Governor Rauf Aregbesola is an excellent leader, I have worked with him for about six months and he trained me in politics. These people are doing great in the party but coming to the state level, the people there are very terrible and I said I can’t join them. I can assure you that PDP will start growing as from today and all our leaders who have defected will return back.
It was learnt that you were already contemplating joining APC before Mimiko appealed to you, how true is this?
I never made an attempt to leave PDP, though there were calls from the APC national leaders but I have said it before that I will not leave the party. I don’t want to turn to a political prostitute. Just because PDP lost Presidential election and I should not decamp to APC. I don’t think it is polite. People will start seeing me as unserious politician. I don’t just take decision without proper consultation. I can tell you that if I jump to AA today, my people will follow me and we will develop it.
Do you think PDP will bounce back in South West?
How did Yobe survive; how did Borno survive; how did Lagos State survive when PDP was at the center? We have to look at these things. If they can survive for 16 years that means Ondo and Ekiti can survive. We are looking at what it takes to survive as an opposition. First we must carry our people along. We need to embark on grassroots policies and that is what it takes a state in opposition to survive in situation like. You must be open to the people in whatever you do so that if any election comes up they stick with you. Look at Lagos State, APC remain unshakable because Asiwaju Tinubu does not neglect them. He embarked on a lot of grassroots politics and it will be so difficult for any other party to take over the state and that is what we are going to do in Ondo State. I can tell you that it will be very hard for any party to take over Ondo state with people like us still in PDP.
