Ayo Fadaka is the Director of Media and Publicity of the Ondo State Peoples Democratic Party(PDP). In this interview with DAMISI OJO in Akure, the state capital, he speaks on the preparation for the governorship election and other issues.
How is the PDP preparing for the governorhip election in Ondo State?
In the life of our state, this year is very important because of the governorship election that hopefully comes up in October. Political parties, both the serious and the mundane ones, are already getting set for the all-important contest.
In the PDP, we are mindful of our placing and position in the state. We have also taken cognizance of developments in our polity, the new challenges that may confront us and the possible emerging variables that may play a dominant role in the election. I assure you that we are working ahead, confident that all issues will be properly addressed. The fact that you have not seen any of our governorship aspirants running around and heating the polity is a clear manifestation of the control mechanism within the party. Discipline within the party is a strength we hope to use to the maximum in the coming days.
Many of your members have defected to the APC in protest against Governor Olusegun Mimiko’s style. Will that not affect the fortunes of your party to retain power?
I don’t understand what you mean by saying our valuable members have defected to the APC. What I do know is that we lost some and gained others. As some were leaving, many were coming in droves. So, I cannot say that their leaving have had much impact on us. You may wish to ask me, why? Before the elections last year, many left the party for the APC and another set of fifth columnists remained in the fold to sabotage our presidential election efforts; they only decamped after that election. Of course, we lost the presidential elections to the APC. This was not because of their activities, but due to the fact that the electorate had swallowed the deceit that the “change” mantra represented. However, the defining moment for us was the House of Assembly election which we won overwhelmingly. These so-called “valuable” members were defeated flatly in their backyard during that election. Their much-touted relevance, which they claim is their selling point simply did not sell; it was bad market for them and the trend will also continue. Therefore, you will agree with me that the election points to the fact that our party is resourceful and absolutely dynamic, because it demonstrated its ability to reverse an ugly trend and equally its mastery and understanding of the terrain where we play.
Most of the politicians that defected were mere political jobbers in search of filthy lucre they presume will be available to them through their membership of the APC. I wish them luck. I know however that some of our friends who defected to the APC are daily groaning and full of regrets for their hasty action. This is because they still remain outsiders in that party where some “aboriginal” tenets are employed to shut them out or limit their level of participation. Again, I declare that before the election, we will still harvest some, if not all of them as undemocratic actions within APC will drive them back to their political homestead which the PDP represents.
The PDP remains solid in this state and that has not changed. You also allude to the presumption that Governor Mimiko hijacked the party. That is not true; no such thing happened. There are many levels of decision making in the party at all times and in all issues. These many levels play their roles effectively and it is not a case of the Governor, as the leader of the party pronouncing decrees on developments. For every appointment that the Governor made recently, it went through these levels, so it’s erroneous to even think or imagined that Mimiko hijacked the Party, he is too democratically minded to contemplate such action.
There is a rumour that Mimiko has his own candidate for the ticket. Don’t you believe in credible primary where an acceptable candidate will emerge?
There are numerous talk in town about candidates, the most interesting thing is that the APC is the one shouting loudest about Mimiko’s choice amongst the aspirants, this only indicate that they are scared about the fact that our Party will once again trounce them, as we traditionally do, in the forthcoming governorship election.
However it is absolutely necessary to restate the fact that our Party has guidelines and constitutional provisions that guide how our candidates will emerge and we respect the constitution of the Party so much that every provision and clauses that relate to the conduct of the primary election will be obeyed. Ours is a democratic Party that relies absolutely on the desires of its membership and does not have a conclave where anointing is made, thus at the appointed time, the whole world will witness our primary elections and see who emerges as our flag bearer, but I tell you that whoever becomes our candidate is that man who must have transversed the length and breath of the State to sell his candidature to Party members and in whom confidence must have been reposed!
What is your opinion on the proposed local government election in the state?
This State is actually overripe for the conduct of the Local Government election and I thank God that we now have a date for the election. Our Party welcome the development and will as such contest in every Ward and local government. I understand that the APC says it won’t contest the election, no problem, but I belief the Party is merely scared to expose the fact that is is merely a surface Party here in Ondo State and therefore not likely to make a headway in the election. They therefore do not want to expose to their sponsors that they are a bad investment here. That election will certainly be free, typical of elections conducted under PDP governments since the Jonathan era. It is only in APC States that actual results of voting in local governments elections are completely disregarded and conjured results are produced and made to stand. This happened in Lagos under Babatunde Fashola and also in Rivers under Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, but ours won’t be like that as we have credible professionals manning our SIEC, men who will work according to the dictates of their conscience and do only that which is right.
Governor Mimiko too does not breath down on the institutions of state as he allows them to discharge their statutory functions unhindered, therefore if there are people in this APC wishing to contest and they are sure of their popularity and ability to win elections in their wards and local government, let them get out of that party, join another and test their popularity now! It is evil for them to jettison their ambition because a Party is just to timid to test its popularity and acceptability.
How how many aspirants are in the race for the PDP?
We have a number of people that are interested in becoming governor and they are solid characters who are accomplished in every respect. They are men who are of stern characters and discipline in every respect again. It will be wrong for me to tell you their numbers now as I may be shutting out some who may still wish to enter the race. However we have a manageable number and not a motley rowdy crowd others have and the benefit in this is that it will give us an added advantage in managing the Party.
How will you react to the on-going probe of $2.1b arms cash?
Like any well intentioned Nigerian, I have always said that corruption is evil and we are its victims, any action that is geared to exterminate this scourge is laudable, but such actions must be sincere and wholesale. It must not in any manner be selective or enmeshed in propaganda and falsehood. The $2.1billion issue is a propaganda issue, fact of the matter is that this amount represents the entire defense budget for the about six years that Jonathan was President and we all know that in all budgets, there are recurrent and capital issues and if the Buhari government is saying that all this was stolen, it means salaries were not paid to the personnel under the defense ministry, both military and civilian! Isn’t that curious? It is also not out of place that people saddled with responsibilities may sometimes become deviant and not execute their assignments diligently, thereby necessitating this kind of development. It does not mean that it is the Party he belongs to that is responsible for it. The Halliburton matter far outweighs this issue and those responsible for that heist are today me,bears of the APC and government is still silent on it. Corruption is evil and its perpetrators are evil minded, there must be no discrimination in addressing it. I am sure more revelations on corruption will still be unearthed, even the President must be ready to surrender himself for probe when those that directly concern him are mentioned, that is just the required attitude to deal with corruption.
Again I observe that only PDP people, safe for that Isa, have been interdicted for corruption, tried and convicted in the media, while APC people are angels! It is even jocularly said that if you become a member of APC today, your past corruptions are forgiven and this talk is being walked! There is a Jim Nwobodo who was also alleged to have received N500 million, but since he became APC, nothing has happened to him.
It is essential that government get its act together and work for the nation properly, what obtains today is a mere mockery, though not that I expected much, in any case.
