Nigerians will reject APC in 2019 with or without Buhari —Osun ex-Speaker, Adejare Bello
https://gistzzone.blogspot.com/2017/02/nigerians-will-reject-apc-in-2019-with.html
A former Speaker of the Osun
State House of Assembly, Right Honourable Adejare Bello was in the
legislative arm of government serving 12 unbroken years as the Minority
Leader and Speaker, working with all the governors of the state from
1999. In this interview with DARE ADEKANMBI, the governorship hopeful
boats of PDP’s victory in Osun next year and at the centre in 2019,
among other issues
The takeaway from a summit of the Yoruba Patriots Movement (YPM) which you attended is that the political class in Yorubaland should sing in unison in the 2019 elections. Can this be achieved?
As far as I am concerned, it is quite achievable, provided we allow what was said at the colloquium by the leaders of the race to sink into us as politicians. One, it is not about political parties. We have all agreed that the Yoruba Patriots Movement is a political movement, though all of us can’t go the same way politically. Dr Saka Balogun emphasised that he is still a PDP man; Chief Bisi Akande is a leader in APC; Accord, Labour Party and others are also in the group. I also belong to PDP. In fact, I am a governorship aspirant for Osun State in 2018, God sparing our lives. Even if we can’t belong to a single political party, the point is that when it comes to the Yoruba agenda, we must see ourselves as one.
Chief Akande emphasised the need to pay attention to the Yoruba Language. The Chinese were able to develop because they paid a lot of attention to their language, Mandarin. Wherever they find themselves, they speak Mandarin; this brings about unity. In Yorubaland today, as right noted by one of the speakers, it is a pride that their children can’t speak Yoruba. That is too bad. It should come to a point in this country that it is only Yoruba sons and daughters that can speak the language that will have an added advantage in the scheme of things. I can bet this with anybody. I told my children this too that they should not jettison Yoruba Language.
As some people have speculated, do you see the coming together of Yoruba political leaders as a result of the perceived marginalisation of the race in national governance, particularly the Yoruba leaders who stood by President Muhammadu Buhari in the 2015 elections?
Yes. I think one and a half years into the current administration of Buhari, those who assisted him to be president from Yorubaland have found themselves at the door, keeping the gates for them. So, they realised this and thought of coming together with other Yoruba sons and daughters so that all of us can work in concert as a nation. I think I agree with them. The Yoruba leaders were at the centre of the merger that produced APC, especially people like Senator Bola Tinubu; Chief Akande and others. Maybe they now see us as not too big a race when it comes to voting strength. But if we put ourselves together, they will not be able to ride roughshod over us.
You are running for governor on the platform of PDP, a party many consider a dead party in view of the crises bedeviling it from national to state level…
Let me assure that PDP will govern Osun in 2018 and then Nigeria in 2019. Go and write it somewhere in your diary. I am not a stupid man. As difficult as it is today to find money, I can’t be stupid and be throwing my money all about on something I don’t believe in. By profession, I am a lawyer. I was in the House of Assembly for 12 years. I was Minority Leader for four years and presided over the Assembly for eight years. So, I am not a stupid man.
What God told me is that there will be a storm before power will come back to my state with PDP in government before it will happen at the national level. The storm will shake so many things and God will re-order the political landscape in our favour. There are people up there politically who should be down and vice versa. God wants to raise those who are down to the great heights they deserve. Members of PDP throughout the country should not lose hope. Next year, PDP will take over Osun.
As God revealed to me, I have started seeing how the prophecy will be fulfilled. It was reported by your newspaper that former President Goodluck Jonathan visited former President Olusegun Obasanjo. What I know as a matter of fact is that very soon, people will be coming on board to join PDP, right from June, this year.
Are you saying all the crises in the party will have been completely resolved by that time, including in Osun?
I can assure you that they will be resolved. What is causing problem in my state is that the national organ of the party is still spilt into Markafi-Modu Sheriff factions. The moment the right group is recognised, the crises will be over down the line. We are not going to dump PDP for any party.
Is former President Obasanjo among the people that will re-join PDP in June as you hinted?
You will begin to see the signals by June. Did you notice that Baba Obasanjo denied recently that he personally did not tear his PDP membership card? He said he removed the card from his pocket and gave to his ward chairman who tore it. So, let us concede to Baba that he didn’t tear his PDP membership card, but he consented to the tearing of the card. Just watch out what will happen from June this year.
Have we ever seen before now the kind of turbulence we experience in the economy of the country today? It has never been so bad. These APC people in government don’t know how to do it and they must leave. I can bet it with my life, APC will not return in 2019. Whether they field Buhari or any other person, you won’t see them again. Can you mention a single item that has not doubled in price in the last one and a half years they have taken over? At the time Jonathan was leaving, a bag of rice was sold for N7, 000. Today, it is between N19, 000 and N20, 000. A US dollar exchanged for less than N200 during the Jonathan years. Today, it is N498. Nigerians committed a great error by voting for APC in 2015 because they said they were tired of PDP’s 16 years. Now that they have experienced governance under PDP and APC, they have discovered that the worst year of PDP is far better than what APC has given them.
Some leaders of your party have raised the alarm that the current government is intolerant of opposition and may be working towards ensuring there is no opposition to its rule…
What happened in The Gambia has shown that no leader can perpetuate himself in power after he has been rejected by the citizens at the ballot. The moment APC loses in 2019, it must vacate power and office immediately. Jonathan called GodsdayOrubebe who was creating a scene at the collation centre in Abuja to sheath his sword. Whoever wants to truncate democracy in Nigeria will meet stiff opposition from within and outside the country.
What about the Independenty Electroal Commission (INEC)?
We don’t have confidence in INEC. But the rejection APC will get at the polls in 2019 will be too glaring for them to attempt to rig. Out of 14 million votes received by Buhari, the North-West region, with seven states, gave him 7.6 million votes, a little above half of the 14 million votes. Kano State alone gave 1.9 million. In 2019, PDP is presenting a Hausa man from the North-West or so and they will share the votes, while we will hold the South-South, South-East and the South-West. Who will carry the day? It is a very straightforward calculation. There is nothing APC can do about it.
If you are elected Osun governor, you will be inheriting a burden of debt. Are you not scared of that?
Can I say because the current governor has plunged the state into a huge debt, therefore everybody should run away? Where do we run to? Somebody somewhere must be ready to salvage the situation. For seven and a half years under Governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola, we were able to run the state prudently. I was the Speaker for eight years. We ran the state so well that its economy was very buoyant. This government came and squandered everything. This is why we are coming in 2018 to rescue the state and put it on the right track for the citizens to enjoy a new lease of life. The debt may take 16 to 20 years to pay, but somebody must come on board to re-do the foundations to growth, greatness and development.
You will be slugging it out with people like Senator Iyiola Omisore and Senator Isiaka Adeleke from APC among others. How will you emerge?
I am confident that I will be PDP’s candidate because I have the experience and educational qualification. I was part of the government of Oyinlola for seven and a half years; six months witn Rauf Aregbesola; and another four years with Chie Bisi Akande, all in the same state. I have come a long way and I know the state inside out. I know the way to do it and bring joy to the faces of the masses.
Is it the turn of your senatorial district?
Exactly and that is also to my advantage. It is the turn of Osun West District Osun Central did it for four years under Chief Akande. Oyinlola did almost eight years also from Central. From Osun East, where Aregbesola hails from, they are on their eight years too. Equity and justice demand that it is the turn of Osun West where I hail from.
The takeaway from a summit of the Yoruba Patriots Movement (YPM) which you attended is that the political class in Yorubaland should sing in unison in the 2019 elections. Can this be achieved?
As far as I am concerned, it is quite achievable, provided we allow what was said at the colloquium by the leaders of the race to sink into us as politicians. One, it is not about political parties. We have all agreed that the Yoruba Patriots Movement is a political movement, though all of us can’t go the same way politically. Dr Saka Balogun emphasised that he is still a PDP man; Chief Bisi Akande is a leader in APC; Accord, Labour Party and others are also in the group. I also belong to PDP. In fact, I am a governorship aspirant for Osun State in 2018, God sparing our lives. Even if we can’t belong to a single political party, the point is that when it comes to the Yoruba agenda, we must see ourselves as one.
Chief Akande emphasised the need to pay attention to the Yoruba Language. The Chinese were able to develop because they paid a lot of attention to their language, Mandarin. Wherever they find themselves, they speak Mandarin; this brings about unity. In Yorubaland today, as right noted by one of the speakers, it is a pride that their children can’t speak Yoruba. That is too bad. It should come to a point in this country that it is only Yoruba sons and daughters that can speak the language that will have an added advantage in the scheme of things. I can bet this with anybody. I told my children this too that they should not jettison Yoruba Language.
As some people have speculated, do you see the coming together of Yoruba political leaders as a result of the perceived marginalisation of the race in national governance, particularly the Yoruba leaders who stood by President Muhammadu Buhari in the 2015 elections?
Yes. I think one and a half years into the current administration of Buhari, those who assisted him to be president from Yorubaland have found themselves at the door, keeping the gates for them. So, they realised this and thought of coming together with other Yoruba sons and daughters so that all of us can work in concert as a nation. I think I agree with them. The Yoruba leaders were at the centre of the merger that produced APC, especially people like Senator Bola Tinubu; Chief Akande and others. Maybe they now see us as not too big a race when it comes to voting strength. But if we put ourselves together, they will not be able to ride roughshod over us.
You are running for governor on the platform of PDP, a party many consider a dead party in view of the crises bedeviling it from national to state level…
Let me assure that PDP will govern Osun in 2018 and then Nigeria in 2019. Go and write it somewhere in your diary. I am not a stupid man. As difficult as it is today to find money, I can’t be stupid and be throwing my money all about on something I don’t believe in. By profession, I am a lawyer. I was in the House of Assembly for 12 years. I was Minority Leader for four years and presided over the Assembly for eight years. So, I am not a stupid man.
What God told me is that there will be a storm before power will come back to my state with PDP in government before it will happen at the national level. The storm will shake so many things and God will re-order the political landscape in our favour. There are people up there politically who should be down and vice versa. God wants to raise those who are down to the great heights they deserve. Members of PDP throughout the country should not lose hope. Next year, PDP will take over Osun.
As God revealed to me, I have started seeing how the prophecy will be fulfilled. It was reported by your newspaper that former President Goodluck Jonathan visited former President Olusegun Obasanjo. What I know as a matter of fact is that very soon, people will be coming on board to join PDP, right from June, this year.
Are you saying all the crises in the party will have been completely resolved by that time, including in Osun?
I can assure you that they will be resolved. What is causing problem in my state is that the national organ of the party is still spilt into Markafi-Modu Sheriff factions. The moment the right group is recognised, the crises will be over down the line. We are not going to dump PDP for any party.
Is former President Obasanjo among the people that will re-join PDP in June as you hinted?
You will begin to see the signals by June. Did you notice that Baba Obasanjo denied recently that he personally did not tear his PDP membership card? He said he removed the card from his pocket and gave to his ward chairman who tore it. So, let us concede to Baba that he didn’t tear his PDP membership card, but he consented to the tearing of the card. Just watch out what will happen from June this year.
Have we ever seen before now the kind of turbulence we experience in the economy of the country today? It has never been so bad. These APC people in government don’t know how to do it and they must leave. I can bet it with my life, APC will not return in 2019. Whether they field Buhari or any other person, you won’t see them again. Can you mention a single item that has not doubled in price in the last one and a half years they have taken over? At the time Jonathan was leaving, a bag of rice was sold for N7, 000. Today, it is between N19, 000 and N20, 000. A US dollar exchanged for less than N200 during the Jonathan years. Today, it is N498. Nigerians committed a great error by voting for APC in 2015 because they said they were tired of PDP’s 16 years. Now that they have experienced governance under PDP and APC, they have discovered that the worst year of PDP is far better than what APC has given them.
Some leaders of your party have raised the alarm that the current government is intolerant of opposition and may be working towards ensuring there is no opposition to its rule…
What happened in The Gambia has shown that no leader can perpetuate himself in power after he has been rejected by the citizens at the ballot. The moment APC loses in 2019, it must vacate power and office immediately. Jonathan called GodsdayOrubebe who was creating a scene at the collation centre in Abuja to sheath his sword. Whoever wants to truncate democracy in Nigeria will meet stiff opposition from within and outside the country.
What about the Independenty Electroal Commission (INEC)?
We don’t have confidence in INEC. But the rejection APC will get at the polls in 2019 will be too glaring for them to attempt to rig. Out of 14 million votes received by Buhari, the North-West region, with seven states, gave him 7.6 million votes, a little above half of the 14 million votes. Kano State alone gave 1.9 million. In 2019, PDP is presenting a Hausa man from the North-West or so and they will share the votes, while we will hold the South-South, South-East and the South-West. Who will carry the day? It is a very straightforward calculation. There is nothing APC can do about it.
If you are elected Osun governor, you will be inheriting a burden of debt. Are you not scared of that?
Can I say because the current governor has plunged the state into a huge debt, therefore everybody should run away? Where do we run to? Somebody somewhere must be ready to salvage the situation. For seven and a half years under Governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola, we were able to run the state prudently. I was the Speaker for eight years. We ran the state so well that its economy was very buoyant. This government came and squandered everything. This is why we are coming in 2018 to rescue the state and put it on the right track for the citizens to enjoy a new lease of life. The debt may take 16 to 20 years to pay, but somebody must come on board to re-do the foundations to growth, greatness and development.
You will be slugging it out with people like Senator Iyiola Omisore and Senator Isiaka Adeleke from APC among others. How will you emerge?
I am confident that I will be PDP’s candidate because I have the experience and educational qualification. I was part of the government of Oyinlola for seven and a half years; six months witn Rauf Aregbesola; and another four years with Chie Bisi Akande, all in the same state. I have come a long way and I know the state inside out. I know the way to do it and bring joy to the faces of the masses.
Is it the turn of your senatorial district?
Exactly and that is also to my advantage. It is the turn of Osun West District Osun Central did it for four years under Chief Akande. Oyinlola did almost eight years also from Central. From Osun East, where Aregbesola hails from, they are on their eight years too. Equity and justice demand that it is the turn of Osun West where I hail from.
