Ondo State will shine again -Adesanya
Omo’ba Abayomi Adesanya is the Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress(APC)in Ondo State.He spoke with DAMISI OJO on the governorship election in the Sunshine State and other partisan issues. Excerpts:
This is election year in Ondo State. What are your expectations?
We are eagerly waiting for the governorship election, as Ondo State is now an ‘election’ state. Governorship elections in Nigeria are now staggered into almost every two years. We believe the present leadership of INEC will not be biased, but will conduct a credible election in the state, making it difficult or almost impossible for any desperate politician to inject names into the voters’ register. The reality is that the Mimiko led LP/PDP government in the state is a spent force that has expended all its ‘maradonic’ cards and tricks. The people are tired of governor Mimiko-led government known to be deceitful and corrupt to mention but a few. There are lots of consultations going on at the moment among our party leaders and other leaders, which will eventually culminate in mass exodus from within Ondo PDP to the APC. This will further weaken the political structure of the already bartered image of the ruling PDP in Ondo State. So, our preparations are in top gear and we are battle ready for the election. It will amaze you to know that we have set in motion on internal mechanism to forestall rancour and to conduct a free and fair primary election ahead of the people oriented gubernatorial election. Once we get it right at the primary election, then, we are good to go.
The APC is parading no fewer than 205 aspirants. What is the implication of this?
Implication? It has none. That is the beauty of democracy. It shows that our party has prospects and it is a party to beat, where progressive minded people can realise their visions and dreams. No one will want to invest his/her time and hard earned resources in a venture or project that is dead or in comatose on arrival and ready for final funeral like PDP in Ondo State. That means you already know the result from the beginning.
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APC will conduct free, fair, transparent and credible primary election in Ondo state. So, our highly esteemed aspirants have nothing to fear. I can only urge them not to embark on hate campaigns in the interest of our great party and the larger interest of the good people of Ondo state that are yearning for change. The people are already looking up to us as the best alternative to unseat the Mimiko’s anti-people’s LP/PDP led party in the state.
There are groups and factions within the party, which may be inimical to the success of the party. How will the unity come?
No! no! no! there are no factions in Ondo state APC. That insinuation is not correct! We are not polarized. We do not have that in our party. We are structured on ideology and principle, centered on selfless services to the people of the state and members of our party. The caliber of individuals we parade in our party are principled and highly successful in their various fields of endeavor. So, I believe no one is pursuing personal agenda that could factionalize the party. Though, there are interest groups in Ondo APC and grouping is one of the ingredients of democracy and politics. But, they must have common goals, aims and objectives in consonance with the party’s policies and constituition. We must not allow groups to degenerate into factions. So, in Ondo APC, we are more united than ever.
What about those prominent PDP members that have defected to the APC? Won’t they rock the boat and bring misfortune to the party?
Sincerely speaking, majority of those who defected to our party from the PDP are progressive minded personalities, who we believe will add values to the party. Don’t forget that our party’s constituition is clear as regards the rules governing its operations. The people you are talking about are aware of the rules. We believe they cannot bring misfortune to the party like Governor Olusegun Mimiko who destroys every political parties he joins. During Adefarati, he destroyed AD for PDP and later destroyed PDP for LP during Agagu’s regime. But, Ondo PDP was able to survive his tsunami then, because of the Presidential umbrella of PDP at the centre. Now, Governor Mimiko is back in PDP, with deadly political virus, ‘Ebola’, the party is faced with massive defeat experienced in the south west that he coordinated for the 2015 presidential election. As if that is not enough, since he emerged the PDP Governors forum chair, the party has been jumping from one frying pan to another fire and one crisis leading to another.
I can assure you, mark my words, PDP will cease to exist by 2019 general elections because the corruption that brought them together, which was the bane of Nigeria’s problems, will soon be completely uprooted by Buhari’s people’s government. PDP cannot survive without corruption. The Party is corruption personified.
What should people and APC supporters be expecting from the primary election?
Members of our party should expect a rancour-free exercise. Our party has the record of conducting the most credible Presidential primary election in the political history of Nigeria. That was when the Party (APC) had won the Presidential election. We will domesticate this template in Ondo State. Unlike PDP who endorsed Goodluck Jonathan as their sole Presidential candidate, shut doors against other aspirants. I remembered I wrote a press release titled “Jonathan Endorsement, Glorification Of Failure”. Same thing will replicate itself in Ondo PDP.
The good people of Ondo should be expecting good governance from our party. We won’t just sit in the Government House and take decisions for the people. We shall plan with the people and execute developmental projects for the people. The APC will run a transparent government in Ondo State. It is criminal when a Governor hides the finances of the State from the people. Our party will not engage in such act. And the government of APC in Ondo State will implement the manifestos of the party on education, health, security, human empowerment and others. ?By the time we take over government, our prime focus shall be to develop infrastructures, agricultural sector, revive all ailing industries and put the Sunshine State back on the path of sustainable development.
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