Ekiti poll has redeemed INEC’s reputation

By Reliable Click

Comrade Jackson Olalekan Ojo is the National Coordinator of Yoruba Youth Alliance (YYA) and member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Osun State. In this interview with CORRESPONDENT, GBENGA FATUROTI, Ojo speaks on the recent governorship election in Ekiti State won by Ayodele Fayose of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the likely effect on the forthcoming governorship election in Osun State, and challenges before Ayo Fayose in Ekiti State. Excerpts…

What is your take on the outcome of Ekiti Governorship Election held recently?

In fact, Ekiti people have spoken, and the exercise appeared transparent and peaceful. It is the best election to be conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in recent times, especially when compared with what happened in Anambra and other places. Ekiti people came out enmasse to cast their votes for their choice in the person of Mr. Ayo Fayose as the next governor of the state after the incumbent Kayode Fayemi. Ayo Fayose should have been cleared of the court cases against him, particularly that case before the EFFC which borders on financial improprieties. All things been equal, Fayose should have been stopped from running but the situation in Nigeria allows corruption to thrive and it becomes one of the determining factors for promotion and recognition. To be frank, Fayose is a grassroots man but without integrity and credibility, but if Ekiti people have expressed their mind that he is the one they want, who am I to say otherwise. He won the election unarguably well and that is democracy. There is nothing anybody can do about it. I believe by now, he must have learnt some lessons and become a changed person. If he failed to turn a new leaf, then it is left to him and people would have themselves to be blamed.

How would you describe the conduct and performances of INEC compared to past exercises?

I think this time around, Professor Attahiru Jega–led INEC has proved a point to Nigerians, that the nation, irrespective of its crises, can still have free, fair and transparent elections. Jega alone should not take the glory but the glory should also go to the entire INEC staff. This was because the Anambra episode was a disgrace, a charade, and undiluted madness and shame for the entire nation. I think the INEC has done this to restore the confidence and credibility in the electoral body by Nigerians.  Though it is not proper to continue praising INEC because moments you start doing that, it may get to their head. My advice to INEC is that it should improve on its shortcomings in future elections. We’re supposed to have advanced beyond this level. We must also commend the security operatives but with some excesses and since we are not in war front, I don’t believe that heavy security is needed in the area as witnessed.

There were insinuations that the Osun Governorship election will follow that of Ekiti as PDP claims it will also take over Osun from APC, what is your take on this?

It is not possible that Osun Governorship Election will toe the line of that of Ekiti State because we are in a different terrain. The two states are quite different and one cannot precisely say that the pattern of election will be the same. And if anybody is thinking in that way, such a person might be wrong or joking. The PDP must not have it at it back of its mind that it can easily take over Osun State the manner it happened in Ekiti State. If PDP believe that it can take over Osun like it did in Ekiti state with Senator Iyiola Omisore as candidate, I seriously sympathize with PDP because it will fail woefully. In fact, Fayose is a grassroots man that commands respect among the youths, the middle aged persons and the elderly but Fayemi claimed and behaving like a modern and reserve person distancing himself from the people. I think he will have to return back to his academic environment to learn more about politics. Another factor that affects the outcome of the election in Ekiti State is that of Opeyemi Bamidele. If Bamidele had secured the APC’s ticket and was eventually given the ticket, it would have been a very decisive electoral battle between PDP and APC. APC would have done better but the autocratic elements within the party chased Opeyemi Bamidele out of the race. Now, let come back to Osun, Aregbesola just like Fayose is also a complete grassroots man; he is tactician and takes politics very seriously. He appeared to be best the best organizer in the southwest at the moment. His administration has performed in the state and even some top notchers of PDP have attested to it. Omisore is rich and there is no doubt about it but he has no electoral values. He has no respect for anybody. He is full blown autocratic leader who respect no opinion of others and anyone who dares to challenge him will be severely dealt with. Some of his genuine followers have the same traits and these are people who cannot win votes in their father compounds. To be honest, how many PDP people in Osun that will truly support Omisore’s course? Some of these electorally valueless supporters of Omisore have once threatened me before for supporting an aspirant of my choice before party’s primary and I looked at them and shook my head. After that time, I decided to re-indoctrinate people and employ strategies to make sure that Omisore fail. When political power is yet to assign to you and you are sentencing people to death in your mind, then the God Almighty that gives power will not allow you to succeed. Let me not waste my time discussing a sure failure called Omisore in Osun, if Ile-Ife becomes a state, Omisore cannot win in such a state. Aregbesola has intimidating performing records that are speaking volume for him. He has performed so very well with meagre resources that is not more than two local government councils in Lagos State and Delta States. They claimed he is not paying salaries and pension as at when due but for a very long time ago, statutory allocation from the federation account has dropped drastically and what is the IGR level of Osun? Instead of the man Aregbesola to sack worker; to reduce work force, he is still maintaining them. Look at the level of works he is doing in the state especially in health sector, education sector, tourism, transportation, infrastructural development among others. Look at security system, as an expert; I give him respect for the peace in the state. But Omisore team is cluelessly believed in unhealthy and baseless propaganda unknowingly fooling themselves. Those that would have given Aregbesola a good fight had been pushed out of PDP before the party primary election.

Looking critically at Ekiti, Fayemi’s administration has raised standard of governance in Ekiti State through performance and infrastructural development; do you think Ayo Fayose’s administration will sustain the tempo?

I have no doubt that Fayose may have turned a new leaf and may improve on Fayemi’s performance. The people of Ekiti have done their part required by the constitution; it is now left for the governor-elect to sustain the tempo he met on ground. Any attempt to do otherwise may be disastrous. I am very sure that there is no excuse for Fayose to be derailed this second chance because Fayemi has set the standard and open up eyes of the Ekiti people. It is even good that both the outgoing and the incoming governors have started working together irrespective of party affiliation.

As a security expert, the heavy deployment of security personnel was said to have negative effect on the turnout of voters, what is your take on this?

There must be reasons for heavy deployment of security operatives into Ekiti State; it may be to forestall breakdown of law and order, but if such step is to be taken at all, there must be proper education about it to people for them to know that it was to maintain peace and orderliness. I think our people should begin to see police presence not as a threat to peace. Police cannot even influence peoples’ voting pattern. I am quite sure that the number of police that will be deployed to Osun in August will double that of Ekiti, but police cannot do anything against the will of the people. Many of our security operatives are very sophisticated, well informed that cannot be pushed around for tokens.

Some chieftains of APC were said to have been arrested and some journalists turned back and barred from coverage of the Ekiti governorship election, what is your take on this as well?

It was reported in the media and I read it but could not authenticate it, and it may be another form of baseless lies to attract sympathy for APC. I believe that the affected people have the right under the law of the land to challenge the abuse of their fundamental human rights. But such an action could be challenged by some overzealous supporters and could leads to a very chaotic situation. Such practice in the future may affect the nurturing of democracy in the country and does not speak well. It is one of the old political fashions that must be stopped in the interest of democracy in the country.

What is your advice to the people of Osun State on the forthcoming governorship election?

I will advise my people in Osun to be careful and vote not against their conscience. Antecedents of the candidates are there speaking volumes and it will be bad for them to be deceived by cup of rice, keg of kerosene and probably N2,000 doing so is like mortgaging the future’ of the younger generation for a token. Let it be known that any other person coming will continue with the on-going projects and not embark on anything that will destroy all the good things we are seen on ground now. Arrogance, arson, killing and all form of criminalities are no longer in vogue anywhere globally.

Members of the Constitutional Conference had advocated for the scrapping of FERMA over inefficiency, do you think the call is justifiable?

There are many ways to it, it depends on how we see it and their performance. In as much as the nation needed agency that will look after our roads, maintain them to make sure that they are motorable and safe for Nigerians, such agency must be provided with adequate funds necessary to do the job. The equipment that it would require and personnel but there are cases where men of the agency are not present or feasible on the bad portion of the roads and even when they are available, the manner of repairing the bad portion of the roads is bad the work will not be completed on good time until such portion of the roads started claiming lives. Another thing is that its ineffectiveness may be due to inadequate of funds and corruption on the part of the personnel of the agency. I want to say that there is need for proper monitoring of the rehabilitation works being done by FERMA so that we can achieve results.