New Telegraph

Tinubu’s support base stronger in North than South –Oladejo

Mr. Seye Oladejo is the spokesperson of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos State. In this interview, he speaks on the recent defection of some members of the party in the state to the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the presidential ambition of a former governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, among other issues. WALE ELEGBEDE reports

Last week, a former member of your party, Mr. Olajide Adediran, known as Jandor and members of his Lagos4Lagos Group were received into the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) by the party’s National Chairman, Senator Iyorchia Ayu and some PDP governors in Lagos. What is your view on the development?

We regard what happened penultimate Friday as part of festive activities bordering on entertainment towards end of the year and the New Year. It underscores the unseriousness of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). The PDP governors came all the way to Lagos to receive a political non-starter. The same PDP governors that couldn’t stop their colleagues from jumping from their umbrella into the ruling party, All Progressives Congress (APC), came to Lagos for what I would describe as a circus show. They had leaders of PDP who overtime could not even deliver their polling booths boasting that they will win Lagos. They had the likes of the former Senate President, Bukola Saraki, who literally lost deposit during the last elections in Kwara State. For us, what happened was a null event. They said they have the crowd but we are aware of the fact that they rented people. We are aware of the fact that they mobilised people from neighbouring states. We are of the fact that PDP states should be on the lookout to make sure that they are not shortchanged. I want to congratulate the gentleman, the young man, Jide Adediran, who is currently excited that it was a very good payday for him. I am sure he must have made massive profits from the contributions of those PDP governors but for us, we are not losing sleep. It is not in their DNA to win anything and that will not change the political situation in the state regarding the next elections.

During the rally, members of the Lagos4Lagos Movement made a strong statement that they are taking over Lagos politics being decided by just one man. They also said they want to take over and make Lagos work for the indigenes. What is your take on that?

I think they should just wake up from this daylight nightmare. They have been saying the same thing since 1999 about Lagos State being controlled by one man, who has remained invincible for them in their imagination. Democracy doesn’t come better than this. If since 1999, our party has been putting forward candidates that Lagosians find acceptable; who have been building on the achievements of previous governments since the advent of democracy in 1999, I think Lagos can count itself lucky. All these refrains about elections being rigged bothers on lazy excuses from politicians who don’t know their onions. PDP has nothing to offer this state. Let me just assure you that in the coming elections, despite all the challenges of the recent past, Lagos State still remains on the firm grip of APC. It has become an obsession for the likes of Bode George and his co-travelers that anytime the issue is about Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, they wake up and come alive. Bode George has been threatening fire and brimstone that should Asiwaju contest the 2023 presidential election, he would also contest. He has also said that he will go into exile if Asiwaju becomes the president of the country. We are waiting for him and we will remind him of his statements. He has good options to make any way and he could consider relocating to countries like Afghanistan and maybe Burkina Faso that just fell under the rule of the military again.

People have been wondering where Jide Adediran is getting funds to finance his aspiration and there are allegations that some APC top chieftains are backing him financially. How would you react to that?

We also have our suspicion that there could be people within APC sponsoring him. APC is such a wonderful family that the issue that led to the formation somehow continues to be an albatross. A number of strange bedfellows came together to form the party, and this party is supposed to be a progressive but some of them have not really been able to drop their old toga of being retrogressive in their thinking. So, it is not impossible that due to sheer indiscipline on the part of some leaders in the party and maybe due to envy about the leadership of APC in the state that they are really sponsoring the likes of Jandor to rock the boat so to say. But that notwithstanding, we have our suspicion and we know that on the basis of what is on ground, he doesn’t have the resources on his own; that he has sponsors but this will count for nothing. In politics, when someone has sponsors that are baseless, who will not want to identify with you, it doesn’t count for nothing. It is meaningless and that will find out very soon. But I think he has moved a step ahead of his initial sponsors by now sleeping with strangest fellow.

In the next few months, APC will have its primaries and ahead of next year elections, there are lots of people aspiring to run for offices at state and national level. While some are planning to seek re-election for second, third or fourth and even fifth term, some are just contesting for the first time. How do you intend to manage the ambitions of people to prevent implosion in APC?

The implosion in APC is the prayer point of PDP and opposition parties. Let me assure you, in Lagos State, we always have acrimonious primaries for a good reason. This is a winning party; there is no basis for PDP to have acrimonious primaries because they won’t win anything. They will struggle to pick candidates for the various offices because it is certain they are going to lose. So, there is nothing in it for them. The APC ticket in this state is like you pick the ticket and your victory is assured. And from time immemorial, despite acrimonious primaries that always come up, we always put our house together before the elections. We always find the meeting point to reach an understanding and the coming election will not be different. I am sure that is bad news for the opposition. The APC National Leader, Tinubu, few weeks ago visited President Muhammadu Buhari to inform him about his interest in the 2023 presidency but he said that he is still consulting on the matter… It is no longer his decision, it is our decision. It can as well be reported that Asiwaju will contest. He won’t say no to the large majority of people clamouring for him to run for the presidency. It is not in his record to say no to the people.

Lagos is Tinubu’s base, and it is expected that he will be fully supported by the party in the state. Are you expecting that kind of support from other state chapters of the party?

We are excited about Asiwaju’s aspiration. Let me give a background to it. We all come into politics for one ambition or the other, so we should be excited that for once, we have someone who is a willing aspirant. He is not being forced on us and he is not been thrown by circumstances to run for the office of President. So, contrary to what some people would want to pick on, that he said, it is his lifelong ambition, I think that is something we should be happy about. As we speak, we have over 1,800 different groups across the country clamouring for Asiwaju’s candidature; clamouring for him to throw his hat to the ring for the presidential election. Asiwaju is well-grounded and over time he has built a whole of goodwill and bridges across the country and across various ethnic nationalities. Tinubu, overtime, has been man of the people, and maybe, for a very long time, as he said, he knew this day will come, when he will need the various people he has been able to help. People call him different names like kingmaker, godfather, Lion of Bourdillon, which were all creations of the media but he never call himself any of those titles. We just know him as Asiwaju of Lagos, Jagaban Borgu, a former governor of Lagos and one-time senator. So, if at a time like this, when we look at issues bothering on us as a nation, bothering on economy where he is well grounded, bothering on security, education, good healthcare, I think it is the right time for us to have a personality like Tinubu for the presidency. We are very optimistic and it is going to be fun because opposition will have their say but the people will have their way.

One of the fears of the people is that Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and others are also interested in the race. Don’t you think that the number of aspirants from the South-West will affect the zone’s chances during the APC presidential primary?

We are looking at a situation whereby, at the appropriate time, the presidency would be zoned. It is a matter of conscience, morality and principle. It is a matter of a gentleman agreement at the inception of this party that the presidency should come to the South and narrow down to the South-West. Let me just say this, Asiwaju enjoys massive support in the North as we speak. The clamour is even louder in the North than other zones in this country. So, whatever number of aspirants may come from the South-West for the presidency, I don’t think it is going to change anything about our expectations.

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