Alhaji Azeem Gbolarunmi
Ousted deputy governor of Oyo
State, Alhaji Azeem Gbolarunmi,
recently spoke to journalists on his
relationship with the late prominent
Ibadan politician, Alhaji Lamidi
Adedibu, the crisis in the state
chapter of the Peoples Democratic
Party and his 2015 governorship
ambition. Ademola Adeyemo was
there. Excerpts:
What do you think of politics in Oyo
State without your mentor, late Alhaji
Lamidi Adedibu?
It has been a bit difficult because we are
still missing him. When he was around,
Adedibu was a centre figure in Oyo and
Nigerian politics. He was my father,
mentor and everything. I belonged to his
camp. It has not been easy since his
demise; things have been difficult for
Oyo State PDP.
If he was around, things would not
have been like this for PDP. He was a
rallying figure, a mobiliser, a strategist,
father, leader and everything politics.
Everybody respected him. Now after his
exit, things fell apart. Everybody wants
to be leader and nobody wants to be a
follower. Even a councilor in the party
will tell you that he is also qualified to
lead the party. The political terrain has
not been all that easy in Oyo since the
exit of Adedibu, but I know things will
get better. It is just a matter of time;
water will find its level.
We don’t have anybody now that can
step into his shoes. He had his own
uniqueness and style and I doubt if
there is anybody who can step into his
shoes. Adedibu trained many people in
politics; he made many people in politics.
He also sponsored many people into high
posts such as governors, senators, House
members and so many political posts. He
made me a deputy governor and he was
like a father to me. I will always miss
him.
But it appears the Adedibu political
camp is now in shambles. There is no
cohesion, no unity of purpose again.
What is the situation now?
Yes, like I said earlier, everybody wants
to be a leader and you know if there are
many captains in a ship, it will run
aground. But the situation is not
hopeless, there is a concerted effort going
on to reinvigorate the camp. At the
appropriate time, we will unfold our
plan. We are one big political family and
we are going to remain one. I can assure
you that you will soon see us together
again.
What really is the problem with PDP in
Oyo State? The crisis seems intractable.
No, it is not insurmountable. We should
expect that! We are talking about the
largest party in Africa here, so we are
bound to disagree and agree; we cannot
run away from internal conflict within
the family. But I can assure you that
when the time comes, we will be back
together in the interest of the party.
Plans have reached an advanced stage
and very soon, you will see a united PDP
in Oyo State again. We have learnt our
lessons that there is nothing good in
crisis.
However, it should be noted that we did
not lose all the states through election,
but lost Ekiti and Osun to judicial
pronouncements and verdicts. We lost
Oyo state because of the internal
bickering in the party and we defeated
ourselves. The then governor stepped on
many toes and we paid for it. Also, the
former governor stepped on many shoes
and that affected our performance.
However, we are now ready to regain
our lost glory in the state.
Are you sure you’ve learnt any lesson?
Yes, l thinks so. As soon as we are able
to fix the problem of who will be our
leader, all other things will fall in place.
We know why and how we lost the
state to ACN and we are ready to make
amends. The problem we had in the past
was that some people wanted to be the
leader of the party and at the same
time, the leader of government and the
two cannot go together. You cannot
combine the two.
For instance, if you are the governor of
the state, you should be able to leave the
leadership of the party for another
leader. In the past, some people were the
governors and the leaders of the party
and whatever they said was final. That
is not democracy. If you concentrate too
much power in a human being, there is
the tendency for that person to be
autocratic. You cannot be the alpha and
omega of the party; you need to consult
others and carry everybody along. We
have to leave the operation of the party
to the grassroots people who know
everybody and their contributions.
Is it appropriate to then say that lack of
internal democracy in PDP was
responsible for losing the South-west
states?
No, it was beyond that. If there is a
party that has internal democracy today
within its fold, it is the PDP. Go and do
your research. We lost those states
particularly Oyo because of the internal
wrangling among us and nobody
wanted to see things from other person’s
perspective. We told the former governor
to leave the grassroots to the leaders
and not to impose candidates on them,
but he turned down the advice.
So we had a situation where some
members disrespected their wards and
local government leaders and ran to
Government House to obtain tickets. So,
we had a lot of impositions which bred
misgivings and protests and things fell
apart and the centre could not hold. As
far as I am concerned, we have learnt
our lessons. Former governor Alao-Akala
did well to the best of my knowledge. To
be honest, the people of the state like
Alao-Akala and he did his best. But it
was a different ball game at the party
level; some grassroots leader felt he did
not carry them along at the end of the
day and we all paid for it.
Do you feel that the South-west is
marginalised in the political
arrangement in Nigeria?
I am not comfortable with the position of
the South-west in the nation’s politics
now and I want to appeal to our leaders
to urgently address this issue. The fact is
that we are marginalized; there is no
two way about it and it can be
corrected.
As a grassroots politician, do you
support the scrapping of local
government councils?
No, local government councils are very
important and they play significant roles
in ensuring the deliverance of the
dividends of democracy to the grassroots.
They are the closest governments to the
people. Instead of scrapping them, they
should be strengthened financially.
What about granting them autonomy?
In my own candid view, autonomy
should not be given to the local
government. The reason is simple: it will
be abused. They have been given
autonomy before but it did not work. It
was abused. That was during
Babangida’s regime. It cannot work
because there will be clash of interests.
In a state, where there are many local
governments, there will be no checks
and balances which is the hallmark of
governance. If a particular council
belongs to another political party, it will
not be easy at all.
As a former deputy governor, what is
your political plan for 2015?
My political future is in the hands of
God and I will continue to follow his
dictates and be grateful to him for what
he has done for me. According to a wise
saying, ‘we are but like a pencil in the
hands of God’. However, I am consulting
with my people and whatever direction
we find suitable, we shall follow. I am
not desperate about anything; I am
waiting on God and my people and at
the appropriate time, we will unfold our
plans. One thing that is certain is that I
am in a good stead to serve my people
at any level and I am not over
ambitious. I will listen to God and the
leaders of my party.



www.thisdaylive.com/articles/gbolarumi-adedibu-s-exit-affected-oyo-pdp/138011/?utm_medium=twitter

Death of Adedibu,
Death of Amala Politics.

aise dede ara aye ni o n mu eni ranti ero orun(inconsistency of the living brings the memoir of the death).
Things may not be as bad as this for PDP anyway, but doesn't mean things will be good for them.
Nothing can be compared to peace of mind most especially when there is nobody to finance tokyo, eleweomo and co.