The Action Congress of Nigeria is not pretending about its plans to snatch Ondo State from the ruling Labour Party in the 2012 elections. According to the party’s spokesman, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the ACN is making good progress on the project adding “we cannot concede any of our traditional states to any party.”
He also affirms that the ex-chairman of the LP, Dr Olaiya Oni was not induced to move over to ACN even as he lists what he claims as the sins of Governor Olusegun Mimiko. Although he agreed there were issues between Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Iroko – Governor Mimiko, such issues are political. Excerpts;

BY LEKE ADESERI, South West Regional Editor

What are the issues between ACN and the Labour Party over Ondo State?

No issue really but the normal rivalry between political parties.

The understanding is that ACN since inception had very high hopes during the governorship elections in Ondo State in 1999 but we did not do as well as we hoped to do which was due to many factors. But we’ve always considered Ondo State as a natural territory for ACN.

In 2007 again, we did not achieve much there but the tide seems to be turning in our favour now. The relentlessness of our party which has positioned itself as a credible opposition in Ondo State coupled with the renewed mobilisation for membership and the success of the party in Lagos, Ekiti, Oyo, Ogun, Edo and Osun once again put a lot of pressure on Ondo State especially when it is the only state in the South West not controlled by ACN. These have added impetus to activities of the party in that state added to the fact that election in Ondo State will not be in 2015 but 2012.

Also the factionatisation and the infighting within the Labour Party has worked to our advantage. We have now received exodus of members from that party which is giving us a lot of opportunity that come 2012 we will get that state.

Was ex-Labour Party chairman, Dr. Olaiya Oni induced to join ACN?
That is not correct. I read the exchange of correspondence between Dr. Olaiya on one hand and the governor and the party on the other. Clearly, Dr. Olaiya’s grouse were many: one – that despite what he had put into making Labour what it was before the election and its subsequent clinching of the governorship of the state, that he had not been compensated in any manner whatsoever. Not even in terms of nominating people into boards or even supporting him as a politician. Also he felt alienated in the scheme of things.

He believed that those who did not sow were reaping the fruits of his labour so I cannot see how anybody can talk of inducement.

The rumbling had been going on for quite a while. He did mention also in his letter that he was not aware of the replication of the support and cooperation the Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu gave Mimiko during the struggle by the governor to reclaim his mandate. He also made it clear that the Asiwaju, especially with his unique position in the Yoruba nation is not responsible for any problem of the South West. I therefore, do not see how anybody can infer inducement from this development.

What are the issues between the Asiwaju and the Ondo State governor?
They are political. The ACN as a party will not fold its arms and say it has conceded Ondo State to another political party. We will continue to seek for the vote of the people.

In ACN, is Dr. Oni assurred that what drove him out of Labour Party will not happen again?

In ACN, we respect leaders and we make them feel very assured.

Apart from not being empowered, Dr. Oni felt he was not being carried along in decision making by the Labour Party and given his unique position as the only state chairman that was able to produce a governor for the party, it is natural for him to have felt he should have been accorded greater respect and relevance by the party.

For example, in our party, when we won only Lagos State in 2007, before Edo, Osun and Ekiti later claimed the mandate, the chairman of ACN, Lagos State occupied a very unique position in the party. In fact, we used to, and we still call him chair of chairs. So there was a reason for Dr. Oni to have expected form of recognition and some reference from the party. Do not forget that the only reason why a Labour Party is still relevant in the scheme of politics in Nigeria today is because it has Ondo State.

Is Dr. Oni automatically a party leader in ACN?
Of course. However, party leader does not mean party chairman. Bola Ahmed Tinubu is a party leader but he is not the chairman in Lagos. You cannot expect a chairman leaving a ruling party to join you to go and queue up. Especially when he is leaving with a large follower-ship. With his experience, network and good will, he ought to be a leader.

Where is ACN in the ‘judicial confusion’ in Nigeria today?
We hear some people say ACN is responsible for the judicial confusion – far from that. When the PDP won the appeal cases in Kebbi, Kogi, Adamawa, Ogun, Oyo against us, heaven did not fall. Nobody made any issue out of them. In case of Osun, ACN had course to challenge what was perceived as inappropriate alliance between the panel and lawyers of PDP.

The issue in the judiciary today has very little to do with the ACN.

Yes, there are petitions against Salami and some judges of Court of Appeal alleging financial inducement in case of Osun and Ekiti but the judicial panels were exonerated because; one – they couldn’t find any evidence of financial inducement nor impropriety against the judges; two – that the evidence relied upon in the petitions – supposedly from MTN – was of a dubious source, so the petitions were thrown out.



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