ACN will lose Ogun to PDP if’
MONDAY, 28 MAY 2012 00:00 WRITTEN BY AKINJIDE AKINTOLA 0 COMMENTS

• Awolesi

Prince Hakeem Ariyo Awolesi is an ACN chairmanship aspirant in Odogbolu Local Government of Ogun State who was dropped during the primary exercise to pick the party’s candidate. In this interview with AKINJIDE AKINTOLA, he cries out about the development, lamenting the activities of Senator Ibikunle Amosun Campaign Organisation (SIACO) in sidelining other interest groups in the state warning that if this was not checked, the party will lose to the PPN and the PDP which he said are regrouping to come out. Indeed, he called for the disbandment of SIACO even as he complained of imposition of candidates as well as failure of the Amosun administration to provide infrastructures for the people of the state.

Can you tell us about yourself and how you got involved in politics?

My name is Omoba Akeem Ariyo Awolesi, I hail from Ijebu Ayepe in Odogbolu local government. I’ve been on and off in Nigeria based in United States of America as a Medical Officer. Being involved in humanitarian activities, I’ve been in and out of Nigeria. I contested election into the House of Representatives in 2007 on the platform of DPA (Democratic Peoples Alliance). Initially, my name was removed from the ballot paper. Later, we formed an alliance between DPA, ANPP and AC and the alliance was called Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN). I’m now aspiring to become chairman of Odogbolu local government.

How has your foray been in politics, coming from the U.S. and can you make comparism between there and here?
Nigerian politics is very difficult and the terrain hard and difficult and you cannot just go in as people always call it. You need to know the nooks and corners of the area as well as the who-is-who in your geographical location. It has been difficult but we thank God that we have finally seen the light; we have seen the people to contact and we have talked to people. I, personally, I’m a grassroots person, I believe in grassroots; I believe that the people who are going to give you their mandate, you’ve got to take their case to them; let them know where you stand and what you have for them. That has been my way of politics. I believe in people; I don’t have to answer to any political godfather except the people that elect us into power.

With your involvement so far, what do you think is the bane of politics in Nigeria and how do you think this can be normalised?

If, I may say, I think there is too much money in our politics and maybe we need to have the government to sponsor election campaign expenses from local to federal level. Too much money coming into the parties to garner too much influence; for instance, people like Dangote donating so much money to President Jonathan’s campaign and while the price of cement is going up, you can never see the president saying anything about it. People are suffering, so, what is he going to tell them; these are the people who brought all the money for him; these are the people that sponsored him and there is nothing he can do about it. Until we take the money politics out, without regarding people as who they are; these are the people who are going to vote for us; these are the people we are supposed to be answerable to, not to any other person at all. So, it’s about time, we start doing the people’s work.

Now you are contesting for the chairmanship of your local government on the platform of the ACN, but you have been edged out. Can you tell us what actually happened?

Like I said earlier, three parties came together between 2010 and 2011 before the election, there was an intermarriage between the ACN, DPA and the ANPP in Ogun State which agreed on consensus candidates on who produces the governor so that we can defeat the mighty power of the ruling PDP. We, DPA have a lot of our followers in Odogbolu Local Government and some areas; if you look at the 2007 elections, after PDP, it was the DPA, then ANPP was in Ijebu Ode; everybody has its own strongholds. But DPA was very strong in Ijebu North East, Odogbolu, Ijebu Remo and other areas. So, if we are going to do this election and if we are to be successful, those three parties need to stick together if we are to have internal democracy. The three parties need to sit down and decide on what we need to do to move this state; it’s not for somebody doing it alone saying he has become leader of the party now and he is going to hijacked things. It has been brought to my knowledge that some people who claim to be members of SIACO, (Senator Ibikunle Amosun Campaign Organisation) are going round as those in charge now. Is SIACO a political party or a group? If it is a group, then DPA should have its own; ANPP should have their own; that means we are not even ready. If they still do that while DPA is not having that kind of meeting and ANPP is not having that kind of meeting, I think that SIACO group needs to be scrapped so that we can face PDP as a united group as ACN instead of some people constituting themselves as SIACO and causing disunity within the parties.

So, what is happening now? What actually led to your being edged out in the forthcoming local government polls?

I’m a DPA man, that’s the problem; if you don’t belong to SIACO group, that means you are not loyal enough. I have no intention to disrespect the group, but I refused to give anybody money; I will rather invest that money into achievements, into the schools, into hospitals. Go to our hospital now in Odogbolu, the place is collapsing, the roof is falling down. We called Honourable Remi Hassan, he came over there; but we are still waiting on him for a report on that. Go to Odogbolu Primary school, some of the classrooms are dilapidated, some of them are being abandoned, yet, we are building new ultra modern schools instead of using that money to rebuild the existing ones. These are capital projects that they are embarking on instead of renovating the old and collapsing ones. Things need to change on that. We are supposed to prioritise; we are supposed to put the money on immediate needs; where they are putting the money, we don’t need that right now. What we need right now is what Fashola is doing in Lagos by remodeling the old schools not building new ones which at the end, poor people will not be able to attend; its going to be left for the children of the rich. I think we are not getting our priorities right at all. In hospitals, patients are dying everyday; there is nothing in that hospital, there is no bed, there is absolutely nothing. How then can we say we are in government? When things are going bad; when our people are dying? The people that we are supposed to be taking care of, they are dying in our hands; things need to change and need to change fast. We are given to change, this is not the change that we are asking for. We need something better than this; I believe that the governor will take note of this.

You said you were edged out because you are not a member of SIACO, does it mean that only members of SIACO are being fielded in all the other local governments in the state?

If you look at what happened in Ilaro, there was a protest; Abeokuta South, there was a protest; the same thing we are complaining about, the same thing is going on everywhere. We were supposed to have a meeting last week Saturday; all the principal people and stakeholders were supposed to be there, the governor opted out. How do we move forward if we cannot sit down and fashion out the best way to present the candidates.
I’m not saying we cannot be loyal to anyone, but it’s not the way; let people’s choice prevail. They know their local government; we should allow people to elect whoever they want. So, that he could be held accountable by the people who elected him; but if the imposition comes directly from the top, whom are we going to blame and nothing is being done. Things need to change fast in Ogun State before we lose it to PDP.

Are you saying as things are you might lose to the PDP in the forthcoming polls?

Absolutely yes, I make no bones about it. PDP and PPN are regrouping and they are coming out in full force, if we continue as we are doing now with a divided house, just like what happened to PDP in 2010, it won’t come back to us. So, we are supposed to start rebuilding our house fast now because if we are not careful, this coming election will be a testimony to what I’m saying now.

What is your next line of action now that you have been edged out, are you still within ACN?

I’m a DPA man, I make no bones about it and I’m a full blown ACN member. I will support whom my political leader chose for us; nobody can force me out of this party. We built this party, we put it together to fight PDP and all we want is dividends of democracy for our people. Things are hard, the youth cannot get jobs; people are dying because there is no job for them. So, we need a change and this is not the change that we fought PDP for.

Are you making any appeal to the governor?

I will say the governor should listen to the people. Allow the local governments to bring their own people out; let the people chose whom they want; not by imposition. This is a modern society, imposition is not going to work any longer. We should allow people’s will to be done, that’s all we are asking for. And people need jobs and government cannot create jobs; it’s the private people that are creating jobs, not government; but we are supposed to be creating jobs; we are supposed to be giving them incentives to create more jobs for the people so that we can combat crime. No amount of armoured tanks that you put on the roads, if there is no jobs, there won’t be any security because the devil always finds jobs for idle hands, the jobless. So, we need to do something about it and I believe my people of the Gateway state are good people and they are listening and they will change the course of this state; they would make it one of the best in the entire country with one thing- not doing it alone. Agbajo owo la fi nsoya.

But how do you think you are better than the candidate who emerged in your local government?

I’m the best there is. If you go to our local government, if we line up about 10 people, I will get eight out of them. There is no doubt about it; that’s what they are because of the way I mingle with them. You don’t rule when you stay on top; you infiltrate into the society; you mingle with the traders, Okada riders; you know what their problems are; I’ve been with them, I’ve been to schools, I’ve been to those hospitals, I know they need a facelift, I’ve been to some of the roads and I know that the infrastructure are not in place. So, with me knowing that will put me on the front burner on how to lead my people because I know what their problems are; not somebody who does not even know one thing about one ward.