We won’t allow external forces to take over ANN – Samuels

National Chairman of Alliance for New Nigeria (ANN), Dr. Jay Osi Samuels, in this interview, speaks on issues within the party and why it can only get stronger against those who want to reap where they did not sow. TEMITOPE OGUNBANKE reports



There is controversy over the formation of your party, Alliance for New Nigeria (ANN). Can you throw light on how the party was founded and those behind it?

Alliance for New Nigeria (ANN) came about with the meeting of young and patriotic Nigerians, professionals, doctors, engineers, lawyers, among others, who were concerned about the state of decadence of governance in Nigeria and we felt it was right for us to play our role even though most of us have not been involved in politics. We felt that we can’t just sit on the side line and be complaining instead of being part of the process. We were appalled by the state of the nation and the fact that leadership has been left for too long in the hands of career politicians, who are only interested in periodic elections. Besides, we professionals and the so-called technocrats hardly show interest in politics. And when these career politicians get into offices, their actions and inactions always affect us; most times, negatively.

So, a group of us started coming together. We were initially 10 in number, but with time, we expanded with the original founding members of ANN, we are 10 and we cut across all professions and age. The 10 founding members of ANN are myself, Dr Dale Ogunbayo, Dr Nkatachukwu, Victor Odoeme, Aesosa Osaghae, Thompson Nsima, Sunny Famojuro, Adebola Adekoya, Amos Musa and Steven Odesomi. I happen to be one of the oldest among our group at that time. We all played different roles in the formation of the party, but one of the common understanding that we had in the beginning was that ANN will be a party that will belong to no one, a party that every member, whether you are just joining or you have been a member from the very beginning, you can claim to be a member or an owner of the party provided you are a financial member. That was the underlying principle and guideline that set out ANN. So, ANN belongs to every Nigerian that is a financial member of the party, but one thing we are clear about is that we would not allow people with special interests to be involved in the party, whether openly or discretely.

People are asking questions about what led to the current crisis in the party, starting from the August convention?

The crisis or the controversy that we are witnessing in the party right now actually predates the August convention. It actually started last year. The gentleman that I just mentioned his name, Adebola Adekoya, sometime last year, without my knowledge had been making some underground moves, which actually came to the open in January this year. And it all boils down to the fact that he has been laying claims to be the owner and founder of ANN, which was against the tenets and purpose of the party. There was never a time that we said ANN belongs to anybody and if at all ANN was to belong to anybody, I should be the one to be laying claim to own ANN. But ANN belongs to nobody and he has no right to claim ownership of ANN. Along the line, we found out that he was being pushed by some people at the background. They were sponsoring him and making him cause all those troubles. He tried to divide the party, but by the special grace of God, we managed to arrest that process at that time.

However, some of these things were still lingering by the time we did our convention last August. One thing that we didn’t reckon with was that the people, the powerful forces that were behind him were not relenting because what became very obvious was that his own style or the way he went about executing the mission that he was sent was very crude and brash and maybe, they decided to re-strategise and use a more subtle way. But without bragging, I have been responsible for 90 per cent of the funding of ANN. Apart from the financial resources that have been put in place, my time, my everything was involved. I am like a one man battalion running ANN. So, in the lead up to the convention, I was tired, weary and I didn’t think I was ready to continue as chairman.

That was why in the build-up to the convention, when a certain gentleman called Emmanuel Dania came forward and said he wanted to be chairman even though I had some misgivings in the back of my head, I was kind of happy that at least somebody was coming on board to take over from me. That was why I gladly stepped down. But, subsequent events after that have come clear to me that he was actually planted in the party by those same forces with the aim of hijacking the party and that’s what led to the crisis or controversial issues of whether or not we had our primaries. But, by the special grace of God, we have intervened and those things have been arrested and we are moving forward as a party.

Why do you think those forces you talked about wanted to hijack or take control of the party right from the onset?

It is because they have their own agenda. Though I have an idea of what the agenda was, I don’t think I am ready to go public with it at this point.

On the issue of Fela Durotoye, he has been laying claim to the party’s presidential ticket and it was also reported that some members of the Board of Trustee (BoT) upheld the primary that produced him. Who are these BOT members and are they really members of ANN?



Well, we have members of Board of Trustees (BOT), but why I don’t want to join issues is that these are my colleagues and friends, some of them are fellow founders, with whom we started the party together. But why I don’t join issues with the BoT members that has been supporting or issuing press releases in support of Fela Durotoye is because apart from the fact that some of them are supporting Durotoye, some of them are acting in ignorance. Half of the things I know, they don’t know. If they know, they won’t be acting that way

Why don’t you put them in the know?

It’s happening gradually. In fact, as at now, most them that I have spoken with know, but they will not come out open because they know what is right and wrong for the party.

Some people have accused Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim of coming to hijack the party. How would you react to that?

They are acting in ignorance. There is so much false information out there. I think the problem a lot of people have with Olawepo-Hashim is because he was a founding member of PDP and that’s the sword they are dangling on his neck. But, in terms of the ideological perception or belief in ANN, some of these people claiming to be ANN members don’t come anything as close to Olawepo-Hashim in the ideology and belief of a new Nigeria that we are championing in ANN. So, I hope he can handle himself, but I just know that a lot of these complaints are based on ignorance. Our mission as a political party is to provide a level playing ground for any aspirant on our platform, but we needed to build that platform and we needed everybody to play their role. You cannot want to benefit from that platform without doing anything to strengthen it.

In what way has Olawepo-Hashim strengthened the party?

One of the things that make a party strong is people because they say politics is a game of number. You can have all the methodology, but without having the number, you can’t win. Olawepo-Hashim came on board with people from all across the country, strengthening the already existing platforms. Beyond that, he offers valuable advice because most of us are novices in this game. He came with a wealth of experience and knowledge and in that way, we have been able to benefit from his experience and knowledge. More importantly, he has contributed in his own way, financially to support the party. And that is the least that is expected from all our aspirants either governorship, state Assembly or presidential aspirants.



None has ever come to the party and we asked him or her to bring a certain amount of money like other parties do. We welcome them with open hands, but we expect that they should know that the party needs some support in one way or the other and Olawepo-Hashim is one person that understands that. But even at that, as much as I acknowledge that he has supported the party financially; his contribution to the party till date is not even up to 10 per cent of what I as a person have spent to get the party to where it is today. So, that’s why it’s so insulting and annoying when I hear people say outside that Olawepo-Hashim bought the party or that I have been bought. People just talk based on what they hear or rumour they hear.

https://newtelegraphonline.com/2018/10/we-wont-allow-external-forces-to-take-over-ann-samuels/

confused zombies

Like for Baba.

Make all this mumu party dey quit self

Someone who brought out a cock and bull story of N1.3b with no evidence till now to tarnish another aspirant and the party chairman’s image in order to conduct another parallel primaries sure must be a desperate man.

Such a person is devoid of integrity to lead anyone, talkless of rule this country.

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ANNTHONIA party.


Rubbish.

Guide your territory.

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Thought this party was purposely creating controversy to create awareness. Guess they are really sick

I want to buy the party if the asking price is not above #50.000 .
Am trusting the price won't be more than that .

Stale and fake news

No good will come out of APC.
Associating wit APC is associating wit lies, progaganda, confusion &cancelling of promises

These are the people that want to rule us.

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this young guys Neva see 1billion dem don dey cos wahala. if dey now taste ganduje's 5million dollars what will happen

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