enator Adeseye Ogunlewe, a former Minister of Works, in this exclusive interview with TEMIDAYO AKINSUYI, speaks on how the South- West can get its acts together ahead of the 2023 presidential election. He also speaks on why he is yet to formally defect to the All Progressives Congress (APC). Excerpts:

Is it true you said Asiwaju Bola Tinubu should pettish his presidential ambition in 2023 because the Northerners will betray him and he may end up like the late MKO Abiola?

How can I say that about Tinubu? He is the most prominent Yoruba person that has paid his dues and is knowledgeable about the politics of Nigeria. I am confident he can lead Nigeria well if he becomes President. All these people are enemies of progress. How can I say that the North will deny Tinubu and he will end up like MKO Abiola. Hasn’t he done more than MKO Abiola? Hasn’t he done more than Awolowo? Maybe not in terms of performance but he has more in terms of skills, wisdom. Look at the way he has been able to cover all parts of Nigeria. Look at the number of people he has been able to promote from nothing to be governors, ministers and even Vice-President:.

Believe it or not, whether you like him or you don’t like him, you must give him credit for all he has achieved. In Nigeria today, he is a case study. All those saying negative things are not knowledgeable about politics. If you are knowledgeable about politics, you should know that you cannot remove the man’s achievements from him. You have people who endowed in political skills today and he is one of them. Whether you like him or you don’t like him; that is what God has made him. Let us see the value he can add to governance in Nigeria instead of being negative at all times. You that is negative-minded about Tinubu, what have you achieved politically? All we are interested in degrading people to make sure they are brought down. But look at how many hurdles this man has crossed and he has succeeded and out skill everybody. That is my own position. Anybody that is saying anything else is just unreasonable. Let us accept the superiority of the man.

Some northern elders have been saying the North will retain power beyond 2023. Don’t you see that as a threat to Tinubu’s ambition?

Let us wait and see what happens. Let the man come back home and solidify the South-West votes. The South-West can produce 20 million votes if we all work together and if we are serious about it. Is it not votes? Why the Northern elders are saying all these is because their people vote. They don’t joke with votes during election. Only 17 percent of South- West people voted in the last election while the North had 34 percent. We are targeting 60 percent votes in the 2023 elections and we are going to be prepared for it. That is the way to be scientific in any political argument. Anything they are saying in the North is because of their voting strength. What is our own arrangement here? When they were talking of collection of voters’ cards, people who were in Boko-Haram ravaged – territories in the North- East collected their voters cards more than us here in the South. Rather than go out and enlighten people on the need to collect their cards, our own is to pull people down. My own is, the South- West has enough votes to win the 2023 presidential election if we are serious. Lagos state alone can give five million votes if we are serious. Most of the northerners are here now riding okada (commercial motorcycles) and keke marwa (tricycles). Why can’t we arrange them and make them vote for us because they are living here, survive here and making their daily living here. Take it or leave it. We are the leaders in this nation. Why do you think everybody is coming here? It is when you get to the South- West that you prosper. That is the advantage a Yoruba person should talk about, not negative things. Let’s be positive and do the voting. In this country, Lagos state was paying the salary of the people in Borno state. We are giving them staff. The Solicitor-General was from Lagos state. So, I will implore all our leaders to come back home and present a united front. If the northerners are bragging about retaining power, it is because of their voting strength. We should ask ourselves ‘How can the South-West generate 20 million votes?’ That should be our focus and masterplan.

Do you think Tinubu should reach to everyone in the South- West, irrespective of political parties so as to present a united front?

My own is in two stages. The first is what I have just said. The South- West must be ready to vote. What do we do to be ready? All of us must sit down and assess our voting strengths in the last election. Why didn’t our people come out to vote? When we did the registration, we had 16 million people, but only 3.5 million people voted. That is less than 17 percent. That is what should be our focus now. Why are our people not coming out to vote? If you go to Kano, Katsina, Kaduna, look at their women trooping out to vote. Look at their children queuing up to vote. Here, we see our children playing football on election day. Here, we will say bar some young people from registering because they are under-aged, in the North, they allow everybody to register and they vote. So, why are we being pious? Let our own children too register and vote. We must match them skill by skill, method by method. That is my position on that.

The Lagos PDP has said that you are a mole and there is evidence that you have been collecting money from Tinubu. Is that why you are supporting him?

Who is complaining? Is it Tinubu that has been complaining? Some people have been saying I have been collecting money from Tinubu, a man I have not set my eyes on for the past five years? Is Adegbola Dominic a human being? That one is a Togolese. He is not a Nigerian but a refugee. I don’t have his time. In 2010, Honourable Gbenga Oshin won in my constituency, Ikorodu constituency 2 for Lagos State House of Assembly. How can I campaign for PDP and won election yet I am getting money from Bola Tinubu? Let them show us the results of their polling booth. It is by the results that you get that we will know if you are a member of a political party or not. How can somebody who won an election a mole? So, show us your results so we can know who the real mole is.

Are you still joining the APC as you said few months back?

I have joined APC five months ago.

Why was the declaration not made public?

No. I am not the type of politician who will go and collect money from anybody because I want to join their party. I want my people to register. When we register 20,000 members, that is when we can decamp officially. If you expect to give people money to decamp, the next day, they will go back to their party or you see them fighting on the road for the money. We have started registering. Go to APC office in ACME road and see our register. In Lagos Mainland alone yesterday, we registered over 500 members. It is when we get about 20,000 registered members, that is when we decamp.
https://www.independent.ng/i-didnt-join-apc-because-of-monetary-benefit-ogunlewe/

why did you even join politics in the first place

The story long sha.......his motives aint clear enough.

This is Nigeria... Anything goes

Really? Think he's talking to kids

And how is that our business?

nairavsdollars:
enator Adeseye Ogunlewe, a former Minister of Works, in this exclusive interview with TEMIDAYO AKINSUYI, speaks on how the South- West can get its acts together ahead of the 2023 presidential election. He also speaks on why he is yet to formally defect to the All Progressives Congress (APC). Excerpts:

Is it true you said Asiwaju Bola Tinubu should pettish his presidential ambition in 2023 because the Northerners will betray him and he may end up like the late MKO Abiola?

How can I say that about Tinubu? He is the most prominent Yoruba person that has paid his dues and is knowledgeable about the politics of Nigeria. I am confident he can lead Nigeria well if he becomes President. All these people are enemies of progress. How can I say that the North will deny Tinubu and he will end up like MKO Abiola. Hasn’t he done more than MKO Abiola? Hasn’t he done more than Awolowo? Maybe not in terms of performance but he has more in terms of skills, wisdom. Look at the way he has been able to cover all parts of Nigeria. Look at the number of people he has been able to promote from nothing to be governors, ministers and even Vice-President:.

Believe it or not, whether you like him or you don’t like him, you must give him credit for all he has achieved. In Nigeria today, he is a case study. All those saying negative things are not knowledgeable about politics. If you are knowledgeable about politics, you should know that you cannot remove the man’s achievements from him. You have people who endowed in political skills today and he is one of them. Whether you like him or you don’t like him; that is what God has made him. Let us see the value he can add to governance in Nigeria instead of being negative at all times. You that is negative-minded about Tinubu, what have you achieved politically? All we are interested in degrading people to make sure they are brought down. But look at how many hurdles this man has crossed and he has succeeded and out skill everybody. That is my own position. Anybody that is saying anything else is just unreasonable. Let us accept the superiority of the man.

Some northern elders have been saying the North will retain power beyond 2023. Don’t you see that as a threat to Tinubu’s ambition?

Let us wait and see what happens. Let the man come back home and solidify the South-West votes. The South-West can produce 20 million votes if we all work together and if we are serious about it. Is it not votes? Why the Northern elders are saying all these is because their people vote. They don’t joke with votes during election. Only 17 percent of South- West people voted in the last election while the North had 34 percent. We are targeting 60 percent votes in the 2023 elections and we are going to be prepared for it. That is the way to be scientific in any political argument. Anything they are saying in the North is because of their voting strength. What is our own arrangement here? When they were talking of collection of voters’ cards, people who were in Boko-Haram ravaged – territories in the North- East collected their voters cards more than us here in the South. Rather than go out and enlighten people on the need to collect their cards, our own is to pull people down. My own is, the South- West has enough votes to win the 2023 presidential election if we are serious. Lagos state alone can give five million votes if we are serious. Most of the northerners are here now riding okada (commercial motorcycles) and keke marwa (tricycles). Why can’t we arrange them and make them vote for us because they are living here, survive here and making their daily living here. Take it or leave it. We are the leaders in this nation. Why do you think everybody is coming here? It is when you get to the South- West that you prosper. That is the advantage a Yoruba person should talk about, not negative things. Let’s be positive and do the voting. In this country, Lagos state was paying the salary of the people in Borno state. We are giving them staff. The Solicitor-General was from Lagos state. So, I will implore all our leaders to come back home and present a united front. If the northerners are bragging about retaining power, it is because of their voting strength. We should ask ourselves ‘How can the South-West generate 20 million votes?’ That should be our focus and masterplan.

Do you think Tinubu should reach to everyone in the South- West, irrespective of political parties so as to present a united front?

My own is in two stages. The first is what I have just said. The South- West must be ready to vote. What do we do to be ready? All of us must sit down and assess our voting strengths in the last election. Why didn’t our people come out to vote? When we did the registration, we had 16 million people, but only 3.5 million people voted. That is less than 17 percent. That is what should be our focus now. Why are our people not coming out to vote? If you go to Kano, Katsina, Kaduna, look at their women trooping out to vote. Look at their children queuing up to vote. Here, we see our children playing football on election day. Here, we will say bar some young people from registering because they are under-aged, in the North, they allow everybody to register and they vote. So, why are we being pious? Let our own children too register and vote. We must match them skill by skill, method by method. That is my position on that.

The Lagos PDP has said that you are a mole and there is evidence that you have been collecting money from Tinubu. Is that why you are supporting him?

Who is complaining? Is it Tinubu that has been complaining? Some people have been saying I have been collecting money from Tinubu, a man I have not set my eyes on for the past five years? Is Adegbola Dominic a human being? That one is a Togolese. He is not a Nigerian but a refugee. I don’t have his time. In 2010, Honourable Gbenga Oshin won in my constituency, Ikorodu constituency 2 for Lagos State House of Assembly. How can I campaign for PDP and won election yet I am getting money from Bola Tinubu? Let them show us the results of their polling booth. It is by the results that you get that we will know if you are a member of a political party or not. How can somebody who won an election a mole? So, show us your results so we can know who the real mole is.

Are you still joining the APC as you said few months back?

I have joined APC five months ago.

Why was the declaration not made public?

No. I am not the type of politician who will go and collect money from anybody because I want to join their party. I want my people to register. When we register 20,000 members, that is when we can decamp officially. If you expect to give people money to decamp, the next day, they will go back to their party or you see them fighting on the road for the money. We have started registering. Go to APC office in ACME road and see our register. In Lagos Mainland alone yesterday, we registered over 500 members. It is when we get about 20,000 registered members, that is when we decamp.
https://www.independent.ng/i-didnt-join-apc-because-of-monetary-benefit-ogunlewe/

clueless pdp ex senator, he's now Tinubu spokesman. Your mission to destroy pdp in Lagos State totally will destroy you. You have just started, you will change your move.

What do you expect him to say before?

johnHerba:
He should have joined because of money, or is money not good?