I’ve learnt from my downfall—Alao-Akala

In this interview with OLUFEMI ATOYEBI, a former Governor of Oyo State, Adebayo Alao-Akala, says the victory of Ekiti State Governor-elect, Ayodele Fayose, will change the face of politics in the South-West

Is it true that you are interested in being the governor in Oyo State again?

There is no point hiding my ambition to contest for governorship position in Oyo State come 2015. I will challenge the incumbent Governor Abiola Ajimobi and I am optimistic that the Peoples Democratic Party will displace the All Progressives Congress in the state. At the appropriate time, I will launch my campaign team and declare my intention in public.

Are you aware that some members of Oyo PDP have already made public their ambition to govern the state?

I am aware of everything going on in the party and as for those who have made their intention public, they have the right to do so because they are Nigerians. They can aspire to any position in the country. That is how it should be.

Are you not declaring your intent a bit too late?

In politics, it is not how far but how well. I am not new to the people of the state. They know what I can do. I have been tested by the people. In about five weeks from now, I will come out and address our people. There is no point being in a hurry because it is a familiar track to me. I have done the consultation needed but a political race must be well planned. Forty years ago when I was a young police officer, I was trained to plan well in order to be successful. The training applies to every aspect of life. It’s a lesson I have not forgotten.

What were the things that contributed to your loss in 2011?

I will not like to go back to that after more than three years. It is important to move forward and plan for the future. The past belongs to the past. I have made a lot of research into the past and pieced together vital information that brought failure in 2011. That information will be used to plan ahead.

Is it true that some of your friends and associates betrayed you at the last minute in 2011?

I have learnt lessons from what happened to me. Those friends and associates who betrayed me would have regretted their actions. They will not get at me again. That episode of 2011 will not repeat itself again. Ahead of 2015, my political camp will be reinforced by the lessons learnt from past failure.

Do you think that the PDP still has the structure to return to power in Oyo State?

Our party structure gets stronger every day because we learn from democratic challenges. People who do not like the party do everything to tarnish its image, including linking it with thugs and discrediting its achievements. In Oyo State today, millions of people are crying over the anti-masses policies of the present government. I will not speak for them now. At the appropriate time, the people will decide who they really want to rule them.

But the party lost to its closest rival in the South-West.

Most of the victories they got were through controversial court verdicts. They did not win fairly but that has ended now.

There were no court verdicts in Oyo and Ogun states.

Yes, but that happened as a bandwagon effect of the capturing of Ekiti and Osun states through dubious court verdicts. It provided the basis for them to lie to the people and capture more states. But people have seen it now that they are not ready for governance.

Isn’t the division within Oyo PDP a source of concern to you?

I don’t know about any faction in the PDP. Every party has its own problems because you are dealing with people who came from different social and political backgrounds. Friction is bound to come up. But in the PDP, we have a mechanism in place to deal with these kinds of problems. They have nothing to do with our manifesto and what we plan to achieve for our people.

In 2011, one of the reasons for your loss to Ajimobi was because some senators defected from the PDP and worked against you. Do you see the defection of a federal lawmaker, Femi Lanlehin, from All Progressives Congress to Accord Party as a positive development for the PDP?

Lanlehin is not alone in that respect. Senator Ade Adeseun is leaving the APC for PDP. He is ready to work for us and we are going to welcome him. You will soon hear it from him.

What effect will the victory of PDP governorship candidate, Ayo Fayose, in Ekiti State have on South-West politics?

We should thank God for the conduct of the election and the manner of the victory. It was incontestable. I foresee the same thing in Osun soon and in 2015, in other South-West states. His victory will change things in this region.

With about eight aspirants of the PDP warming up to contest for governorship position in Oyo State, don’t you think that losers could work against the candidate who would emerge?

All aspirants are aware of the fact that only one person will eventually emerge as the party’s governorship candidate. When the man is chosen in the primaries, it is expected that others will rally behind such a candidate in the interest of the party. Two months ago, the new chairman of the party Adamu Mu’azu said the party executive would ensure free and fair primaries ahead of the general election. When you install functional internal democracy in a party, members will comply with instructions and work for the good of the party. I only have a four-year-tenure and that would be enough to stabilise the party and hopefully transfer power to one of the candidates we have now.

Are you not worried that Oyo State, with its size and population, has only one ministerial post presently?

It is the constitutional right of each state to have a minister but the portfolio and number of ministers is the prerogative of the President.

The popular opinion in the countdown to the 2011 election was that you did not enjoy cordial relationship with traditional rulers and some important figures in the state. Have you reconciled with them?

I have always maintained cordial relationship with traditional rulers in the state. As a Yoruba man, I respect all of them. There is nothing to reconcile because I have never disrespected any of them. Fortunately, I am not struggling with any of them because I am not aspiring to become a traditional ruler.

How is the relationship between you and the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi?

It is simply cordial. He is a father to me and like every father, he looks after his children.

What role should traditional rulers play in politics?

Traditional rulers should not play any role in politics. They are our fathers so they should not be partisan.

What kind of relationship do you have with the present Governor Abiola Ajimobi in the state?

I cannot relate with him on state matters because he would not want me to know what he is doing or seek my advice. He wants to remain in power so he would not want to give credit to a rival. He will think within himself that establishing relationship with a rival can lead to his downfall. There is no two ways to it.

The present government has been saying that one of its achievements is bringing back peace to the state unlike what the state experienced when you were governor. What is your comment to this?

If the present government is enjoying peace in the state, it should realise that I started it. The governor is not more of a security person than me. Security is my calling. But sincerely, I do not know the yardstick to measure security in the state now. In my time, I can tell you that there was peace. Today, there are armed robbers everywhere and recently, my driver was killed in my car right in front of my house. How wicked of the killers to have sniffed life out of that young man. Yet, the government of the day says security is its stronghold.

What will you want to do differently if you return as governor?

There is nothing special to do differently. The welfare of the people is very important to me. I will continue to invest in them and make their lives better. Politics is all about putting smiles on the people’s faces. Let them feel that they have someone who is defending their constitutional rights. These are what I did before and I will continue to do it.

Do you think that the recommendations of the National Conference will check security challenges facing the country?

The delegates are not there to discuss security but the future of the country. We are lucky in the South-West because we speak one language. In other parts of the country, almost every village speaks a different language. That is our problem. We will overcome the security challenges.

If I have my way, I will put a check on the federal character policy. Everyone should be able to claim any state in Nigeria. Some people were born outside their roots and they live there until they are adult. But the society still sees people like that as foreigners. They can never aspire to occupy top positions in that state because they are not seen as one of them even if they are the most qualified. Merit should be used in selecting the best person for sensitive positions. Give opportunity to indigenes from all states but merit should be used to place them in top positions.