Senator Iyiola Omisore served in the Senate between 2003 and 2011. He was the Chairman, Senate Committee on Appropriation in his last term. In this interview with TAIWO ADISA, he declares that the PDP in Osun has lost confidence in the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in the state. Excerpts:
Recently, national leaders of your party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) were on tour of the South-West and they declared that they were not happy that the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) was in control in the zone. What are you, the leaders of the zone, doing about this?
Well, the PDP as a national party is the visible party with high democratic credentials. That is, there is internalisation of democratisation in PDP. From where we were coming from, from the ages of military regime, democracy is being misapplied, misunderstood and misconstrued by some of our members, basically leading to internal bickering, ego- bruising and ego massaging.
On this note, the national leadership went round the zones, starting from the South-West. From our own experience in the zone, we admitted that there were some few areas that we needed to actually reconcile. But most of the issues that were brought to the fore were issues bordering on the last congresses in the states. So, we already asked a committee to look into these. The issues are actually not irreconcilable. They are issues that can be resolved within the party. But Osun State, particularly, is rancour-free. We went for congresses and we have now reconciled ourselves and come out with a formidable party. Other zones have the same semblance of crises here and there but PDP, from experience in the last 13 to 14 years, has an internal mechanism by which it resolves its crisis, to the surprise of onlookers who are looking for the fall of the party.
Well, the PDP as a national party is the visible party with high democratic credentials. That is, there is internalisation of democratisation in PDP. From where we were coming from, from the ages of military regime, democracy is being misapplied, misunderstood and misconstrued by some of our members, basically leading to internal bickering, ego- bruising and ego massaging.
On this note, the national leadership went round the zones, starting from the South-West. From our own experience in the zone, we admitted that there were some few areas that we needed to actually reconcile. But most of the issues that were brought to the fore were issues bordering on the last congresses in the states. So, we already asked a committee to look into these. The issues are actually not irreconcilable. They are issues that can be resolved within the party. But Osun State, particularly, is rancour-free. We went for congresses and we have now reconciled ourselves and come out with a formidable party. Other zones have the same semblance of crises here and there but PDP, from experience in the last 13 to 14 years, has an internal mechanism by which it resolves its crisis, to the surprise of onlookers who are looking for the fall of the party.
You will recall that during the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, there were disagreements, leading to the national convention, but within three or four days, the party leaders came to a consensus. So, those are the things you see with large parties anyway: large parties, large interests, large and big people as well. If you compare this with attempts by the Action Congress of Nigeria, [ACN] and their co-travellers forming the All Progressives Congress (APC), as small as they are, they started with crisis. So, you can just compare this. They are just starting, but they are dead on arrival.
Can you now compare them with a long-standing PDP, with its democratic credentials? That is to show that PDP can stand out as a national party in this country and that it has internal machinery to resolve its matters. So, with the attempts by the ACN and others to form APC, you can now compare, between what has happened to PDP since its inception and their own crisis at infancy. You can also compare the governance of PDP in the South-West and governance of ACN in the zone and you can see what people are complaining about ACN. Violence is the order of the day, attacking people, maiming innocent people and they run to the press to start making noise because they are afraid of their eventual failure.
But the ACN has been accusing the PDP of perpetrating violence?
The point is that if you take a cursory look at this accusation and counter-accusation, where precisely, as journalists in Nigeria, have you seen any PDP person being pointedly accused besides the general accusation? In my state for instance, there was an attempt by ACN supporters to defect to PDP in Atakumosa Local Government about a month ago. A honourable member allegedly physically assaulted these young people. They are in court now.
But the ACN has been accusing the PDP of perpetrating violence?
The point is that if you take a cursory look at this accusation and counter-accusation, where precisely, as journalists in Nigeria, have you seen any PDP person being pointedly accused besides the general accusation? In my state for instance, there was an attempt by ACN supporters to defect to PDP in Atakumosa Local Government about a month ago. A honourable member allegedly physically assaulted these young people. They are in court now.
During the last election, they attacked more than 70 members of the PDP in different parts of the state; the cases are in court. The last straw that broke the camel’s back was the crisis in the house of a lawmaker in Ile-Ife. They fought one another in his house. They now attempted to implicate some PDP stalwarts as culprits. They mentioned one Adebowale Adedotun and Wale Ojo, who are PDP members close to me. These are clear evidence of violence of the ACN’s justice miscarriage. In Ilesa, Ejigbo, Ila, they attacked members of the PDP, hounded them into prison. There is a way they do that: all the suspects would be released in one day or two; the governors would be phoning frantically all over the place. Their plan is to attack PDP. Now they are crying wolf because we know their plans already.
Can you substantiate this?
Before the last National Assembly election in Osun State, the Federal High Court in Osogbo established that Ambassador Akeju, the Osun State Resident Electoral Commissioner, was a card-carrying member of the ACN and by the Nigeria Constitution, he wasn’t eligible to conduct elections. The court gave instruction that he must not be allowed to conduct the election, but Professor Attahiru Jega didn’t abide by the court pronouncement.
Before the last National Assembly election in Osun State, the Federal High Court in Osogbo established that Ambassador Akeju, the Osun State Resident Electoral Commissioner, was a card-carrying member of the ACN and by the Nigeria Constitution, he wasn’t eligible to conduct elections. The court gave instruction that he must not be allowed to conduct the election, but Professor Attahiru Jega didn’t abide by the court pronouncement.
After the election, the court now said anything done by Ambassador Akeju was a nullity. Up till today, Professor Jega is still keeping Akeju in the state. So, we don’t have confidence in INEC in Osun State.
Have you complained to INEC’s national secretariat?
We have written a letter to Professor Jega; we served him the court papers. He should come and tell us why he is keeping Ambassador Akeju in Osun State. This is the third year, even after the election. We are in court now and they are using him to frustrate all the court procedures. So, we don’t know which role Professor Jega is playing in Osun State.
Concerning the REC, have you also petitioned the Presidency?
Petition when there is a court declaration? What is more weighty than a court order? So, what would a petition do when there is a court order? We are in serious crisis in Osun.
Despite this unsavoury picture that you have painted, the ACN is also alleging that it is PDP that is planning to rig. What is your defence?
But you can see the facts, let them come up with their own facts. They had done it before, few years ago and they are planning it now, with their rigging structures on the ground. So, what has PDP done to show that we are planning to rig election? What structures do you have on the ground when the umpire is already biased, when the REC is unqualified? Why should INEC go and appeal against the court judgment instead of removing the man from office? So, what is the interest of Professor Jega in keeping Ambassador Akeju in the state?
What will the PDP do, if INEC continues to retain the REC in Osun State?
I think it is a justification of planning to rig elections by all means. Why should INEC continue to keep him there? They are now buying time through their appeal and the same man will perfect the election materials, the voters register.
How prepared are you for the governorship election?
Well, we are praying that Professor Jega would comply with the court ruling. We will not do any election under Akeju. Even now, we have already lost confidence completely in INEC Osun and even in Professor Jega’s leadership of INEC.
Have you complained to INEC’s national secretariat?
We have written a letter to Professor Jega; we served him the court papers. He should come and tell us why he is keeping Ambassador Akeju in Osun State. This is the third year, even after the election. We are in court now and they are using him to frustrate all the court procedures. So, we don’t know which role Professor Jega is playing in Osun State.
Concerning the REC, have you also petitioned the Presidency?
Petition when there is a court declaration? What is more weighty than a court order? So, what would a petition do when there is a court order? We are in serious crisis in Osun.
Despite this unsavoury picture that you have painted, the ACN is also alleging that it is PDP that is planning to rig. What is your defence?
But you can see the facts, let them come up with their own facts. They had done it before, few years ago and they are planning it now, with their rigging structures on the ground. So, what has PDP done to show that we are planning to rig election? What structures do you have on the ground when the umpire is already biased, when the REC is unqualified? Why should INEC go and appeal against the court judgment instead of removing the man from office? So, what is the interest of Professor Jega in keeping Ambassador Akeju in the state?
What will the PDP do, if INEC continues to retain the REC in Osun State?
I think it is a justification of planning to rig elections by all means. Why should INEC continue to keep him there? They are now buying time through their appeal and the same man will perfect the election materials, the voters register.
How prepared are you for the governorship election?
Well, we are praying that Professor Jega would comply with the court ruling. We will not do any election under Akeju. Even now, we have already lost confidence completely in INEC Osun and even in Professor Jega’s leadership of INEC.
Our zonal representative is Professor Olorode. He is a columnist in The Nation and he supports Bola Tinubu all the time.
INEC must clean this Augean stable by removing Professor Olorode, South-West coordinator of INEC and Ambassador Akeju, the Resident Electoral Commissioner, for us to have a clean election in that state. Once an umpire is biased, what do you expect? Once the referee has taken a position? Of course, he would just be awarding penalties anyhow for his favoured team to have cheap goals. We have seen this thing before, it isn’t as if we are crying wolf where there is none.
But the ACN has often accused the PDP of winning elections through rigging?
The ACN is relying solely on rigging. In Osun, Aregbesola has lost control and he is panicking already. I recently said that they spent about N1 billion on hotels bill on their Lagos guests, and the ACN replied me by saying, “Is there any limit to the amount a governor can spend on hotel bills?’’
But the ACN has often accused the PDP of winning elections through rigging?
The ACN is relying solely on rigging. In Osun, Aregbesola has lost control and he is panicking already. I recently said that they spent about N1 billion on hotels bill on their Lagos guests, and the ACN replied me by saying, “Is there any limit to the amount a governor can spend on hotel bills?’’
They spent N460 million on chartering of an aircraft between Lagos and Ibadan alone; they admitted that they awarded contract to Samiya. The Samiya they gave N19 billion contract, I am a professional engineer, I haven’t seen it on any contract in the last 20 years in this country. They are putting Aregbesola’s billboards on federal highways. I haven’t seen that kind of thing before. Deliberately confusing the public. On Kwara-Ila-Odo boundary, you will see Aregebesola’s billboard there.
Even in my town, dualisation of Lagere—to Enuwa, Ilesa by pass, you will see ACN billboard, just to confuse the public. But these are contracts awarded by the Federal Government. There is no single tap running in Osun now. When I was in the Senate, I facilitated money to be released to repair the turbine; it is where I stopped that they have left it. That’s why we want to go on rescue mission in 2014 to save ourselves from this man: an engineer in Lagos for eight years and an Ogbeni in Osun for two years.
On a final note, as you prepare for this rescue mission, there was this issue of murder of a foremost citizen of the Yoruba nation and late Attorney General of the Federation, Chief Bola Ige, of which you were discharged and acquitted. It is one touchy matter that our people don’t suffer this selective amnesia. How do you intend to tackle this seeming encumbrance?
Actually, what has been helping me is the sympathy from the people. In Yoruba land, in our culture, when you are framed up and you go through a horrendous trial, people sympathise with you; that has been the secret of my political success as we speak today.
On a final note, as you prepare for this rescue mission, there was this issue of murder of a foremost citizen of the Yoruba nation and late Attorney General of the Federation, Chief Bola Ige, of which you were discharged and acquitted. It is one touchy matter that our people don’t suffer this selective amnesia. How do you intend to tackle this seeming encumbrance?
Actually, what has been helping me is the sympathy from the people. In Yoruba land, in our culture, when you are framed up and you go through a horrendous trial, people sympathise with you; that has been the secret of my political success as we speak today.
But the ACN has been latching onto this and I have taken them to court for false prosecution and they are going to pay the price; they will go and explain what led them to the frame up.
I have sued them, I am asking for N21billion, for inconvenience. The procedures are there. The moment you are discharged, you are qualified to sue them for malicious prosecution—that means they lied all through and through. Of course, they have kept quiet anyway because they know it is all blatant lies and it isn’t working for them, because my people are enlightened. So, it isn’t a campaign slogan for anybody anymore. The Yoruba people are very wise. What I am just praying to God for and appealing to Professor Jega is to allow free and fair election: one man, one vote. That’s what we are praying for in PDP in Osun state.
I have sued them, I am asking for N21billion, for inconvenience. The procedures are there. The moment you are discharged, you are qualified to sue them for malicious prosecution—that means they lied all through and through. Of course, they have kept quiet anyway because they know it is all blatant lies and it isn’t working for them, because my people are enlightened. So, it isn’t a campaign slogan for anybody anymore. The Yoruba people are very wise. What I am just praying to God for and appealing to Professor Jega is to allow free and fair election: one man, one vote. That’s what we are praying for in PDP in Osun state.
tribune.com.ng
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