Chief Henry Ajomale is the chairman, Lagos State chapter of All Progressives Congress (APC). Ajomale, in this interview with select journalists, speaks on the state of affairs in the party, the congresses, President Muhammadu Buhari, among other issues. BOLA BADMUS brings excerpts:
Can you let us know the present state of All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos State?
Presently in Lagos, we have no problem because there is no serious problem among our members. But when election is coming like this, you will see a lot of issues. For us, it is not an issue; a lot of people have their own opinions from different quarters about those who want to contest for House of Representatives, Senate and state Assemblies. There may be differences over aspiration of those seeking for public offices, but generally there is no problem in the party.
But recently the APC Vice Chairman (Lagos East), Mr Fuad Oki, said there is crisis within the party and went on to accuse the leadership of alleged imposition?
What he is saying is his own opinion and not the party’s opinion. When you are talking of imposition of candidates, were congresses and primaries not done? If congress is done, some people will win and some will lose. For example, during the primary election that brought Governor Akinwunmi Ambode in, didn’t we spend more than 24 hours at the stadium to be able to select our candidate? If there is imposition, there won’t be any competition. If anybody wants to contest, he has the right to come out and contest. That is not an imposition because if you have about 10 people contesting for a position and eventually one person won the contest, you can’t call that imposition. We did primaries for House of Assembly, House of Representatives and the Senate.
But don’t you think an accusation from one of the executive members is sign of a crack within the party?
Do you think there is any meaning in only one person out of 33 having a contrary view? Don’t you think that one person cannot be considered serious unless he has some supporters? All the executives are one, but if one person comes out and says otherwise, then it means 32 of us are fools and it is only him who is clever
How prepared is APC for the forthcoming congresses and national convention?
A lot of surprises are coming up and you will be surprised that President Muhammadu Buhari is going to come back and he is going to win the election. All those who were ganging up against him are going to fail. They have tried everything to put him in a situation where he cannot escape because they have tried everything to know whether the man is corrupt and not upright, but they failed. All we are saying is that when you are fighting corruption, certainly corruption will turn round and fight you back. Why are they afraid of Buhari? Why don’t they want him to contest? Everybody has a right in this country to contest or aspire to any position. Why should you be afraid of one man because you believe it may be your turn; that the man will jump on you and ask the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to start running after you? That is what they are avoiding and they are asking him not to run. Since when do you advise someone not to contest? The constitution is clear on this; anybody can vote and be voted for? So, why should you now be his father to advise him not to contest? If you are not afraid of him, then why are you insisting that the man should not contest for a second term? Then something is wrong.
To what extent would you say your party has fulfilled the campaign promises when you look at the promises made in 2015 by APC and President Buhari himself?
The president has done a lot in terms of promises made when you look at the circumstances that surround his coming in to government. It was based on information from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) themselves, the likes of former Minister of Finance, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and others saying that we are comfortable and Nigeria is perhaps the best economy in Africa. They were dishing out figures and data of where Nigeria was at that time, but when we got in, we found out that the whole thing was empty. So, in order to reappraise your plan, you have to start all over again to reappraise that plan because based on the misinformation given to Nigerians that Nigeria is buoyant; it was based on that that we planned our programmes.
If you look at our programmes, there is no way you can execute them without money. And immediately we got to office, the economy was not what they said it was. We went into recession and in recession, what can we do? And if the president can bring the economy out of recession within one year; he should be congratulated because I have not seen any country that came out of economic recession within one year. We are going to come out of recession strongly. If PDP had returned to power, I am sure we would have been bankrupt by now because there would not have been any money. Today we can be proud that we have about $50 billion in reserve. That means that the reserve can support our economy for over six months. And we believe if we are going like this, in two to three years more, Nigeria will reach that level we are talking about; the best economy in Africa.
Some eminent Nigerians have advised President Buhari not to return in 2019; do you see him returning in 2019?
He will return. I can bet you.
What gives you that confidence?
Because I know the people of this country are behind him. Many of those criticising him don’t vote during elections. They consider the election day as resting day and holiday. It is only their cooks and gatemen who vote that day.
Would you say President Buhari has done enough to get block votes in South-West in 2019 elections?
There is no way anybody can claim Buhari has done enough for any zone. But I have no doubt in my mind that he is going to win South-West. He will win South-West flat. The day after the election come back to me.
But don’t you think the division among APC leaders in South-West, especially the Abuja boys and Lagos boys will affect your party’s chances?
They are all members of the party. If you know us, you will find out that when election comes, we merge and we do the same things we have to do. Abuja boys are benefitting from this government so, they won’t vote against this government. I have no doubt that they are going to vote the same way.
Some people are of the view that the task given to APC National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, by President Buhari to reconcile disgruntled APC members across the country should begin from Lagos State given the not too cordial relationship between Governor Akinwunmi Ambode and his predecessor, Mr Babatunde Fashola.
How do you know the issues between them are not settled? How do you know they are not on good term? We have to be civil to one another; you give me respect, I give you respect. That is the most important thing in the party.
What about the APC National Legal Adviser, Dr. Muiz Banire, who is also having issues with the party?
That is his own problem and let him solve his own problem. If he feels that he has problem with the party, he should know how to solve them. He is our man, he is a member of the National Working Committee and there is no fight in the state executives with him. We have no problem with him, he is our national officer. To us, we have no problem with him.
Some political parties are planning to merge and form a formidable block to challenge APC in 2019? Are you not afraid that the merger will be a threat to the ruling party?
We have done it before, we merged before; three and half political parties joined together then and it was successful. If they can merge and win the election, fine, but I know they don’t have the liver to be able to do it. Only them are going to be there; it will need the grassroots support. It is not the grassroots that is speaking. It is those who have benefited from the largess of the country in the past that are criticising now.
Your party have been accused of not defending the policies of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode-led administration, especially on issues of Cleaner Lagos Initiative (CLI) and the Land Use Charge, can you react to this?
You don’t know the programme we are having with the governor. Certainly the party will come out at the right time that would be acceptable to all our members and all the citizens of Lagos State; indigenes and residents of Lagos State will be happy. To us, we are not supposed to intervene into the activities of government, we can only advise. And certainly we have detected certain things in those two programmes, but that is not for public consumption. When we finish, we would table it to the governor and we will tell him the reactions of the people why certain things must be done.
The Lagos APC executives is also being accused of breaching the party’s constitution with the series of endorsement of Governor Ambode by leaders and executives as if the ambitions of others have been foreclosed. For instance, your presence at the endorsement of Ambode by Lagos West Senatorial District has also raised concern about the role of the party’s executives in the endorsement galore, what is your reaction?
Answer: Let me make it clear. I was there and I was invited because am a member of the Lagos West Senatorial District. I was invited to that meeting and when they did the endorsement; did you see me speaking at the place? I did not speak because I was invited to attend the meeting because I reside in Lagos West Senatorial District and that was why I was there. That doesn’t mean that I, as the state chairman is endorsing anybody.
Question: Are you, therefore, saying the APC 2019 governorship ticket is still open?
Answer: Of course, it is open. We have said that several times. Those who are endorsing Ambode are endorsing him and if they want to vote for him, they can vote for him. But that did not preclude anybody contesting; it is open.
Question: But it is expected that the executive should have come out to stop some of the Ambode Support Groups coming out at this time.
Answer: How do you know that others are not forming their own groups? As I know now, it doesn’t look likely Ambode alone will contest for the governorship primaries. People have the right to start campaigning now. There is still going to be primary to scale through. If anybody can defeat him at the primary, fine but as an incumbent, he is doing all these things in mobilising his supporters. I sit down here watching what is going on, nobody will ask me not to give form to whoever may be interested in contesting the governorship election. You can’t stop anybody who wants to contest and that is perhaps why he is working hard for people to endorse him for a second term. But the stage is still open for anybody to come out and collect form to challenge the governor. To me that is what the constitution says, it doesn’t preclude anybody from running.
Question: One of your elected officials, specifically Senator Olamilekan Adeola aka Yayi, who is currently representing Lagos West Senatorial District, is presently showing interest in contesting for governorship in Ogun State. What is the stake of the people he is representing?
Answer: To us in Lagos, he did not tell us that he is still not in Lagos. I hear rumours but he has not written to us that he is not representing Lagos anymore and that he has shifted his base to another state. When he does that; he cannot contest here again. If he is going to Ogun State to contest, he cannot contest in two places the same time.
Question: Are you saying that you are not aware of some of the statements that have been credited to him about his interest in contesting for governorship in Ogun State?
Answer: Interest is difference from contesting, has he contested? You can show interest and if you know it is not paying you, you can withdraw. To me, when election comes; if he go and get form there; he cannot get the form here. It will be injustice to hear rumour and then denied him of the seat. Do you want to recall him because of the information that he is contesting. Has he contested? There is someone who went to Kogi to contest. He is also a member of the party and if he now comes to say that he wants to contest in Lagos again, we will say no, because you have transferred your card to Kogi.
Question: So Faleke can’t run in Lagos again.
Answer: His own case is settled, he cannot run in Lagos again. There is no way he can run in Lagos anymore.
Question: But if Faleke goes to court and the court says he can run again, what will be your party’s decision?
Answer: So be it, I have no problem with the court. If the court says he can contest, so be it. I am a lawyer and I will not go against any ruling of the court. I will obey it. If the court says he has the right to come back, he will be allowed to contest. But to me, he has already transferred his card to Kogi State; so to me he is no more here. At the end of his tenure, we will pick another person. He left because of certain reasons and he had transferred to Kogi now, but if he transfers back and the court says we have no right to deny him, who am I? I will give him the form. We all have to obey the judgement of the judiciary. I am not part of those who are going to disobey the court.
Question: There is a trend in Lagos where people move from one senatorial district to another to contest for office like Senator Tokunbo Afikuyomi who crossed from Lagos Central to Lagos West during 2003 election and we now have Senator Musiliu Obanikoro, who represented Lagos Central from 2007 to 2011 now aspiring to run for Senate in 2019 in Lagos West, what do you say to that?
Answe: If you are living somewhere in Lagos Island in Lagos Central Senatorial District, and you built your house in Lagos West and you now transferred to Lagos West and you transferred your voter card along with it; who has right to tell you where to stay in Lagos?
Question: How do you see the ongoing division in some local governments over plans of some Federal and State lawmakers to return to legislative chambers for fourth or fifth consecutive terms in 2019? How do your party intend to handle that?
Answer: Is there anything in our constitution or the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria that says somebody cannot go 10 times as a legislator if the people are still voting for him anytime he participated in primary election? So, who am I to stop anybody that he cannot contest for fourth, fifth or sixth term as long as people are voting for him. The older they are in America, the better they are. We knew about Senator Robert Kennedy who was in the Senate for over 30 years before he died recently. I don’t see where they wrote it in the party’s constitution and Nigerian Constitution that a lawmaker cannot run for more than two terms; it is only the governor and president that cannot serve more than two terms.
Question: How do you see the decision by Asiwaju Tinubu that the party executives who have already served for three times or more should not take part in the forthcoming congresses?
Answer: We feel that the younger generation should be given opportunity because all those serving the party in the last 12 years would have been old now. So, it is right and proper for us to consider the younger generation to come on board so that they can fast track the evolution of this party.
Question: Would you say you have groomed someone that will take over from you?
Answer: We have capable people who will take over from us. I won all the governorship elections, senatorial elections, local government elections and many elections while I was in office. I have trained enough people for them to be able to take over from me. Therefore, I want to move on. I feel we have to leave the place for younger people and to me, it is a wise decision.
Question: With the new development that some present executives will not participate at the forthcoming congresses, a lot of people are showing interest, taking part in the congresses, how would your party manage the post-congress crises?
Answer: What people don’t know is that we would have a quarrel; we would fight but when the time for voting comes, you will see us united; even stronger than before. I don’t see anything if before election everybody flexes his muscles that he wants to represent people. You cannot represent anybody by force by the time they vote you out and choose another person. Honestly, it has been our style; we will unite. If anybody sees us now and feels that it is a matter of destroying one another; it is a joke. Once election is ready; all of us will unite. Everybody will be surprised that there is not going to be opposition among us. We are going to join hands together; forget about those who have lost elections, they will work with those who have won for the sake of the party. This is what we will still do and will continue to do. (Nigerian Tribune )
