I’ll defeat Ajimobi at APC primary –Lam-Adesina’s son SEPTEMBER 5, 2014 BY OLUFEMI ATOYEBI Leave a Comment Ayobami and Ajimobi Dr. Ayobami Lam-Adesina, who is the eldest son of the late former Oyo State Governor, Lam Adesina, tells OLUFEMI ATOYEBI that he wants to be a governor in the state in order to return the All Progressives Congress to its original ideals in the state What impression do you have of politics in Nigeria since you returned home? After my first degree at the Obafemi Awolowo University, I worked at the Directorate for Food, Road and Rural Infrastructure before I went abroad to do my masters and doctorate degrees and worked for the National Health Service, United Kingdom, where I rose to the level of a director. I returned a couple of months ago to take part in partisan politics. Even though I worked abroad, I have been in politics with my father since 1976. I am aware that there has been political engineering in the country over time, the basic practice of politics in Nigeria remains unchanged. The politics I know is the politics of the progressives. It is also called the politics of ideas which puts smile on the faces of the people. The focus in that context is not only for the benefit of the down- trodden but also the elite. How would you react to the criticism of the ideology of All Progressives Congress especially in Oyo State? Our ideology will always focus on welfare based on the situation and circumstances in the country. Sometimes, I wonder what other parties stand for. For me, there are two major parties in Nigeria, the APC and the Peoples Democratic Party. Are you satisfied with the performance of the PDP? The PDP has a conservative ideology and generally, I am not satisfied with their government. Since 1999, the PDP has been in government at the centre, what has been the level of development in the country compared to how much we have made from oil and other revenues since then? We have vast natural resources but it’s not reflecting on our growth. My thought goes to the families of the girls that were kidnapped by Boko Haram in Chibok, Borno State, but that shows the level of insecurity in the country under the government of the PDP. The disaster and deaths recorded during the Nigerian Immigration Service recruitment exercise further exposed the unacceptable level of unemployment rate in our country. Power, education and health sectors are areas where the government has failed. If Nigerians do not want to continue with all these, they should vote this government out in 2015 and replace it with an APC government. If you look at the states controlled by the APC in Nigeria, you will see that they are more developed than other states under other parties. At what level will you be taking part in politics? I am going to vie for the governorship position in Oyo State as the APC candidate. I will continue from where leaders like Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Bola Ige and my father, who are all late, stopped. I will push for the implementation of true progressive policies. Free education, free health services, rural development, creation of employment and social services are some of the policies of the progressives. Will your ambition not be difficult to achieve in 2015 since the present governor of the state, Abiola Ajimobi is seeking a second term in office? Within the party constitution, it is clear that anyone who feels he has a chance and ability to contest can come forward to signify his interest and I think that is what Ajimobi has only done. Constitutionally, I am qualified and I have the experience to succeed as a governor. There is the provision for primaries in the party so I don’t think there will be any problem with my coming out to contest. Do you think you have a chance to beat Ajimobi at the primaries, considering the fact that in the last three and a half years, he has controlled the party structure? I know the history of the progressives in the state. The structure of the present APC in the state started with the structure that was put in place by the Alliance for Democracy. My father, the late Bola Ige, Michael Koleoso and other notable politicians nurtured the party to maturity. As the Action Congress of Nigeria, the party structure remained and even now as the APC, the structure is in nobody’s hands. I am not sure it is easy for the governor to pocket the structure or run it like his own. When my father was the leader of the party, he did not pocket the party. With the length of time you spent abroad, don’t you think there is a disconnection between you and the grass roots people which could work against your ambition? While I worked abroad, I was always at home and very close to my father. He was not wealthy but he had good connections with the grass roots which allowed him to manage politics without having to shoulder the financial consequences. Being close to many of our grass roots people and my father’s associates gives me the confidence that I still have the connection with the people. Working abroad was just an accident of history in my career. Some members of the APC in the state House of Assembly were alleged to have been meeting secretly with PDP members in the House and just when the party was in denial of a division in its ranks, two prominent lawmakers engaged themselves in a public fight. Don’t you think that the party is disintegrating in the state? I read about an impeachment drama in the House but as far as I am concerned, it will never happen here. I am also aware of the fracas involving two lawmakers in the state around Ojoo area of Ibadan but I don’t know the background of the fight so I may not be able to comment on it. What I will say is that in a normal environment, people will always disagree. If not well managed, it could get out of hand. One of the good things about the party is that we are law abiding and each time we have the opportunity to rule, peace reigns just as we have now in the state. How will you describe the APC’s loss of senators Ayo Adeseun and Femi Lanlehin to rival parties in the state as the 2015 elections approach? It is very unfortunate that we lost two fine gentlemen. They are my brothers who have contributed immensely to this party. But let me say that thoroughbred progressives don’t leave their parties. Irrespective of all the difficulties that my father went through, he never left the progressive party until he died. I would have advised that the two senators tarry a little and sustain their grip instead of moving away from their people. How would you ensure that no one leaves the party again? It is true that PDP’s problem began when major players in its formation deserted it. My job and my role over the next few years with, God’s support and that of the people of the state, is to ensure that the APC returns to its ideals. Collective leadership is a key factor to bring stability. Some people have accused your party of running a government for the elite, including some who defected to other parties. Is this part of what you wish to correct? We know the APC to cater for the elite and the grass roots. My father did the same. Governor Ajimobi’s brand of progressive politics is different from mine. My brand of progressive is one that will have within the party an elders’ forum that will help us when we need their experience. That is why I am going for the governorship position. As a party member, have you met with Ajimobi to discuss things you have noticed that are not being done correctly? I am not saying that he is doing what a progressive government should not do. Awolowo, Ige and my father did some of the things he is doing. But what I am saying is that my philosophy is different from Ajimobi’s philosophy. I want to put smiles on the faces of our people and reduce the burden of life on them. Has there been an opportunity for you to meet Ajimobi and exchange ideas on governance? I went to his office in 2011 shortly after he was elected and we had a lengthy discussion on politics. We shared ideas on various issues. Let me also emphasise that my father had discussion with the governor on what it takes to be a governor of the people. We need to ask if this government has been able to put smiles on the people’s faces and connect with them. I have gone round to do a survey on that and the result of that is my resolve to contest for the governorship position in the state. I have measured the pulse of the people and the elders of the party. What I got is a confidential feedback on the state of the party that I will not be able to divulge in public for now. Nobody, no matter highly placed the person is in the party, is too big to make sacrifice that will sustain the integrity of the party. With the situation in the state right now, do you think the APC will overrun the PDP and the Accord Party in the next election? There will be nothing like a party having a field day in politics. We will go to our people and remind them of the history of Yoruba heritage which centres on welfare services and peace. These are the factors that will make the differences between the APC and other parties during the election.
Posted on: Fri, 05 Sep 2014 02:56:08 +0000
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