Immediate past national vice chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) South West, Dr Eddy Olafeso, speaks with Nigerian Tribune on the current state of Nigeria, the preparedness of PDP to come back to power to address the nation challenges, among other issues.
We are very serious; there is commitment, there is leadership. What we need to do is to navigate the system that has been messed up by money politics. I can tell you it will affect opposition. Believe me, we could have done better. I agree with you, we have not done enough. Having 14 to 15 states should actually galvanise some level of actions. But I can see some internal wrangling and that is the reason some of us are willing to lead by example by our own personal sacrifice to ensure that our party comes together stronger. Days, months and years leading into the 2023 elections, we will see a stronger PDP because many of us think if the party is not rising to the occasion, then the nation is doomed and we won’t let it. This is all the summary of our entire life of over 60 years looking at the nation, we felt we will by now be one of the pride of Africa and the rest of the world. Then suddenly, we are the shame of Africa and an embarrassment to the world.For me, we need to do more; I agree with you and leaders must understand the fact that it is not about them, it is about the people, it is about the party and not about personal self that have characterized all this long years that we have failed collectively. Nobody knows who is going to be the victim of what is coming ahead because the country has actually left its own best behind. They have consumed their own very best in kidnapping, in killing and all forms of unprintable violence that they have visited on the citizens. For me, that is what needed to be attended to. I know too well and I must put it on record that the national chairman of the PDP, Prince UcheSecondus is doing his ultimate best. If only he can be allowed to continue. He met this party with 11 states, we have come to 17 until some legal issues took some away from us and we are now hovering around 15. That is 50 percent of the states. Let us give him credit for all he has been able to do, and many of those leaders who fought to ensure that at least they keep faith with the party, AyodeleFayose, Ladi Adebutu, Ademola Adeleke, Mariana, Nicholas Tofowomo, Mulikat Akande and all those that are willing when nobody was speaking up, they were willing to speak up. They should be encouraged, and those that are not speaking up should by now do so. I have one thing, when leadership is about election time. When you know you have few months to election, then you begin to throw up things. It won’t work this time around. People must show that they are genuinely concerned about the plight of our nation and the possibility of rebuilding it. Once you can achieve that, people will follow you. In this country, nobody is leading by example. They have soiled their hands too much. Look at the much hope the entire Nigeria had on President Muhammadu Buhari, what did he do when he came there?
Don’t you think the recent congress of the PDP in the South West has further polarised the party in the zone.
The Ayodele Fayose group flagged the Olive branch to everybody. I was the first sacrifice, just because I know I fully won that election but it doesn’t really matter to me. It is not a personal victory. The party is far more important and you have seen the letter of appreciation written to me by the National Working Committee (NWC). To me, that is far better than a Certificate of Return. I have spoken with Governor SeyiMakinde, I’m willing to work with Arapaja and I’m willing to work with everybody and I think between me and all the leaders, we must do everything possible to bring both Governor SeyiMakinde, former Governor AyodeleFayose and all the key leaders together.I see some clowns making noise all over the social media. But do you win election on social media? We must all come back home. Go to your unit, ward, local government, senatorial district and state. We must begin to embrace one another. I’m not bothered about anybody again. I don’t want to talk about what happened during the congress in Osogbo, it has come and gone. I have conceded. I’m willing to work. My desire is to continue help build the party in the South-West. That is the most important thing to me. I’m a living example of somebody who believes in this party. I have never decamped from the party for one day. I keep on moving on; no matter the injury, vilification, blackmail,we are here and we will continue to be here. We will continue to call on the other people that it is about time we recognize the fact that we all must work together to survive.For me, when I returned, I was expecting the key leaders of the party in Ondo State to call me. I’m yet to hear from them but that does not mean in my own team and group, we move around and we have forgiven everybody. It doesn’t matter anymore. We all most rally, it is unfortunate we lost the case against (Rotimi) Akeredolu in court but quitters don’t win and winners don’t quit. I still encourage the party to do the best they can to see if there is anything they can do to bring back whatever they feel is right. But truth remains that we must begin to prepare for the future from now. So, there is no divide that cannot be rebuild, it depends on the sincerity of purpose. Your conscience and your ability to let go. We were the first example in this climate where somebody cleanly and convincingly won an election but just because I saw what was going to happen that night in that place. The number of thugs with guns, ammunition and drugs around the premises of the hall the congress was held, the least I could do was to spare live. Thank God Almighty that will grow with me till old age that not a single life was lost just because of that. So, they must take it from there and begin to build a better tomorrow for our party, Many of us in the Ayo Fayose group are willing to work. I will admonish the Governors’ Forum, the Board of Trustees (BoT) and all the other key leaders of the party that it is about time. Let us move on. Let us focus on building the party to the level that it can defeat and disgrace APC in the 2023 elections.
Governorship elections will be coming up inEkiti and Osun states next year. Do you think PDP has what it takes to win the two states?
Depending on what we do from now on till that election. We must bring ourselves together. Some of us are working underground to ensure that there is peace everywhere and we must not relent. Ekiti will come first. We must reduce the number of our people competing and at the same time leadership must understand that competition is not at all cost, by all means. People like us have walked away and we are still alive. For me, I will continue to work with all the other leaders to ensure that we must win Osun and Ekiti States. What we do from now till that time will define what will happen to us. We cannot sit at home and be wishing for the ultimate best when we have not worked for it. We must work for what comes in 2022 in Osun and Ekitistates.
The Ondo State chapter of the PDP seems to have gone to sleep completely; thereappears to be no serious opposition in the state. Don’t you think APC will continue to dominate the scene?
I cannot deny that, you are very right. It is worrisome but that is what Fatai Adams wants, otherwise he could have been on the road talking to all the leaders. He doesn’t call anybody. But for us, we won’t allow anybody to kill the party. We must continue to do the best we can and for me it is about time. I remember during the court case, I sent a text message to EyitayoJegede and I expected him to reciprocate by either sending text message to me or call, I have not heard from him. Some of us don’t have any other life apart from PDP. Some are constantly migrating, I have nowhere to go and neither are we going to allow Fatai Adams to destroy the party without us screaming for the rest of the world to hear that he must do something. Since they came from Osogbo, apart from fighting Eddy Olofeso, they have done nothing. They won’t call meetings or invite those of us that is not in their group. How can you lead the party in that kind of behaviour and attitude? It is disgraceful what is happening to us but I know we will overcome because we are all waiting to become one family.You are interested in fighting yourselves and you are not interested in confronting APC with all the arsenals and force you can muster to ensure that you dislodge them out of government. It is really unfortunate. But I know it won’t be for too long. There will be a reawakening of our party and the reawakening will make us stronger. If there is anything Fatai Adams needs to do, he should do it now to bring the party together once and for all. It so unfortunate we no longer play the roll of opposition. We allow the governor do whatever he wants, there are no press releases, no briefings and meetings. They are satisfied with just being the officers of the party and that is it. It cannot be like that because we need to win back Ondo State. They will sooner than later know that, that is not the way parties are run. I was once the Secretary of this party and I know what we did to come back in 2007 to 2009. They had to work very hard.
But what are the elders of the party doing to bring all the aggrieved members together?
They are part of the problems in the first instance and I have told every one of them, we know ourselves and we know for sure the role we have played, it is rather unfortunate. Even in the ignorance of the state executive, they dissolved the Elders’ Caucus, which as a matter of fact, is the most illegal thing anybody can do, because the Elders’ Caucus is established by the constitution of the party. There is no way the Chairman of the party can say you are hereby dissolved. So those who don’t know their rights, how can they fight for you? We have left all those things behind, we are all friends and we know each other.I’m an elder of the party and probably the only person that been a member of the National Working Committee (NWC) member of the party that is still in the party. I’m here, at the appointed time, we will let the chairman know that somethings are beyond him and he has no right on certain things, particularly in dissolving the Elders’ Caucus but they have been dissolved. When they needed them, they put them in uniform to go and vote in Oshogbo. I saw all those and I wanted to use that as an issue in court. But that is not my goal, my goal is to rebuild the party. So it is left to them. They have injured us and they have given us their worst blow and we are still standing. So it is left for them to make the move and all of us will be together. DrDairo and MrsOlafunmiloye were here, we were talking and suddenly they disappeared into their cocoons. I know why they did and think maybe because of Osogbo congress. But it is obvious now, the strength in the South-West is 50/50. I’m glad that Governor SeyiMakinde called me; he is my brother and at any point in time if he wants me to do anything, any assignment he gives to me, I will put everything I have into it, so we are waiting.For all those that derailed the party in the state, they have extra energy and must ensure they applied it to rebuild the party. We are not good at this moment and the earlier we begin to know that, the better for the future if we plan to win this state anymore.
Looking at the state of the insecurity in the country, do you think the mess will soon be over?
At all, Nigeria is on a death row. It is on a death row economically, it is on a death row politically, it is on a death row socially. We just have to pray to Almighty God.Like Chief Edwin Clark said when I heard him on Channels Television that if things are like this within the next six months, Nigeria may have actually been gone completely. It is worrisome that most of the elites and the political class are not seeing the handwriting on the wall; that things are falling apart, no longer at ease in our nation.It is unfortunate that in 2015 we thought we have seen the worst. But at no point in time in the history of this nation have we woken up to this kind of pain, poverty and misery. Then, there we are, and the only solution to it for very civilised minds is to prepare for another election so that we can displace these characters who have actually joked with the destiny of the nation for over six years and bring in a more serious set of leaders to run the country.Whatever is happening in Kaduna is being replicated across the whole nation. No zone in the country is spared of this, and then, they have pushed Nigerians into labelling a particular tribe as the enemy of Nigeria. Anywhere you mention the Fulani person, it is like this is the enemy of Nigeria. I think things have just gone that bad, and the reason being the government failed.
