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Tinubu is the problem of AD - Ajisebutu
Chief Mufutau Adekoya
Ajisebutu is no stranger in the politics of the
South-West
geo-political zone. Having played active roles during the colonial era as a
member of the then Action Group (AG), his emergence as a potent factor in the
determination of who gets what, when and how particularly in Lagos State since
the Second Republic appears to be a prize for his resilience and principled stance
on democracy and true federalism.
The stern-looking
Ikorodu-based politician was at various times the chairman of the old Ikeja
Division for eight years. This is aside being the Assistant General Secretary
of the Unity Party of Nigeria in Lagos during the Second Republic. He was also
at a time the chairman of the old Ikorodu Local Government.
One of the leaders of
the pan-Yoruba socio-cultural organisation, Afenifere, Chief Ajisebutu
currently directs affairs of the Afenifere Unity Forum (AUF), one of the groups
within the Alliance for Democracy (AD).
The 68-year-old
protégé of the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo played prominent roles
in the shaping of the First Republic, especially as a member of the AG. He was
also visible in the campaign for the governorship ambition of the incumbent
Lagos State helmsman, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, in 1999.
However, in this exclusive, revealing interactive session
with Adeyemi Adebanjo, Chief Ajisebutu speaks on his strained relation with the
governor, the leadership crisis in his party and the inefficiency of a fresh
national convention. Excerpts:
You are a chieftain
of the Alliance for Democracy, can you tell us the state of the party at the
moment?
Well,
the party is in a state of transition. You know as much as I do that some
people within the party are bent on destroying it, by their action and conduct.
They went as far as staging parallel national convention here in Lagos. But I
can tell you that the party is taking note of their activities and at the
appropriate time, necessary action will be taken against them. But like I said,
we are in a state of transition and consolidation. We hope to reach out to
other parts of the country in a short while and possibly stamp our feet in
these parts as the only progressive party in the country.
Recently, at the heat of the crisis that
engulfed your party, it was said then that you negotiated with the intent of
defecting from the party. How true is this speculation?
That
is madness! Those who said that must be examined by a psychiatrist. I know I
cannot defect to any other party. If they trick you into joining their party,
that will be the end of such a person politically.
So,
those who made such allegation are obviously mad. I will never. I can never do
such a thing.
You are obviously very
close to the factional chairman of the party, Senator Mojisoluwa Akinfenwa, who
has repeatedly expressed his faction’s opposition to a fresh national
convention as a way out of the intra-party feud….
(cut
in) Yes, that option will create more problem if they allow a fresh convention.
Yes, this has been said so many times
over. But why do you think this option will create more problems than solve
them?
This
is simply because that exercise will create one additional claimant to the
position, making it three. Although one of the existing two is fake, having
been produced at Onikan Stadium, which did not follow the laid down procedure.
The
then 60 national offices of the party sat in Abuja and took a decision to
appoint a 16-member convention committee. Later six out of the 60 came to Onikan
in Lagos and 54 went to Abuja. Even from the above, which of the two
conventions do you think will be authentic? Even the six that came to Lagos
were bought over.
Something
happened some days ago when Afenifere decided to step into the problem
bedeviling the party. This same man brought a lot of money to the venue in
Akure, ostensibly to bring the Afenifere members into taking a decision that
will favour him. Although, he was not there personally, right from the eve of
the meeting, his agents were secretly going about distributing money.
On
the day of the meeting, and as I moved in to meet Chief Fasoranti, I overheard
the personal assistant of the former secretary to the Federal Government
saying, “owo yin ti wa nile o” (your money is ready) no convention.
But they couldn’t buy the decision.
Who and who were actually given the
money?
I
cannot tell you that. All I can tell you is that I confronted this same person
during the leaders’ meeting in Ibadan, Oyo State, where I called him a
419 chief executive. I told him to his face that all the state chairmen whom he
wanted to use to take decision against Senator Akinfenwa will not do his
bidding.
But
I can tell you that those who took the money are former state chairmen of the
party. He bought them with money, money that does not belong to him.
Chief Bisi Akande and his people are
saying a fresh convention will resolve the leadership problem in the party,
your faction is insisting that there shouldn’t be a new convention. How
then will the leadership tussle be resolved?
There
is the court issue. They sued us to the court alleging that we wanted to take
the party from them. But good enough, we asked to be joined in the suit. So let
the court decide who between the two factions that complied with the party
constitution in holding its national convention.
You were regarded as being very close to
the Lagos State governor until recently. What probably led to the parting of
ways between you?
The
reason why I distanced myself from Governor Tinubu is simply because he cheated
we members of the party, particularly members of the Afenifere Unity Forum
(AUF), who stood firm and saw to his success at the polls.
Indeed,
it was AUF members who other than any other group who did much both during his
first and second electioneering campaigns. Our members were virtually in all
the local governments of the state. In fact, we are in the majority in the
state. Rather than spend his money to finance us we’ve been doing that on
our own.
There
was a time we took the decision to pay him a visit on this issue. Myself and a
very senior staff of Mobil Oil, whom we contacted eventually went to see him in
his Marina official residence. Right there, he promised to redress the
situation. But I can tell you that up till this very moment, I am talking to
you, he is yet to do anything in that regard.
Your group, AUF, is just one out of many
in the AD, don’t you think
you are asking for too much considering what he has done for you so far?
Let
me tell you what you people do not know. In 1999, during the party primaries,
Governor Tinubu approached us that he wanted to speak with us. Even though we
knew then that he was a member of the Justice Forum. When we were about to hold
party primaries to select candidate for the 1999 election. JF had already
picked Dr. Wahab Dosumu. But the governor came to us in Ilasamaja in Chief
Taiwo’s house.
During
the meeting, he offered us N4 million and told us that he wanted to be the
number one man in Lagos State. We did assure him that he would triumph during
the intra-party election. To make assurance double sure, we listed 14 council
areas out of the 20 that we will deliver for him. And by the special grace of
God, he won in all these council areas that we had earlier penciled down for
him.
The
N4 million he offered us we rejected it. But for him to be convinced that we
meant well for him, we took out N10,00 each for the local governments and we
asked him to hold back the remaining. And as part of the campaign then, he told
us he was heading for Epe. I am sure he must have spent the money there. So our
efforts then ensured that he became the official candidate of the party during
the election.
Everything
was going on well until a particular day when I received a call from one Mr.
Odunbaku from Ikeja, who said His Excellency wanted to see me. When I arrived
at his office in Ikeja, he (Governor Tinubu) warmly embraced me, telling me
afterwards that he wanted to make Prince Abiodun Ogunleye the state chairman of
the party. That statement jolted me, but I couldn’t reply him until
minutes later.
(cuts in) were you at that time also
nursing the ambition of becoming the state chairman of the party?
No!
no! not at all. I am above that politically. But I agreed with him because I
have the interest of the party and the
governor at heart. But this is not without telling him almost
immediately that Prince Ogunleye cannot win in his home. The governor replied
that he knew that Prince Ogunleye has no grassroots support.
So
his name was put forward as a state delegate and he won the election unopposed.
I must also point out that the group I lead, AUF, controls this entire local
government even up to the present moment and ensure his victory at the polls.
We never allowed the hullabaloo of the election to distract us. But all along I
never knew he had something sinister in his mind.
(cut in) who are you talking about here,
Prince Ogunleye or the governor?
The
governor. I don’t have anything with the former state chairman, Abiodun
Ogunleye. He is a novice. He knows nothing about politics. He has no followers.
In Ikorodu council areas where we both reside, for instance, he is aware that
my group controls affairs here. We won one seat at the state House of Assembly
at the time. We could have won the two available seats but we had to release
one to the Network Alliance which was then led by Engr. Funso Williams. But
during the last 2003 polls, we claimed all the seats in the council areas.
However, by this time, I had learnt my lessons and I have realised the inimical
administrative system of His Excellency who will go to any length to cajole you
to relinquish this on that position to him only to dump you later.
What do you mean by His
Excellency’s inimical administrative system?
He
is fond of dribbling people. He is a dictator to the core. He demonstrated this
trait again during the House of Representatives election. This time around he
went to his mother, Alhaja Abibat Mogaji, asking her to prevail on me to allow
a particular woman to emerge from Ikorodu, one Dorcas Odujurin. She has since
left for the PDP.
Again,
during the 2003 election, he came up with a thousand methods. When we learnt
that somebody was already parading herself as aspirant for the House of
Representatives seat in Ikorodu, we reasoned that this person has not been
holding any political meeting with us at either the local government area or
ward levels.
Later,
this same woman met me at the office of the Commissioner for Agriculture, Kaoli
Olusanya. She was introduced to me by the Commissioner for Information and
Strategy. She knelt down saying that she wanted to see me. Few days later, I
went to His Excellency and told him pointedly that it was strange to yield to
her since she has not been visible in the politics of the area. But rather than
own up, the governor denied knowing anything about it.
However,
during the primaries held in Agege, Chief Aro Lambo came to us (I was seated
with Rafiu Jafojo), saying that he had instructions from Governor Tinubu that
our votes should go to the woman in question. Well, since I was not interested
in fighting the governor, I agreed to vote the way they wanted. Even though we
could have defeated them because we have the majority of the delegates on our
side. It was 18 to 25.
With all these sentiments, do you think
there can be a meeting point between you and the governor?
Now?
Yes.
I am not wishing
that he should die or fall sick or be impeached from the office he is currently
occupying. Surely, there can still be a meeting point between us if he is
prepared to tow the party line, separated the party from governance and fulfil
his numerous promises.
There is this
speculation that Governor Tinubu may be eyeing important positions after the
expiration of his term as governor. As a party stalwart, what will be your
advice to him?
My advice to him is to pack his things and step aside from
politics. See, what he has done in AD has stained his image and integrity as a
pro-democracy activist. He has turned AD upside down. People no longer have
confidence in him. Even those working with him in Alausa do not appreciate his
style of administration, but they are compelled to continue to obey because of
their daily bread.
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