Ayo Afolabi: APC Ekiti victory, strong signal to Seyi Makinde

Mr Ayo Afolabi, the South-West Zonal Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), is not a To in the politics of the progressives in the country. He served former Governor Bisi Akande between 1999 and 2003 as the media adviser. He also served on the platform of the defunct Alliance for Democracy (AD). To date, the experienced professional populist has not left the progressives’ enclaves. In this interview with Razaq Bamidele, the soft-spokengreenhorn but vocal party spokesman in the South-west chapter of the ruling party said the recent victory of his party in Ekiti State was a signal to other parties that APC’s popularity and acceptability by the Nigerian people are not in doubt. According to him, no state in the South-west would remain outside the APC’s umbrella and sent a signal to Governor Seyi Makinde of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Oyo State that the rightful owner of the state, the APC, is coming next year to reclaim its territory.

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How did you feel about your party’s victory in Ekiti State penultimate weekend?

Thank you very much. What we have gone to do in Ekiti State with the just concluded election is to tell the other political parties that APC has come not only to maintain what it had been throughout Nigeria but to actually prove to them that the APC would take more states and get all Nigerians behind the party next year. We have shown, particularly in the South-west that there is no other political party acceptable to the people other than the APC. 

What about Oyo State?

Oyo State presently is just being tolerated. Since we cannot use force, all we could do is to, at the next election, dismiss them at the ballot box and I can assure you that it would be an easy job for us to be able to install our APC government to replace the not so impressive administration in Oyo State. We have made it abundantly clear that our party is coming to take responsibility in Oyo State. It was by accident that the state escaped us in the election three and a half years back. But now we are back and the people themselves have been able to realise that the government of the PDP in Oyo State, headed by Engineer Seyi Makinde, is not adequate to run a state as sophisticated and as enlightened as Oyo State.

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What do you foresee for Osun State governorship poll coming up next month?

Next month’s governorship election in Osun State is another affirmation, God willing, that the APC is the party that is acceptable to the people and that can continue to govern in the state; that is very clear.

Do you mean it is clear even with the crisis rocking the state chapter of the party?

I don’t know the crisis you are talking about. We truly have some elements that have no control over the people, who do not know what the people want. A large number of them have retraced their steps to the party and APC is in charge now. Those who felt APC was not the party for them have left and joined the party of illiterate and dancers.

What about the Osun Progressives (TOP), within the party?

That is what I said. They are almost non-existent. A large number of them have retraced their steps to the party and APC is in charge now. Those who felt APC was not the party for them have left and joined the party of illiterate and dancers.

Was that achieved through begging or through reconciliation?

We never begged anybody. Yes, there was a sort of reconciliation in some but some others on their own saw it clearly that they took the wrong steps and they are now back in the party. In democracy and in party politics, the number is the thing. And since we realise that number is the in-thing, we took them back. They were part and parcel of us before they went astray and when they discovered their mistake and decided to return to sanity, who are we to say no? That is exactly what we have done. There is nothing other than that. Those who felt they cannot do it, have seen another party that agrees with their level; the level of dancing and seeming illiterate and have gone to join them there. I cannot imagine any reasonable mind, who has an education would decide to stay in a party led by an illiterate.

How satisfactory is the performance of Governor Isiaka Gboyega Oyetola in the state by your estimation?

I don’t know if you have gone around Osun State since you came around. But if you go round, you will discover that Governor Oyetola has done wonderfully well since his assumed office. Payment of salaries and emoluments to the government workers has been regular. Apart from that, we have found a situation where major infrastructural jobs have taken place. You have the Olaiya Junction Over-Head Bridge, which has been built. You have more than 300 public health centres being renovated and put to use. You have a situation where education that was getting moribund has been taken care of. These were what the people wanted and are being attended to. Infrastructure has been visited in terms of the number of roads that have been either constructed or maintained with a view to ensuring the comfort of the people.

What is your reaction to the zoning of the presidency to the South?

You see, zoning the presidency to the South is a proper thing to do. Whether you like it or not, though it is not written boldly in the constitution, it is fair if you want to look at it. It is something that is assumed that if the presidency is moved to the South this time around, then another time, it will also move to another zone of the country. The party has been good enough to understand the notion of rotating it just for cohesiveness and fairness to all parts of the country. It was the North-west that is running the presidency presently up till May next year. The party has zoned it now to the South this time around and particularly to the South-west in relation to the acceptability of the party.

Some people would argue that it was supposed to go to the South-east, but the reality is that up till now, APC does not have a single state being controlled by it. The question now then is how would you zone the presidency to the zone where you are not so much accepted? Yes, we have people in the South-east, who believe in the party, but who could not muscle enough support to have a complete government in terms of the whole state in the South-east. What we have had in the South-east now is that some governments, who have seen the good work that is being done in all the APC-controlled states have been able to cross over to our party. I am sure in the next election when it would be possible to change the baton again, the South-east and South-south would rally for the APC.

How would Asiwaju Bola Tinubu’s factor assist the party in the Osun election?

Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu is well-respected leader of the APC. Normally, if Asiwaju was not part of us, Alhaji Isiaka Gboyega Oyetola had already delivered for the people of Osun State and so, the good people of Osun would want to vote him any day for a comeback.

But we have a situation where we have, as a bonus, the person of Asiwaju Tinubu, who happens to be the backbone for the whole of the APC. And because of being the backbone of the party, people are ready to give him all the votes. And because he has become the presidential flag bearer of the APC, all the people would want to come to the APC. Even the PDP is looking in the direction of the APC now.

What about the membership drive for the party?

Winning people to come into our party is a continuous thing and it will continue for a long time until the elections are here because, as I said earlier that politics is a game of numbers; the more the merrier. And so, what we are doing right now is rally. And the purpose of the rally is to assure the people, who are yet to be convinced that the APC is the party to be with.

Is there any message for the people about the importance of the Permanent Voters Card (PVC)?

Yes, we are making efforts as a party and as all Nigerians to make sure the people obtain their PVC to ensure that every person that has reached the age to vote, votes in the next election. We are doing that and we won’t relent as long as the opportunity exists for people to take their PVC. There is continuous mass education either from our party or the other parties to convince the people to get their PVC. There is no doubt about that. There has been a mass increase in the number of those with their PVC.

How confident is your party about the 2023 general election?

You will see that the moment Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu was declared the presidential candidate of the party, there is a change in the perception of politics and everybody is now interested in making Tinubu the next president in the next election. And that is coming up because people have been able to see what he had been able to do in terms of human development, in terms of economic indices when he governed Lagos State, in terms of delivery of infrastructure, in terms of forward planning, in terms of so many things that would have raised the living standard of Nigerians and for us to become a force to reckon with in the comity of nations. So, we are very much prepared and we are heading to victory in the next election, and we wish all Nigerians would continue to support our party come 2023.