Many Nigerians had prepared mind and body for the 2015 general elections which was originally scheduled to start on Saturday, February 14th, 2015 until the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) shocked the country and indeed international observers with a rescheduling, although, we saw it coming.
The announcements of new dates for the elections has since brewed many controversies including whether or not the Peoples Democratic Party being the ruling party was hiding under the authority of the federal government to gain INEC’s favour. There were also talks of plans to sack the INEC Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega for refusing to bend a little.
In this exclusive interview with Sahara weekly magazine, Otunba Henry Oladele Ajomale reacts to these stories making the rounds. He also talks about why it is difficult for the APC to trust INEC and why he feels Obasanjo was right to tear his PDP membership card.
Can we meet you?
My name is Oladele Ajomale. I am the chairman of APC, Lagos state.
What is your take about the rescheduling of the election? Now, there is even an insinuation that there is a grand plan to scuttle it and sack the INEC chairman, Attahiru Jega, what are your positions on these?
All the stories I’ve heard are rumour but again, it is becoming an issue generating so much controversies not only in Nigeria but also outside the country. Perhaps, there is an iota of truth in everything said because the reasons given for the postponement of the election is not tenable. First, we have been having a war in these local governments and in the states over 5 years and that war has not spread more than these same 14 local governments in the North east. It has not gone to the North West or North central.
Therefore, I believe the military must have curtailed the Boko Haram activities. So, that shouldn’t be the reason for the stoppage of the election in 32 states including Abuja because there was relative peace in these states we are talking about. Secondly, why should it be the security officers that should write a letter to INEC advising them to shift election? If INEC refuses to shift that election and anything happens, it will be on INEC. So, head or tail, INEC will be blamed if they didn’t postpone the election. However, it doesn’t mean that it should be postponed by 6 weeks. Are they going to finish the prosecution of Boko Haram in 6 weeks? INEC said 73% of PVCs have been collected in totality. If you are looking for 100%, you are wasting your time. If majority of those who are voting have their PVC, I don’t see any reason for the postponement except there is something behind it. So, the two reasons given, to us are not tenable because it has been proved that it is not sufficient enough to postpone the election except they have an agenda which has not been known. Some people identified that they purposely did it in order to perpetrate certain things. I pray the war ends in 6weeks so that we will have peace everywhere in Nigeria. There will not be anybody to say I lost the election because of this, again, when the election is not done when it is supposed to, you are violating the constitution but we have agreed to wait for 6weeks and that doesn’t stop us from doing our rally. We will still continue it; they won’t catch us except they have a plan which we don’t know. Like what happened in Ekiti that is now been revealed. Everyone is on the watch out, whatever they want to do, they will see. Whether they want to rig it, the whole world is watching, we are also watching. We are not going to sleep until this election is over
The APC has been accused severally of heating up the polity. How would you react to this sir?
If that is the way they want to view it, then it is okay. We trusted the federal government, we trusted INEC during the Ekiti elections but, we have learnt a very good lesson that they cannot be trusted. We can tell that the military, INEC and the federal government were all involved in the rigging of the Ekiti elections. Thus, if we don’t shout out before the elections, when do we want to cry out?
Recently here in Lagos, we signed a peace agreement where the two gladiators, other parties and stakeholders were present. Same night we signed the agreement, they started tearing all our posters on 3rd Mainland Bridge claiming that it is a federal road. Is it the PDP that owns the federal government or the federal roads?
Recently, former President of Nigeria Olusegun Obasanjo renounced his membership of the PDP and went ahead to tear is membership card of the party. Many believe that the attitude is unbecoming of an elder statesman. Do you also share same sentiments?
I am a Yoruba man, I don’t insult my elders. I believe what he did is a reaction to what has been done to him and the country. After all, he is not coming to our party. so I believe they are all same in same.
Right from time, we have known President Obasanjo to be an emotional person. He is used to reacting exactly the way he feels. So, if that is the way he felt at that time, then it is okay to express it.
So, what is your expectation from the 2015 elections?
Well, my expectation is to see that the best man wins the election. Nigeria has been under a cabal for a while now and we need a new direction. With all the resources we are blessed with as a nation, there has been nothing to show for it.
My expectation is to have a Nigeria with uninterrupted power supply, reduced unemployment rate, to see corruption significantly minimized and to have good governance….
(Cuts-in) Your expectation for the election sir…
Well, my wish is for the best man to win and to have a peaceful free and fair election without rigging.
But people believe that all politicians are the same?
No, that is not true; politicians are not all the same. There are still politicians who are passionate about Nigeria. There are politicians who travel abroad and when they are there they are well behaved but, they come back and behave with so much impunity. See, this country is founded on law and the law must be obeyed. The culture of impunity must stop.
There are still politicians who believe in obeying the laws of the country, politicians who are passionate about the development of Nigeria.
Finally, this is about Lagos, the Alliance for Democracy gubernatorial candidate in the state believes that on his party has the experience to rule Lagos effectively. According to him, the AD ruled for 8 years, AC 4 years, ACN 2 years and the APC just 2 years. What is your reaction to this?
What exactly does he mean by saying that? I am so disappointed! Is it not same people who have progressed from AD to APC? I have been there, Asiwaju has been there, BRF has been there so who are the people now in AD?
In fact, there party is operating without a certificate. There are to factions of the AD; one has a certificate and the other does not so, I think they should just go and sort out their problems.