Professor of Law and Vice Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Yemi Osinbajo, in this interview with Assistant Editor (South West), MUYIWA OLALEYE, talks on his nomination, relationship with the party’s presidential candidate, Muhammadu Buhari, and his agenda for the office, among other issues.
You were not in the early picture of contenders for APC vice presidential slot. When and how did your name come up?
My name was always being mentioned by our leaders. Maybe, a great deal of importance wasn’t attached to it, but it came up early. At least, in the press, it was reported frequently early too. This had been on since almost four or five months ago. There had been speculations for that long. Thus, my name had always been mentioned.
Why did you accept the offer?
First and foremost, I have confidence in Buhari. That was why I accepted the offer. I believe that one of the most important contributions any person can make to a society is public service. For me, it didn’t require much reflection because I have always believed that the most effective way of making maximum impact on the welfare and well-being of our society is through public service and contributing my quota to the development of Nigeria as a whole.
Have you received any revelation on your party emerging victorious in the elections?
It is not about winning; that is not what I am interested in. What I am interested in is not what God says about winning or losing. I am not asking Him for, as it were, a lottery. If we were going to play a game, then I could say: O Lord, will I win or lose? That’s not the point. The point is, will I serve the people or will I not? That’s the only issue I need to consider, and I don’t need any special directive on that because that is what God has already said we must do as believers.
Did you seek Pastor Enoch Adeboye’s consent before accepting the nomination?
Yes, of course. I serve under the General Overseer (GO) of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) as a pastor. If I am going to take any kind of action, especially an action that involves public service, it is my duty to consult with him. It would be absolutely irresponsible of me not to consult with him. And I consulted with him.
Your opponents have labelled you a stooge to the national leader of the APC, Bola Tinubu.
What anyone should do is look at my track record. In any event, when you look at Tinubu, who is it that he has in any form supported that turned out to be his stooge? Is it (Lagos State Governor, Babatunde) Fashola or (former Ekiti State Governor, Kayode) Fayemi? Is it (Osun State Governor, Rauf) Aregbesola or (Edo State Governor, Adams) Oshiomhole? Is it (Oyo State Governor, Abiola) Ajimobi, (Ogun State Governor, Ibikunle) Amosun or Wale Edun? These are individuals who have contributed tremendously to the development of their states and the development of this nation. And all you need to ask those who tell you about stooges and all of that is: who are those men and women of character who they have produced to serve in the same states where we have served so creditably? I think the statement is not really worth the comment.
One of the reasons given for ‘zoning’ the APC vice presidential slot to the South West was that the region sacrificed so much for the emergence of the party, and that it has been marginalised in the current dispensation. What are your plans for the region?
I am a candidate of the APC, which is a national party. Don’t regionalise candidature. General (Muhammadu) Buhari is a representative of the South West, the North and everywhere else, and so am I. We were elected nationally; we were not elected to represent regions or places. It would be wrong for us to say that the reason I am there is for the South West. What then would the South East and South South say? I don’t think that regionalising it in that way is right. I think we are persons who have been appointed into national offices and we will serve in those capacities. I think that is the right way to look at this. I believe the South West will be an engine of change and development in Nigeria. It is important that that is maintained, just as all the parts of Nigeria – the South East, South South and North. Everyone has a role to play and a contribution to make.
As a lawyer, you are trained to obey the rule of law, while Buhari is a retired Army General, who gained power several years ago through coup d’tat. Are you sure there wouldn’t be a conflict, if you are elected?
I’ve interacted extensively with Buhari and I think he is conscious of the fact that we are in a civilian dispensation and that we are bound by the rule of law and the Constitution. He has repeated this so often. He has demonstrated this by going to court every time he lost election, pursuing the rule of law and legal processes.
He could have completely ignored it. He could have said: I don’t even believe in the rule of law. I don’t believe in the system. But he has consistently done the right thing, and whenever he speaks, you’ll notice that he always goes back to the Constitution. I believe that whatever we may say about the military dispensation, we should realise that the era was not famous for the observance of the rule of law. But I think that after all of these years, Buhari has had plenty of time to reflect and all his utterances in the many years after military rule show that he definitely subscribes fully to the tenets of the rule of law and fundamental human rights, and also understands that democratic rule is different from military rule. Thus, I have no problems at all working with a man like him.
What are you bringing to the table if eventually you win?
I’m bringing in hard work, focus, my reputation for detailed work. Also, I like to support a man who believes in probity and accountability. I think that is important. I also would like to work with implementation of policies. We have shown that for eight years in Lagos State. We worked very hard on our justice sector reforms and all the other reforms of the Tinubu-led administration. Even in the subsequent administration, we worked hard with all of those who are there. We have been there in the public service; we may not be famous, but we have worked very hard.
Considering that the Office of the Vice President has no portfolio under the Constitution, how confident are you that you can realise all these?
Buhari and I have had several discussions. I know that he will not waste the peculiar attributes that I will bring to the table, because he is a person who obviously values contributions from other people. I have worked with him and I have seen him at work. I don’t think that he would waste my contributions. I think he will happily receive contributions and give me roles to play that will ensure that his administration benefits maximally. What’s the point of having me on the ticket, if he is not going to use what I will bring to the table? I don’t have any doubts at all that Buhari will find my contributions useful enough for him to say: This and that are the things I’d like you to do.
One of the most serious issues the country is facing is insecurity. How do you think this should be tackled?
I think the first problem is recognising that you cannot deal with such a major assault on the integrity of the nation when you are misrepresenting the facts. And one of the things that the government, unfortunately, has done is to accuse the opposition of being responsible for the Boko Haram (insurgency), which, of course, has created a division. Look at everywhere else in the world where a country has come under attack. What the government does is to ensure that there is a bi-partisan or a multi-party agreement on how to tackle the problem. You don’t politicise the issue. In this case, the false allegations made against the APC of being responsible for Boko Haram (attacks), including allegations made against senior members of the party by the government, first of all, created a distraction. Rather than identify the real causes and issues surrounding the Boko Haram (insurgency), they were busy labelling the APC. This, for me, is one of the greatest disservices this administration has done to this nation. Rather than focus on who the true enemy was, they waited until Buhari was almost killed by the same Boko Haram before they started to rethink that allegation. It is unfortunate. Whenever they find it convenient, they just throw the allegation around.
I think the first thing, when you want to deal with a danger of such enormity to a nation, is that you must be truthful, sincere and forthright. You must identify who the true enemy is. The second is that you have to motivate and equip the military, and the Commander-in-Chief must lead from the front. You cannot lead from behind. The people must see that just as you are saying to them that they must be prepared to fight Boko Haram, you are also prepared. It is apparent that our military is very disciplined. I have said this many times, the Nigerian Army is one of the best in the world; definitely one of the best in Africa. I served under UNOSOM (United Nations Operation in Somalia) II in Mogadishu, Somalia; the head of the military police that took care of the entire operation, Col. Pat Akem, was a Nigerian. He is now a brigadier. All of the troops from other nations were under his care as the head of the military police in that operation. The representative of the United Nations Secretary-General in that mission always insisted that Nigerians should be the ones to guard him when he would go out of the UN compound. Nigerian troops have distinguished themselves in peacekeeping all over the world.
It is unfortunate to hear terrible stories that Boko Haram insurgents chased soldiers away and they are not well-equipped or motivated. It is sad. If you want to win against insurgency, then you must arm the military well. That is what is required. I think that these are some of the issues that boost morale, motivate the troops and the nation. Unfortunately, that is not the case.
The third issue is that we must also identify the fact that there seems to be a large pool from where these Boko Haram members are continuously being recruited. What is the reason for that? Many of our young people don’t have a stake in this society. They are jobless; there are no opportunities. And then somebody comes to them and says: “If you join us, whatever you steal or loot, including women, is yours.” That is a problem. I think what we ought to bear in mind is that we must address some of the causes, especially the pool from which these people are constantly recruiting from. We must address the problems of poverty and disillusionment among young people, especially in those regions where Boko Haram has largely been operating from. I believe that our government would be able to address those issues seriously and comprehensibly. If we say, so far, trillions have been spent on defence, and troops are complaining about bullets and rounds of ammunition, then there is something gravely wrong.
Do you see the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) accomplishing the task of distributing Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs)?
The distribution of the PVCs has not shown INEC in a very good light. I would really urge INEC to rise up to its responsibilities. These coming elections are very important for the future of our nation. And I think it is important for INEC to live up to its responsibilities; understand the importance of the elections and understand why the elections should not be tainted in anyway by any kind of suggestion that they were not properly conducted. I think INEC really has a duty to this nation – to ensure that things are done properly this time.
Your advice to the electorate?
They should vote for the candidate of their choice as stipulated in the Nigerian constitution, and protect their votes without any violence.
Who is Osinbajo?
I was born on March 8, 1957 at Creek Hospital, Lagos. I am a senior lawyer, a member of Nigeria’s inner bar.
I got my primary school education at Corona School. From 1969 to 1975, I attended Igbobi College, Yaba. In 1978, I graduated from the University of Lagos where I was awarded the Bachelor of Laws or LLB (Second Class Upper) degree.
In 1979, before I was admitted to practise as a barrister and solicitor of Nigeria’s Supreme Court, I undertook the mandatory one year professional training at the Nigerian Law School. I also underwent internship at the law firm of Chief Obafemi Awolowo.
In 1980, I attended the London School of Economics and Political Science, where I obtained a Master of Laws. I also did my national youth service with the Bendel Development and Planning Authority (BDPA) as a legal officer.
From 1981 to 1988, I was engaged by the University of Lagos as lecturer. Later, I was appointed as Special Adviser to the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, (legal advice and litigation), Bola Ajibola (SAN).
At the age of 33, I became a professor of Law in 1990. Afterwards, I established a law practice (Osinbajo, Kukoyi & Adokpaye) as a partnership, while concurrently I was a professor of Law and Head of Department (HoD) of Public Law (1997 to 1999).
From 1999 to 2007, I served as the Lagos State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, after Bola Ahmed Tinubu had just been elected as governor in May 1999.
In June 2007, I became senior partner at the law firm of Simmons Cooper Partners.
In 2013, under the auspices of the All Progressives Congress (APC), I and other notable Nigerians designed and produced a manifesto for the new political party. As a result, in March 2014, the Roadmap project was presented.
On December 17, 2014, the presidential candidate of the APC, Buhari, announced me as his running mate for 2015 general elections.
