Former Ondo State Commissioner for Transport and erstwhile Chairman of Akure North Local Government, Omoniyi Omodara, talks to Special Correspondent, JULIUS ALABI, on political developments in the state, emerging issues Governor Olusegun Mimiko’s planned defection from Labour Party (LP) to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), among other issues.
Politics at the local level in Ondo
The politics at the local level is very vibrant, especially when the person at the helm of affairs is ready to work with the traditional rulers, chiefs or Olu, the Baale, Iyalaje and Iyaloja as well as the National Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE). During my time as the local government chairman, each time we left the deputy governor’s office for Joint Account Allocation Committee (JAAC) meeting, as soon as I got to the office, I would call them for a meeting and show them the allocation paper. Thereafter, I would ask the treasurer, all Heads of Department (HODs) and the chairman of NULGE to go and work on it. At that time, we are able to touch the lives of many people at the grassroots. We were able to build markets, stores and drainages. We built basic health centres across the local government.
Engagement after serving as commissioner
When I left office, I went to PDP. I am still in PDP and to showcase what I could offer my people, I just launched a group known as Ondo State Flagship Group. We have our membership that cuts across the 18 local government areas of the state.
We want to go to the grassroots from units to wards, then to the local governments and thereafter to the state level. We want people to feel our impact. The group is not for bread and butter. We want to make sure that politics is played in such a manner that people will benefit in terms of employment and infrastructure. It is disheartening that in Ondo we are suffering in the midst of plenty. But we are out now to sanitise it.
Defection from LP to PDP
LP at the time I left was like a one-man show. Governor Mimiko was not ready to listen to anybody. His so-called friend, Soji Bello, was another problem of the LP. He was so powerful that he controlled everything and I refused to be controlled by him. I believe in party supremacy and real democracy, not friend to friend or family to family, and that is the problem they are having in LP now.
Current line of action
Those who thought for some time that they were the leaders, you can see what is happening. We all laboured and worked for LP, believing that there would be positive change, but we are now regretting. We can now compare and contrast the period of the late Dr. Olusegun Agagu with the present administration. If we talk of building of classroom blocks, 203 classrooms were built then. There was no ward in the state that Agagu did not build a six classrooms block in the primary school; the same for the secondary schools. Roads were built also.
During Agagu’s regime, there was progress and development in Ondo State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (OSOPADEC). But now, the people in the riverine areas are suffering in the midst of plenty. Just few people are enjoying the money accruing to the people of the area. You cannot cheat someone two or three times. We have all learned our lessons. I have learned my own lesson from the governor and some of his aides because he allowed them to mislead him then.
Being in PDP with Mimiko
No problem; the constitution allows it. That is freedom of association. The larger the better. But since I have known him, I know how to deal or work with him. That is very simple. I have known him, and I will know how to associate with him, if ever there will be room for personal association.
2015 and PDP in Ondo
By the grace of God, the pendulum has changed and the wind of politics is favouring PDP now. There is no state that you will not see thousands and thousands of opposition parties either in All Progressives Congress (APC), LP or mushroom parties defecting to PDP. Look at Ondo, there is no party called LP again. It is now moribund. I am very sure that by the grace of God, PDP is making it and will triumph at last.
Ondo PDP and return of Mimiko
The constitution allows it. They should allow him to come. But since they have known him, they should also play the game along with him. Personally, there is no game he can play that is new to me. I have seen it all. He should be accepted. You can only play double game when you are popular. You can only deceive people when they love you; it is not when they all know your antics.
60:40 sharing formula between LP and PDP
The national body of the PDP cannot impose anybody or whatever you call it on the state. We are in the state. The National Working Committee (NWC) cannot come to Ondo to vote. They are not going to run the affairs of PDP in Ondo. We know ourselves and we know our leaders in the state. The issue of 60:40 or 90:10 is out of the way and I consider it as a rumour. The governor himself confirmed it. So, it is some of his supporters that brought it up to create crisis.
LP, PDP merger and party primaries
There must be thorough sharing formula. There must be thorough and serious acceptable framework before that type of merger can take place because, for example, if someone in LP is interested in the House of Representatives seat in Akure South and Akure North, already we have our candidate. Who is that person that will now come and say we should vacate that position for him or her? It is not possible either by primaries or anything at all.
Crisis in the making
Well, that is if there is no proper planning and coordination. Proper planning must be put in place to prevent this unforeseen crisis.
Confronting APC threat
APC is non-issue at all. I am in Akure North local government. They have three factions in my area. Democracy is not thriving in APC. This is a party being run by few leaders. We saw few of them when they were in ACN, the way they operated. In the last election, they spent millions of naira, yet PDP beat them, not to talk of when some LP and other members are coming up with PDP. They cannot match PDP either at the local or state level. They are far behind because there is no true democracy in the party. True democracy is not in their dictionary.
