Chairman of All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ondo State, ISAAC KEKEMEKE, was Secretary to State Government (SSG), Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, as well as Commissioner for Works in the state. He speaks with Special Correspondent, JULIUS ALABI, on the chances of his party taking over power in the state, among other issues…
Chances of APC winning elections into federal and state legislatures in 2015
Isaac KekemekeWell, our aim is to take over the state from the ruling Labour Party (LP), and what most of us are praying for is good government. We have machinery in place now to field credible candidates for all elections across the state. I am confident that come 2015, APC will win massively and enthrone good governance, unlike what we are witnessing now.
Leaving PDP for APC
It is true that I was a foundation member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state. I was also a member of the caretaker committee and the pioneer state secretary. I left the party because it has derailed from its goals and objectives. The party has been hijacked by a group of people for their selfish interest. There is little consideration for the party. That is why our government celebrates transformation and do-or-die affair politics. That is why we have a president who embraces corruption at all levels and that is why there is collapse of governance as a result of corruption. That is why the government has failed in its primary responsibilities. We have government that cannot assure its citizenry of security of their lives and property, but says all is well with the country. I did not want to continue to be part of that mishap. I believe that there should be peace in all parts of the country. There are lots of things to be done to salvage Nigeria.
Defection to APC confirmation that PDP has no firm root in Ondo
My defection has to do with the fact that PDP in Ondo revolves around some personalities. It is more or less a one-man show. It is almost a dictatorship and not a democracy. APC is broad based with the effective leadership. There is enthronement of internal democracy by the national chairman. I am sure and confident that APC will win 2015 elections.
Disagreement with Agagu
I want to tell you that (now the late) Dr. Olusegun Agagu’s government was the best the people of this state witnessed. He performed to the expectation of the people of the state, and he did so much to bring governance to the doorstep of the masses. And he worked hard so much that people of the state felt his impact, even after he left government. But I severed my relationship with him mainly on his leadership style; not that he didn’t perform or that he was not a good leader. I parted ways with Agagu due to his leadership style which favoured a section of his followers above the collective interest of the whole group under his leadership. The practice where few people would be promoted well above others in the areas of sharing political appointments and positions was the area I disagreed with the late Agagu, and not that I questioned his leadership quality or performance in government. I only fell out with him basically on his leadership style. He was my leader, but I left PDP quietly without any rancour.
Ondo APC crisis and way forward
No, you get it wrong; there are no factions in our party. What we witnessed was that some supporters were seen supporting a particular candidate or they wanted their candidate to emerge for a particular position or post. That was what people termed factionalisation. It is normal in politics. Now, all members are back on the track to work hard for the success of the party in the 2015 general elections.
My aim is to move the vehicle of the party forward, that is to move the party from the street to the Government House in Akure and to the various local government secretariats across the state, change status of the party from an opposition party to a winning party. That is my plan. It is also to take over government as early as possible and also contribute substantially to an expected APC victory in February 2015.
Achievements as APC state chairman
We are trying to build a power-hungry party and a party whose members are angry with the present government because of its low performance level. I can assure you that from the feelers we have, there are positive responses to our aspirations. People are beginning to tolerate one another and forgive one another. Party members have started to settle their differences and have begun to realise the importance of unity among them. We also realised that majority of the people of the state rejected Governor Olusegun Mimiko’s second term, from the results of the governorship election in October 2012. He scored a little above 40 per cent of the total votes cast in the election where over 54 per cent voted against his re-election. However, as a leader, he should have used this as reason to perform better than the first term to consolidate and redeem his image in the sight of the poor masses. Instead of doing that, the governor went ahead to put more burden on the people by imposing a regime of taxes on them.
Proposed part-time legislature as recommended by confab
The proposal is a welcome idea because the present crop of legislators at the National Assembly and Houses of Assembly are already on part-time. Imagine the current situation where a legislative house only sits for two or a maximum of three days a week, and go on recess for several weeks in a year. What do you call that? It is part-time, but they’re only wasting public fund on the pretense that they are doing full-time legislative business.
Although, I don’t believe in the on-going confab, which I can describe as another opportunity to siphon the nation’s resource, the proposed part-time legislature by the confab would curb the current jumbo pay to the lawmakers.
I must confess that the presidential system of government in Nigeria is too expensive and leaves room for monumental corruption within the polity. But my fear is that the implementation of the recommendations of the confab delegates may not see the light of day because there is no enabling law or constitutional backing for any decision reached at the confab.
Insecurity in Nigeria
This country is under serious threat because when ordinary hardworking people of this country are attacked and killed, when innocent school children are attacked and killed, when religious places are attacked at will, then we are in serious trouble. There is urgent need to curb the menace.