SAKA OGUNLEYE, former Education Secretary of Akure North Local Government and Secretary of Adult Contact Committee of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ondo State, is an aspirant for House of Representatives for Akure South/Akure North Federal Constituency. He speaks with Special Correspondent, JULIUS ALABI, on activities of his committee, his reasons for quitting LP as well as his 2015 ambition.
Essence of APC Adult Contact Committee
We have a responsibility; one, to ensure adequate mobilisation for the party and to bring more members to the party. What we are trying to do in our own side is that we have called this period, a season of harvest. What I mean by season of harvest is that there are some people who are progressive minded. You would recall that when Labour Party came into existence, it was meant to be a progressive party, and the progressive people joined the party then. Now that the governor has moved to PDP, which is regarded as a conservative party, the progressives are not ready to follow him to PDP.
Some people left Labour Party and some did not join Labour Party because of Governor Mimiko. They stayed with PDP and now that he has gone to PDP, some people will also leave PDP for him. So we will be harvesting from Labour Party; that is those will not move with him to PDP and we will also be harvesting from PDP, those that don’t want to see his face because of his political attitude. So we call this period, season of harvest for our party.
Reasons for leaving Labour Party
It is true that we started Labour Party together. I am a founding member. I was pioneer Secretary of the party in Akure North Local Government and during the election, a member of the State contact and mobilisation committee and a state member of campaign committee. To say the fact, a lot of things went wrong. We started on a good note when Mr. Governor pledged to the people that he would work for the people of the state but with the years gone by, we discovered that it was all deceit. It was a one-man show. It was like a family affair and he refused to develop the state as he promised. Even within the party, he was the governor of the state, he was the leader of the party, and he was the chairman of the party. The man was all in all when we were in Labour Party.
We saw that the man was full of deceit and some of us that had that idea quickly left the party for him. A lot of things went wrong but I am happy today that we have been vindicated.
2015 election and APC preparations
When you talk about preparation for my party, you talk about the National level to Ondo State and in my local government. Taking Nigeria as whole, PDP has been ruling this country for years now, probably unto 16 years. Few days ago, even without going to contest, they adopted Mr. President as their candidate. And taking a look at voting system of this country, my party will not make any mistake in picking a presidential candidate from the minority side. Politics is about votes, by the people and number. Let me give you this analysis, the whole lot of South South, the total votes there is just eight million, South East is seven million; that is 15 million, and in the North East, we have about 12 million votes, the North Central, 14 million, North West 10 million. That is to tell you that Jonathan will be facing more than 30 million votes. Come to the South West where you have the APC, about 14 million votes.
Lagos has about five million votes and the governor there is doing well unlike what is happening in Ondo. I don’t know under free and fair election, how Jonathan will survive 2015 election. This is how to tell you that my party is prepared. We know how to get our votes and we are working very hard. This is APC, a national party. We have Muhammadu Buhari now, we have Atiku Abubakar. Two of them have signified their intention to run for presidential seat. It is not by giving concession to a particular person or adopting one person as the candidate of the party. That is not democracy.
Democracy should give room for contest. A lot people are willing to join APC. I can tell you that APC is about people. It is like people are ready for this party because they see this party as a progressive party and a party that can take them to a promise land. Ondo state people will not go back to PDP days where we had violence during elections. Those days are gone.
APC benefitting from Ondo LP, PDP merger talks
Definitely yes! The merger of LP and PDP is like combining two evils. What has President Jonathan done in the South West to impress the people of Ondo to vote for PDP? What have they benefitted from Mimiko’s administration in the last six years? So, it is like putting two bad things together. You cannot market a bad product.
It is rather unfortunate that this government is bringing everybody together to corrupt them and nobody is talking. It has now become if you cannot beat them, you join them. A good government must be put in place to bring about the dreams of our forefathers. This is not the dreams of our forefathers. APC will stop all these things.
Cementing the cracks in Ondo APC
There is difference between APC and ACN. APC is a new party, the party that wants to put its structure on ground for the first time. As politicians, there will be struggle for the control of this structure. There is no doubt in that. That is the beauty of internal democracy – going to the field to elect your officers. We have taken that step and you know in the contest, there will be wrangling.
The party comes first before an individual. Candidates or aspirants are out to contest for an election. When they become candidates, they are the flag-bearers of that party, but when they are aspirants, they will have different caucuses campaigning for the same position.
We have learnt our lesson, we must work together to win.
2015 ambition
On my ambition as Saka Yusuf Ogunleye, I made it clear that I want to seek the mandate of my people to represent them at the National Assembly as a member of House of Representatives. I feel convinced within me that I can do better. I want to continue where Hon. Abegunde stopped. You see, government is about continuity and we believe that it is the turn of Akure North to present candidate for the position because Akure South has been representing us at the House of Representatives.
I have served in government and party level at different capacities. When I said I wanted to go to House of Reps, my people were happy.
They know when I get there, I will perform better and I will bring dividend of democracy to them.