Governorship aspirant on the platform of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Ondo Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Bamiduro Dada, speaks in this interview with Special Correspondent, JULIUS ALABI, on the coming local government and governorship elections in the state, stressing that his party has nothing to fear in both contests.
Ondo Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) preparations for local government and governorship elections next year
We are preparing well. We are going to win both elections. The governor has performed very well. You can compare his achievements with what is happening in all other states. In most of our neighbouring states where we have All Progressives Congress (APC) people in government, what they do are those things they emulate from Ondo. If you look at this country today, you will discover that government of Ondo led by Olusegun Mimiko has excelled in all areas of development. Is it the area of health, education, agriculture, rural infrastructure, urban renewal and the like you want to talk about? This governor has excelled in all of them.
I want to believe that what the governor is doing in this state is to benchmark governance for other people to emulate. If any election comes up today, people will vote for that quality. At least, you will use projects to know how far the government is faring. It is one of the yardsticks, and today Ondo State is on the podium when we talk of project execution. The governor has done very well. Under his watch, the PDP will never have any problem faring well in any election in Ondo.
I know what the people of this state are; they will never discard a government that is doing well and vote for a government we are not even sure of – a government that does not have manifesto. That is why we are having confusion at the federal level because we don’t even know their manifesto; we don’t know what they stand for and what they have in stock for the people of this country.
Federal might working against PDP in Ondo
There was federal might in 2007 when the PDP was in government in Ondo. Labour Party (LP) then was like an orphan. But the people rallied round to vote for us. I know that people of Ondo will always vote for quality.
We are enlightened people. An average Ondo person knows what he wants. Therefore, if anybody has it in mind that federal might would influence anything in Ondo, such a person should forget about that idea. I don’t think any federal might can come and operate in Ondo. It is impossible. I have said it several times; any government that will fall in this country will start from Ondo because we know our worth. If you look at what happened in 1983, it started in Ondo because the election was rigged. Any government that wants to sustain itself in Nigeria should allow free and fair election to hold in Ondo. We are educated people. So no federal might can work here because people of Ondo will continue to vote according to their conscience.
Agenda for local government elections
You could remember that when Dr. Olusegun Agagu was the governor, an election was hurriedly conducted for the local government areas. Even when a competent court of law gave order that such an election should not hold, the then governor went ahead to hold the election. Immediately we came on board, we approached a court of competent jurisdiction and that election was set aside and all the chairmen then were asked to vacate office. We put up caretaker committee at the local government level. Thereafter, the then PDP approached the court. Since then, the case has been in court. We, LP government of Ondo then, were the respondents, while the PDP that went to court was the plaintiff. So, with a case still pending in court, there was no way we could go and conduct election. That is not permissible. I said it earlier that any area where we have court case pending, there is nothing we can do. We are law-abiding.
Last year, the then LP and PDP fused. After that fusion, the government has been making pronouncement that there would be local government election. The governor was able to make that pronouncement because both the respondents and the plaintiffs are now in the same party. You cannot be a plaintiff and at the same time be the respondent. PDP cannot take PDP to court. In the past, it was PDP versus LP. Today, it is PDP within PDP; so there is no how that case will continue. So we are hoping that soon the case would be withdrawn and the coast will be clearer for the conduct of local government election. It is that litigation that has been delaying the process of having elected chairmen at the local government level in Ondo.
Governors tampering with allocations meant for LGs
Well, for us in Ondo, the governor has never for once tampered with the finances of the local governments in the state and he will never do that because he knows that people are suffering. And with the dwindling economy; nothing like that can happen in Ondo. The money for the local governments will be spent perfectly for the local governments.
Recent inauguration of Chieftaincy Review Committee
The setting up of that committee of enquiry is sequel to the request by various communities. They brought a lot of requests to the table of the governor. Some want upgrading to various grades – D to C, C to B or B to A as we have it among the Obas (monarchs) in Ondo. What the governor wants to achieve is to abolish grade D, so that what we will have in Ondo will be grades A to C. There are also some communities clamouring to have their own traditional rulers. There are so many places we have high chiefs and they are the head. But the government cannot just go ahead and look at that community and make a pronouncement like that. In that regard, a committee was set up to look into the historical background of such a community. The committee will also look at the people that are entitled to such royalty.
Government does not select Oba (king) for any community. All we do is to play the role of an umpire. We always make sure that due process is followed. There are laid down declarations, rules and regulations guiding the selection of an Oba. What the government does is to make sure that such rules are followed. The kingmakers do the selection. Our own is to observe, direct them that this is the process that you should follow. If such processes are not followed, we quickly point the errors to them. After the selection, it would come before the executive and we would give the final ratification. After the ratification, we present the staff of office to that Oba and that makes such an Oba legitimate.
It was based on these requests from various communities and Obas that made the governor to set up the panel.