Hon. Dr. Joshua Oyebamiji is the Oyo Central Senatorial Chairman and Vice-Chairman of Oyo APC.
He is a former House of Assembly Chairman, House Committee on Information, Security, and Strategies. Also, the Spokesperson for the 8th Assembly, from Akinyele Local Government, Ward 2, Alasoosun Village.
In a recent chat with Ametrocopy, he bares his mind on the current state of the party, preparations for 2023, and the defections from and into the party.
How do you see the defection of the present Oyo-south Senator, Kola Balogun to your party?
The defection I think to us, is timely and you see, in a political scene or scenario, you will be noticing that at times somethings that people are enduring when it gets to a point that is meaningful, they have to take their own decision and when their decisions that are taken, there could be counter decisions. You will see that there has been a long-term rift between him and the incumbent Governor, but they have been trying to manage themselves. It has got to a stage where the rift has to explode for the public to see. So, the Governor had first taken a step instead of reconciling or adjusting, at least shifting the ground by each of them. So, that type of step that the Governor took seems to be embarrassing not only to the serving senator but even to the public. Often if somebody embarrasses you the only way to get yourself back is to probably adjust accordingly and he has taken the step of adjustment. In today’s politics all over the nation Nigeria or in Oyo state, in particular, you will notice that there are two major parties and if you are a real politician and you are focusing on the future, you will either belong to A or B to have your way. Let me say it will be too late for anybody to say he is starting a party now except he has another agenda probably to come out of a place and later join either of these two so that he can have his political status quo retained and maintained. In the light of that nobody wants backwardness everybody wants forwardness, what I mean is progress, everybody wants progress. The serving Senator, Senator Kola Balogun of the South Senatorial district, has taken the best decision not only opting out but opting out to the ruling party at the national level to which his position belongs. I have been in opposition. When I came in the Eighth Assembly in Oyo state as a legislator, I was in opposition for 3 years, I know what it means before I eventually danced to the tune of the ruling party. When you are in opposition in a system, the first thing is you only have your rights and no privilege, and ditto for your supporters. Even Oyo state, those who are real politicians, will know what we are missing because out of the states of the southwest, it Is only Oyo state that does not belong to the national party, the ruling party at the national level and you will know that normally they will first take care of those who will deliver their own visions before they will think of somebody who will contradict their own vision. Oyo state is missing a lot of things now and you know Oyo state is very sensitive too in the southwest political arrangement since Oyo state is the headquarters of the western region in those days and Ibadan as the headquarters. You will notice that a lot of things started from Ibadan, developments, the first of this, the first of that. So, any reasonable politician would want the restoration of the lost glory of Oyo state and would want Oyo state to align with Federal Government so that we will be able to have a total dividend of democracy.
Is it an automatic ticket for the Senator in your party? Since we are just a couple of weeks away from the primaries, is it going to be an automatic ticket for him, or will you allow the spirit of democracy to thrive internally?
There is no automatic ticket, especially these days and there is no imposition of candidates. Since others also have been showing interest and I think they have been purchasing forms, so, it is either they embark on the primaries. First of all, our party is so sensitive to negotiation. We will first call all of them and tell them to consider themselves, and you know because we have the national party and we have the national government, the Federal Government, so there is nobody that is going to lose, so we are still safe, Dr. Kola Balogun is still safe even if he doesn’t win. I don’t think he came purposely because of the ticket; he came purposely to re-establish himself and not to be politically destroyed anyhow. If you want to weigh the person they jettisoned him for, politically he has paperweight, we know him and you know at a time when he was a gladiator in our party, the last dispensation. Some people are saying he is from Delta, some people are saying he is from Oyo, and some people are saying he is from Ibadan, so he embarked on a campaign, advocacy, and publicity, to let people know that he is not an Igbo guy, he is from nowhere but Ibadan. All things being equal, with what is on the ground, experience counts, it is because Governor Seyi Makinde lacks the cognate experience that’s why he’s thinking that he can just bring somebody and usurp the other person. Often, an ideal politician will not change a winning person, a winning team. He got that ticket because Kola Balogun won the election, because the other parties that merged with him, they asked them to show what they have before they choose to go for backing PDP.
In other words, you are saying that Kola Balogun’s victory also assisted GSM’s victory?
it generated his ticket. Come to the comparison of Senator Femi Lanleyin of ADC and also Barrister Sarafadeen Alli of ZLP, you will notice that both of them have more political experiences than Governor Seyi Makinde. But in a political arena, what they do is display what you have, what scores do you have? In the first election, ZLP did not have any senator, and neither did they have any rep, the same thing happened to ADC, so the only party that had one senator along with three Reps was PDP. So, if the senator and the other persons had not won, he wouldn’t have been awarded that ticket, which is the reality of the situation. If that person that his own victory generated your ticket, that gave you the privilege to be voted for, the coalition efforts brought you in, the 5-party backup brought you in and then you started, I count it as political misbehavior.
What is your exco doing to ensure that your party is not factionalized ahead of the forthcoming general elections like what happened in 2015?
Since we finished the state congress, we had embarked on mediation and reconciliation. In fact, the state exco was inclusive, all factions were represented at the state exco’s level because it was zoned to all the political zones that we have. Each local government produced a person to represent that local government, then with the support of one major stakeholder. I am from Akinyele local government, I’m the Oyo central senatorial chairman which is an automatic Vice Chairman at the state level. I was the only one in the executive from Akinyele local government, the state executive at Akinyele Local Government, I was supported by Senator Folarin Kolawole Teslim and each of these people were supported, the state youth leader was supported by the Sports Minister, Sunday Dare and the PRO was supported by Baba Oke, some people were supported by Buhari, I mean the Northern Senator, Ogunesan and co, so, Akala produced the senatorial chairman for Oyo North. Each of the executive, 36 of us, came from each of the local government and with a backup of one of the stakeholders, which means we are evenly distributed. At times, it could be a stakeholder or a group because the Lamists produced the Oyo south senatorial chairman that is Olaoya, while Omodewu was produced by those who are Ajimobi’s SENACO.
So, with that background, everybody’s interest was represented in fact the bone of contention was that we don’t want this or chairmanship that was an issue before and they just group themselves into two, I’m for Gbadamosi, I’m for Omodewu, are you getting it? All things being equal, when the matter was taken to Abuja, the headquarters, they x-rayed the merit of each of these groups, who has fulfilled all righteousness, who has not fulfilled all conditions? They are basic conditions to become the executive or the chairman of a state executive, you must purchase the form, you must apply (expression of interest), you must attend the screening, then, after passing through those stages, you must attend the congress. If you are two or three you go on to the election at the congress level and if you are the only person, they affirm your position, that is what they call affirmation. Either by election or affirmation, Gbadamosi did not fulfill all those, there was no congress; he took the form but he did not attend the interview and he did not attend the congress. At the platform of the congress, they called on each of these contestants and Omodewu produced himself. They waited for all other people, somebody came up and stepped down and he was affirmed.
Ajewole from Okeogun also came up and stepped down. Immediately after that, we started reconciliation. Thereafter, through reconciliation, some people agreed but because of the underneath coalition to oppose so some people will say I agree, go and see them but I will not oppose you again, I will not say more than that so go and see so so person, those are the people who are pushing us. But there is no profit in division.
What is the position of Senator Ayo Adeseun as we speak?
Senator Ayo Adeseun has purchased the form for Oyo central senatorial district and he is bringing the form to Omodewu for recommendation; that is part of the condition. The form will not be accepted without the endorsement of Omodewu, so, this process of primaries and the application show interest. To me I don’t see anybody who is extremely aggrieved again, I can see those who are ambitious, those who have ambition you know, which is normal, people still express their interest and that is the reason why I told you that there will not be any imposition. There could only be negotiation, and reconciliation and probably the leaders will call them.
Will there be an election or will there be a consensus?
There will be elections, there will be primaries. There are dates for primaries already, they will even set another day by 12 to 14 for the election of the delegates, are you getting it?
Is it going to be direct?
Definitely, the representation of delegates means it’s going be a semi-direct, you get that kind of thing. Because it is not going to be massive, the members of the party will elect the delegates who will stand in for them because of the management of the crowd at that level, do the cost and the risk attached to it, you have to consider many things.
In a nutshell, so towards the primary election coming up, the spirit of democracy will be upheld internally within the APC?
Definitely, somebody has fallen, and we have learned our lesson from that falling person. Somebody has decided to be autocratic, somebody has decided to impose, somebody bought forms and distributed to those he likes, so that is why you see the exodus of people moving from PDP to APC. You know you witness the one we did at Oke-Ado the other time, then Muraina from Ibarapa, Oseni, then Aderibigbe, then from Ibadan North with the former chairman, and each of them has a bandwagon of followers that are leaving with them. The second night to it, the second Senator left them and they have no senator, again we have 3 senators, so those are indicators that you see. What brought them in is bringing them out.
How formidable, solid, and how prepared is your party to take power in 2023?
We are more than prepared. So, if not, the fact that we will accomplish many agenda but we don’t play into the hands of the enemy, are you getting it? Because like this one, he set the Pakute for himself and he fell into it. If you just decided to fight the only senator you have, did anybody cause it? And you yourself sent that person away by replacing him when he is still active, do you think he will represent the interest of PDP at the federal level again? He wouldn’t, it is self-destruction and that is what we are saying. When you offend someone, all the fans of that serving Senator become your enemy with immediate effect and you know the position of Kola Balogun, the junior to the present Olubadan of Ibadan, one-time Senator also, Lekan Balogun. And you know the implication of that, there will be sympathy votes and that will cut across the state, there will be sympathy vote in Ogbomoso for Akala, there will be for Ajimobi in Ibadan, that we have seen the difference. Do you talk of the security problems or do you talk of education and technical know-how and you talk of political experience and the likes? And do you talk of keeping the promises, or following the memorandum of understanding that Governor Seyi Makinde broke the first day he was sworn in? He started breaking the covenant that brought them together by appointing the secretary, Adeosun who was from nowhere, has no record in the political history and activities that brought him in and the second person a Chief of Staff he took from his party, you are not creating a balance. The people started seeing the signs and then before you know it you are making releases of names and where all those people are not being taken into consideration, you just look at one person you have a personal rapport with and you tag that person ADC without consultation with the leadership, then you tag another one ZLP without consultation with the leadership. At the initial stage, at the inception, you came in through the leadership and you are bold enough today in the political history of Nigeria, I have not seen any real politician that will come to the public and say I don’t have a godfather, can any person be produced without a natural father, so can you become anything without a teacher or a helper? So those are some of the things I will refer to as atrocities. That made all those people back out, that is an insult on some people when they make you and you say nobody made me. You see, God will send some people to make you and if you don’t acknowledge those people it is a sin against divinity.
Finally, sir, we have also witnessed some defections from the APC, especially that of Chief Joseph Tegbe, how does that make the party feel and how do you think that will affect your party
Let me tell you sincerely if I tell you that I personally granted the interview, I am talking as a person, I am not talking for the party now. Immediately he defected, on the social media, up to date, his defection is on social media, he was not brought out to the public and welcomed to the party neither did he render any letter of resignation for our party, are you getting it? So, you know what that means. So, let’s say the personality, he was a consultant a professional, an associate of late Ajimobi, an auditor, are you getting it? And you know one of the blackmailings of him then was that he helped Ajimobi to send away some staff by auditing them out, the people said they will not vote for him, he is still carrying the cross, the scar of that assignment which he professionally got the money for on him. Actually, it is not a minus on our own side but it is a minus on theirs, Kola Balogun does not have that type of scar on him, so, for him to have left a controversial person whose origin is disputable and that person left your place, some of your problems have been solved, are you getting it? But politicians because of votes, don’t chase away people, individuals have a way of contributing either technically, financially, or materially, some people are not even active, he was not an active politician, so, he was a professional, a friend of the government and he was brought in and he registered his interest. Tell me his political history, tell me what he has done in politics before, tell me when did you start knowing him. We started knowing him during the tenure of Governor Ajimobi and we started knowing him when there was a mass application for the position of Governorship when almost twenty-something people came out to mount billboards here and there that they want to be governor in a singular party, even those who are not fit for Councillorship so that it will not be regarded as a political statement, he was one of our gladiators and he doesn’t affect us politically, let me just say that. He has never contested for any post; he had no followers that he will carry with him.
Are you saying he has no electoral value?
Definitely, you are saying what I am saying. You have some people with a paperweight, are you getting it? So, you can see the electoral value of Dr. Kola Balogun, are you getting it? People who have been tested, I have more electoral value than him, I have contested as an honorable, I have had some appointments and before they can make you one of the leaders at the state level, you must be an experienced politician. I slept in the village, I have attended to many people this morning while I was coming to the town, I live with my people, I have two houses in the town, but I sleep at least twice or thrice a week in the village. So, I know what goes on there, the people that they see, the people that interact with them and the people who don’t interact with them, so how will they know what they need and nobody, no politician, no party will enter my jurisdiction, my consistency, without reckoning that there is somebody there. If it is an opposition, they will say, there is a problem around this place, if they are part of me, they will say we have factors that can add value to this place. So, we don’t feel it, if he comes back, he is welcome because some people have gone and come back just within this one week and that was what I told them at Solutions Fm that just like they made a publication on social media Adebayo Adelabu left the party and he came out the second week that they were lying, that he’s not leaving the party and he has not left the party, are you getting it? So, I told them the same thing could happen to Tegbe, there is nobody without value, even if he’s a sponsor, that’s still a value, are you getting it? Any link you have, any energy you have, any support you have, you have your own value, as media people, you have your own value, so you add your own value by giving publicity. So, if you join politics now, I won’t say you don’t have value, nobody with zero value, even nuisance value is a value.
