Omooba Sunday Solarin, a visiting lecturer with Babcock University, Ilisan Remo is the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate for Ogun State House of Assembly seat of Ikenne state constituency in the forthcoming 2019 general elections. In this interview with Bankole Taiwo, the PDP stalwart who also doubles as the Secretary General of Ladi Adebutu Campaign Organization, speaks on varied issues as they affect the resolve of the opposition party to return to winning ways in 2019 dispelling rumours going the round that the PDP governorship candidate for the State, Hon Ladi Adebutu was planning to withdraw from the race any time from now.
How did you feel being elected unopposed during the recently concluded primaries of PDP in Ogun as the party’s candidate for Ogun State House of Assembly representing Ikenne local government?
I am indeed grateful to God as well as all the members and leaders of our great party, PDP for being so magnanimous to have conceded the ticket to me. I will forever remain eternally grateful to them and never at any time scorn this great sacrifice. I have also in return promised them to always be on my toes for efficient and qualitative representation. I will ensure my constituency gets its fair share of economic prosperity of the state via attraction of projects and programmes that will make life much more comfortable and bearable for them. The issues of youth and women empowerment, poverty reduction and good legislations that will strengthen good governance are my core mandate. This is one good decision the good people of Ikenne local government have made and they will never regret it.
The list of your party flag bearers for 2019 general elections is already gene-rating controversy with Sen. Buruji Kashamu clai-ming through a statement posted on social media that it was the list of candidates from his camp that the INEC collected. What is the true picture of things?
It is all hoax. The scenario is like a student that sets examination for himself, mark his script and impose his studentship on the institution, how can this work? If Sen Buruji had not bought expression of interest and nomination form, participated in the rigorous screening exercise as conducted by the party but suddenly wakes up to submit one useless list of hurriedly assembled candidates and impose such on the party, I think it will be better for him to wake up from his deep slumber. The senator is just making mockery of democratic process. Emerging as a candidate of any party has its stipulated guidelines according to electoral laws. It is impossible for someone to slap the electoral laws on the face by laying ambush for list of candidates. The electoral guidelines say the party should conduct primaries to pick its candidates but I don’t know when Sen Buruji turned out to be the party the electoral law is talking about. I think in due course, the law will spell it out who is doing the right thing and who is doing otherwise.
Because of this internal wrangling bedevilling the party and series of legal battles as instituted by Sen. Buruji’s camp against the party, the rumour is thick that Hon Ladi Adebutu is considering stepping down his governorship race among other options, how do you react to this?
Those who have lost grip of the party may continue to amplify untrue story of crisis in the party but that is not the true picture of things. Yes, people may be aggrieved for one reason or another but that does not translate to saying the party is in crisis. Yes, in the past, there used to be crisis but that had been laid to rest and the party has moved on. Hon. Ladipupo Adebutu is not under expulsion or suspension, he remains a bonafide, well respected member of the party and its governorship candidate for Ogun state in 2019. When those that were even expelled from the party did not leave, what will now make a man who had taken it as a challenge to liberate the people of the state from the hardship imposed on them by the ruling APC government abandon his governorship ambition? It is all the handiwork of the mischief makers who just want to confuse the general public. It is all baseless and unfounded rumour.
A member of your party in Sen Buruji’s camp confided in me that many of the candidates who claimed to have gotten the ticket of the party from your side are now coming to Buruji’s camp to validate their candidature because they are now aware that INEC will only recognise list of candidates from the Senator’s camp…
…(cuts in) I think they are just living in short term fantasies to console themselves for losing out outrightly. They are only creating false hope around what they are doing to further deceive their supporters. Like I said, just very soon everything will come into the open. I doubt if any candidate who emerge from the primaries we conducted will do such except those who lost out and may be out of desperation think that they can pull some magical wand and get their names appeared in one ambush list. Those chasing shadow will soon be face to face with reality.
As 2019 elections approach, the general view out there is that PDP must again not go to this battle with divided army and therefore asking whether political solution can not be found to Ogun PDP crisis?
If Sen Buruji Kashamu has been of value addition, he would have before now been wooed or snatched by parties like APC but because he is not that is why he has refused to leave our great party despite his expulsion. Honestly, there is no better political solution than the one we have offered that he should allow people to run the party. People should be allowed to pick and nominate their representatives, we are in a democracy, one person can not continue to pocket the party. It is time people’s voice is heard and their opinions respected.
Many of you are always quick to alleged that Sen. Buruji is a mole planted in the party, how did you jump to this conclusion?
Well, in 2003, without Sen Buruji, PDP won all the electives positions likewise in 2007 but since the Senator came on board the party as we approach 2011 elections, it has been failure upon failure. If we now go back to the drawing board and found out it is the new formula that is giving us problem, is it a crime if we go back to our old game plans which is PDP without Sen Buruji Kashamu to return to winning ways? The Senator never engaged leaders and members of the party in a way to make the party win. He is not a team player, all he wants to be is the Alpha and Omega of the party. He is a mole because people don’t get to this level of humiliation before they leave the party, so why has it become impossible for him to leave the party despite his expulsion? If he is that courageous and popular, he should have defected to another party and perform his magic there.
For instance, in the recent past, APC made advances to Hon Ladi Adebutu because of his intimidating electoral worth across the state but why has same not been done to Sen. Buruji? They won’t do such because they know that he will come around do to them what he is doing to PDP.
If you say that Hon Ladi Adebutu had been approached by APC, what were the issues involved?
It is not out of place in democracy that when you want to win election, you look for politician with credible electoral worth like Hon Ladi Adebutu, you will also put your cards on the table and see how it works out but perhaps because Hon. Adebutu is not of APC political leanings and ideologies, he has to politely refuse such political moves. He does not believe in politics of impoverishing the people as APC has done. He so much believes in the prosperity of all but this is alien to APC government.
Your kinsman in the local government who also hails from Iperu Remo, just like Hon Adebutu, Omooba Dapo Abiodun has just been affirmed as APC governorship candidate of the state for 2019 election, has this not changed the permutations?
We remain unperturbed, this is a familiar road we have travelled before in 2015 when we had what we can call a mock election of the bigger picture we are likely to have in 2019. In 2015, Hon Adebutu contested for the seat of Remo Federal constituency While Omooba Dapo Abiodun went for the senatorial seat of Ogun east under APC. Hon Adebutu won in the 24 polling booths with a landslide, it was not a close call at all. In fact, it was the spill over of these votes that gave Sen. Kashamu victory because he lost in Ijebu where he claimed to be holding sway. Iperu people could have said, Dapo and Adebutu are our sons, let us share the votes for them, but it was not like that. It will not be anything different in 2019, it is going to be another victory for Hon. Adebutu, that is just the reality, so we welcome Omooba Dapo Abiodun on board the race.
What does a vote for Hon. Ladi Adebutu translate to for a common man in Ogun state next year?
A vote for Hon Ladi Adebutu as the next governor of the state would mean sharing from the pedigree of prosperity and benevolence that the the almighty God has bestowed on him. A vote for Hon Adebutu is a sure path to further entrenching selfless service to humanity upon which the greatness of any country or federating units is founded. His philanthropic acts are legendary.
He is a politician who likes people smiling and not frowning. He has over the years been following in the footsteps of his billionaire father, Sir Adebutu Kensington, committed stupendous personal resources to serve the people. He has given out over 500 cars to empower the people, he has assisted many communities across the state with over 200 transformers. He has built schools, hospitals, provided free medical services for many people. People who have enjoyed his scholarship are numerous, he is one politician whose life has always revolved round service to the people. A vote for Hon Adebutu is for someone who will ensure the common wealth of the people of Ogun state is used to ameliorate their sufferings and reduce poverty from the land.
The former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar recently emerged the presidential candidate of your party, what does this portend for Nigerians in 2019?
The emergence of former Vice-President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar as the presidential candidate of our party for next year has no doubt suddenly brought back hope for Nigerians. It is like they are saying, yes at last, we have a better choice to make in 2019 when truly we shall elect a leader who will not only truly be in charge but run this nation with his eyes set on good governance, justice, equity and fairness. In Alhaji Abubakar Atiku we have an agile leader, a leader who cared for a united Nigeria, a versatile, experienced and successful business man. He has the knowledge of modern economic economics. He has all it takes to return the country to path of economic growth and development. We can’t continue to be headquarters of poverty.
It is because of his intimidating electoral worth across the country and credentials that seem to be rattling the ruling APC government. This is why they have resorted to all manner of baseless accusations because they know that their presidential candidate, President Muammadu Buhari stands no chance to contest with him next year. In fact, with Alhaji Abubakar Atiku as the alternative choice Nigerians have been yearning for, President Buhari should be preparing for a deserved retirement from May 29, 2019.
A bag of rice under PDP was at the highest N7,500 and three years after N15,500. Millions are without jobs, we are now the second poorest in the world, our economy is in a shambles. Nigerians just have to shine their eyes next year and do the needful because our sufferings will be unimaginable if President Buhari continues beyond May 2019.
Source: Why Adebutu rejected APC Offers
Support InfoStride News' Credible Journalism: Only credible journalism can guarantee a fair, accountable and transparent society, including democracy and government. It involves a lot of efforts and money. We need your support. Click here to Donate