After about five years out of office, Chief Olusegun Osoba the former governor of Ogun State still remains in the news because of his insightful view of Nigeria’s politics. In this interview with SAMUEL OLATUNJI the man who hails from the same state with former president Olusegun Obasanjo says PDP introduced violence into Nigerian politics.

Now a stalwart of the Action Congress (AC), Osoba revealed how some influential traditional rulers in the southwest prevailed on him to support Obasanjo to secure a second term in office.
He also faulted the ruling of the Abia state Election Petition Tribunal. Excerpts

How did you adjust to life after power so easily?
My ADC and aides were one of the most relaxed because as soon as we get back home I dismiss everybody. Even when I have to attend function within Abeokuta I take only one policeman and that is in view of the event that we may have flat tyre or a breakdown. I live a very simple life in and out of public office. May be as a journalist my life has been conditioned to a state of simplicity. Therefore adjusting to private life was no problem. I’ve never lived a public life as such even when I was in government. I lived in my private house and I retained my staff. Therefore I did not let the office of governor get into my head.

In our first coming in 1992 I used to plead with most of my colleagues that we should stop the use of convoy. Anytime we went to Abuja for a meeting I would advise that we went in a bus instead of siren. I said if we are not careful many of us would be sick if we don’t have the privilege of siren after leaving office. They used to laugh at me. I believe the security of the people among who I live is very important. There had been occasion where I had puncture tire and about six cars would be ready to wait and assist. That gives me a lot of joy.

Don’t you get scared that an opposition might want to attack you or something?
In my time this idea of thuggery that the PDP introduced was not there. In 1992 there was clean politics between NRC and SDP in Ogun state. I was even giving assistance to NRC financially if there were occasions of issues affecting political parties. We never had violence and thuggery. Now, PDP has bastardized politics and has introduced violence in a scale that is unheard of in the country.

Guns, and machetes are freely used and I gave the warning during the last election that the way PDP armed their thugs would have serious security implication. You will notice the high rate of armed robbery by young and educated people who were over-armed by the political class in the do or die politics introduced by the PDP. Nowhere in this country is saved from crime. They don’t just snatch cars; they now go to the banks. That shows you the way PDP has taken politics to in this country.

But the talk in town is that AC is now giving Yar Adua chance to redefine PDP politics. Is that true?
That is not true. AC has remained the only opposition voice. If you read Lai Mohammed regularly you will see that AC is the only vibrant opposition. There is need for an opposition party in our democracy. If some of our colleagues have personal relationship with Yar Adua that does not translate to party policy.

But Governor Tinubu is favourably disposed to President Yar Adua.
He has a personal relationship with President Yar Adua but that does not mean the same thing as Action Congress (AC).

But is it true that his stand has torn the party apart and that he and Alhaji Atiku no longer communicate?
That is not true. About a week and half ago I was in Abuja with Governor Tinubu for a book launch and we drove together to go and see Alhaji Atiku. I don’t agree.

So, the two parties are still maintaining different stands?
Definitely. Our ideologies are different. I can never join PDP under any circumstances. I’ve always been a progressive politician, I’m not a conservative. So, I can never. PDP has done more havoc to this country. And they’ve always been at the federal level either as NPC, NPN or PDP and they have always destroyed the economy of this country. A progressive president has never emerged in this country.

You are from the same home town as president Obasanjo. Why are you always critical of him?
Is there anybody who is defending the administration of Obasanjo now? Where are the hangers-on that used to shout of his achievement? Where is Bode George? Have you heard him raise a voice in his defence? What is he going to say? We are sitting in the garden now because there is no power supply to this house.

We need to use generator over night, you cannot believe that I keep two generators in this compound. Do I need to go through such pain? We spend an average of N20 000 weekly buying diesels. And this is a country flowing with petrol dollar money. Why should I be friendly with Obasanjo’s government that cannot deliver in eight years? You cannot go to Abeokuta or Ibadan and be sure that you are going to get there in one or two hours. It may take you a whole day. Is that the kind of country we thought Obasanjo would give to us in 1999? You dare not approach Abeokuta through Ota; the minimum hour you will spend is about three or four hours.

But your party gave him another opportunity in 2003.
Yes, I would be a bastard Yoruba man if the major paramount rulers in Yoruba called and beg me to do something and I did not. All the major Obas in Yoruba talked to me. Ooni of Ife, Awujale of Ijebuland, and the late Oba Oyepade Lipede said the last thing he would ask of me before he died was to support Obasanjo. A distant cousin of mine, late Oba Adeyinka Oyekan pleaded with me. I can give you names of prominent Yorubas that pleaded with me. Under that circumstance, if Obasanjo committed perfidy he is reaping the fruits of perfidy.

Any regret that you supported him at that time?
I will do it again because I am the one that is at peace. You saw me driving myself and I am comfortable among my people. I’ve asked Obasanjo to let us walk about in Abeokuta and see how people react to us.

Do you think the present administration in Ogun state is doing better?
I don’t want to talk about Gbenga Daniel’s administration anymore because for now, he has learnt his lesson to leave me alone. When he got there everything is Osoba and his dog of war has also kept quiet. Let’s leave that. All I can say is that in four years the total amount we got was around N36 to N40 billion from the federation account.

This year the budget of Ogun state is around 77billion. So, you are talking of the budget of one year doubling the amount we got in four years. From there you can work out your calculation. I can tell you that what the Daniel administration collected from 2003 till date is much more than the money successive government since Ogun was created collected. I will not say more than that, let the people judge.

Why were you not so active during last election in Ogun state?
Why do you want to be active with people who know nothing other than rigging? In fact it was by force that my supporters insisted that I should come and lead the campaign. I told them that an Obasanjo in OGUN state even if you win the election by 100% he is so devilish that he would write the figure. Obasanjo lost at his polling booth on the first election, which was presidential, and governorship and his ward. And what did he do?

He ordered that the election at his ward and polling booth be cancelled. In actual fact, Obasanjo’s vote is not part of the so-called vote that delivered President Yar Adua. The man was that desperate. If you recall in 2003 the total vote for presidential election was 1.2million and for the governorship which was the same day and the same time, it was about 800 000, there was a difference of six hundred thousand vote which till today they are not able to account for. If I had gone to court I would have won the case but we left the judgement to God and the people. Yoruba people has a saying that if you commit perfidy you will reap abundantly from the perfidy. I don’t envy president Obasanjo, rather I pity him. I pray for him now.

What is your prayer for him?
That may God help to speed up his redemption. He needs serious redemption. May God help him.

It seems AC has been quiet?
Don’t you read Lai Mohammed everyday? The tribunal refused to give judgement, so what do you want us to do? The tribunal has been misbehaving. For instance how can you say because somebody did not put his party name, you will not look at the merit of the case? Look at the judgement in Abia, it is scandalous. You say that the man who won had won with a legitimate vote but you think he’s a cultist and he did not resign.

Because of that you are not calling for another election, you are awarding the victory to the man who did not win. Onyema Ogechukwu is my colleague. I like him, he is a gentle man that is very honest and straight forward but I don’t think he should want to benefit from this kind of indefensible judgement. I would rather wish that he goes to another election and if he wins let it be fair and square. He is too much of a gentle man for that. You will hardly hear his voice in a crowd.

Why do you think the tribunals are misbehaving?
Different colour different judges. Some of them have done well and some of them are terrible. Like the one in Abia, I can’t believe that kind of thing. And the one in Ogun state you say because of technicality. Now, AC has proved that the statement of result has not been signed. It is like you didn’t sign a cheque and the bank honours the cheque. I want to see how they will give judgment to that. That means the election is null and void.