By Chinelo Obogo
Former House of Representatives member, Oyetunde Ojo is the convener of Southwest Agenda for Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu (SWAGA), a team formed to ensure the victory of the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress(APC). He speaks on the chances of the ruling party to retain power and the challenges bedeviling the country.
SWAGA is at the forefront of the campaign for the presidential candidate of the APC, Bola Tinubu. What led to the formation of the group and how effective has it been in the campaign?
SWAGA, of which I am the convener, started about four years ago, immediately the president was sworn in. As a student of politics, we realised the need to start early. That’s why SWAGA is a political movement. We started very early. I had to go round the country to look for like minds, to look for those who believe in Tinubu.
We called on Senator Dayo Adeyeye to be our leader, having looked at his profile. Right now, we have finished a phase and we are going into the next phase which is the commencement of beginning a sensitisation programme on PVC collection. We are going to the nooks and crannies of this country to make sure that anybody above the age of 18 gets his or her PVC. SWAGA has started its door-to-door campaign, telling people, first of all, to go and get their PVC. Considering the literacy level, the sensitisation is very important.
What are the issues you think are likely to shape the 2023 presidential election?
We are facing challenges. We cannot deny that. There are challenges. Inflation; you know where dollar is now, what the economy is talking about. There is a bit of religious crisis. You know the issues of banditry, terrorism. You need somebody who can tackle all these. It is not that the present government is not doing all these. They are doing it. More can be done. The candidate understands these issues. It cannot be done by one person. Nigeria is a country of close to 200 million, so, you need somebody that really understands the length and breadth of this country and the crises.
Tinubu is never in a rush to do something. He will pick the right set of people to do the right job and have result within a short period. He has done it in Lagos. He can replicate the same thing anywhere. He knows what everybody is capable of doing. He is not someone that gets to power and starts planning. With the problems on ground in Nigeria now, the country needs a leader who has the solution.
What are Tinubu’s chances of winning?
Asiwaju is a national figure, that’s why his chance of winning is very high. The Southwest is a no-go area. It is a closed door issue because at least 10 to 12 million votes will be delivered. That is why the door-to-door campaign will be sustained. We are talking to our people to pick up their PVCs to make sure they go and vote. We are sure Lagos will deliver over five million votes and in Kano too.
We are sure we will win Rivers because there is post-primary reconciliation going on to resolve some of these political differences. In Rivers, there is a peace process going on between Amaechi and Magnus Abe. In other states, like Jigawa, you could see the governor also talking to some people. In Ekiti, in the recent election, SWAGA had to work with Governor Fayemi to deliver Biodun Oyebanji. The vote was massive. There is conflict resolution going on in Osun right now. After primary, there will be crisis. You cannot run away from that. There must be a winner, there must be a loser. You have to pacify both parties. It should not be winner-takes-all. That’s what is going on now, conflict resolution.
Is APC not threatened by the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar?
If we say we are not threatened by the presidential ambition of Atiku Abubakar, I am not being honest. He is an old horse who has been in this game for long. That’s why it is being said in APC that the only match for him is Tinubu.
Atiku Abubakar is not a small fry, being a vice president before and has been in the race for three or four times. So, he is not a push over. We have never said anybody is a push over. We need to work and work, just the same way we did in SWAGA; working for the presidential primary. We know that with hard work and the product we have on our hand, Tinubu will definitely come out victorious at the end of the day.
How are you engaging youths, some of who are threatening the two big parties on social media?
Election is not won on the social media. We have taken our campaigns to clubs, youth centres, everywhere. We have to let the youths understand that this is a complex country that can be handled by an experienced person. For youths to take over power, you must go through a tutelage system whereby you see the problems of this country. That is why we are appealing to them that Tinubu will lay a solid background for us in this country. I am also a youth. We can follow up on what he would do. We all saw what Awolowo did, what Nnamidi Azikiwe did. It is for them to see more of these things and learn.
You cannot view Nigeria, for example, solely from the angle of the problems of youths in Lagos. What are the problems of youths in Kaduna, Sokoto? The ones in Kuru, Jos, what are their problems? So, it is a combination of things. These problems can be solved at once. That is why we are appealing to them to join the Asiwaju’s campaign, get your PVCs and vote for him. In four years’ time, Nigeria will not remain the same.
Previous elections have shown that the South East has not really embraced the APC, especially during presidential contests. How can the zone be re-engaged ahead of next year’s poll?
There are PDP-controlled states. The governors have a lot of influence in those states. Before now, out of the five states, we had one, Imo. Thank God, for now, we have two-Imo and Ebonyi. One state belongs to APGA. You have two PDP states. Things are changing gradually. The rule of the game says 25 per cent. We don’t expect to win every state. But, we know that this time around, our chances are very high. We will win up to three states, aside from the two we have.
What is your assessment of the post-primary reconciliatory moves by Tinubu?
The reconciliatory moves has been very fantastic. Immediately after the primary, he visited the vice president, Governor Rotimi Amaechi, Governor Yahaya Bello, Governor Amosun, Governor Fayemi and all other aspirants. That was the first step. You must let everyone have a sense of belonging; that you are not running an individual government; it is a collective government. He was well accepted. The post-reconciliatory move has really helped in Ekiti State. It was his first step as presidential candidate. You could see the margin of victory. He was able to reconcile all.
In Ekiti, there were some issues in APC. The emergence of Tinubu as presidential candidate solved the problem in Ekiti. Efforts are being made to resolve the problems between Amaechi and Magnus Abe in Rivers and all other states. He is going to visit a lot of people, stakeholders, business class. This is what most of our political leaders will be doing, even those of us in SWAGA, to make sure that everybody comes together.
Your party succeeded in Ekiti. What is your advice to the governor-elect?
The governor-elect has started well. He is making moves meeting with stakeholders across party lines. He should find a ground between him and former Governor Segun Oni. He has seen Governor Fayose. He has gone to the former Health Minister, Adeluyi-Adelusi, and an eminent pharmacist. You have to move around the leaders, especially people who governed the state in the past. He needs their advice on what to do. Ekiti is not financially rich like Lagos and time is nobody’s friend. Ekiti people can be patient and at the same time impatient.
How can Nigerians be convinced to vote for APC again, judging by their complaints against the current administration?
These problems did not start today. They only got to a boiling point. Strikes have been going on in this country since 1992. I am not justifying anything. The issue of increase in fuel pump price has been on since. I have been queuing to buy kerosene since the nineties. It is just unfortunate that governments have not resolved it. That is why we are saying that APC met the mess on ground. The former Finance Minister, Dr. Okonjo-Iweala, said it was not Buhari that came to spend our reserves. If our reserve was there when Buhari came on board, we would have been very buoyant. Okonjo-Iweala warned the past government not to touch the reserves. So, when the man came, he started borrowing money for infrastructural development; railway. The projects were initiated by Jonathan. Buhari had to complete everything. These security issues, terrorism started long time ago. Some of these fighter jets are not what you can find in days. It may take two years, eight months, nine months. It is not something you go and buy in the market like garri.
While in the House of Representatives, we had a discussion with a Chief of Defence Staff around 2013. The Naval General said the last time Nigeria bought an ammunition, weapons, was 1979. He is still alive. So, you look at problems that were inherited. Our soldiers were doing peace-keeping in Liberia, Sierra-Leone. No training. We were not prepared for our own front. Later, the Libya, Chad issues came up. So, Nigeria became a battle ground for mercenary. When you look at their pictures, the Northerners will say these terrorists, bandits are not Nigerian Fulani. We had a military that was not prepared.
Osun State will be going to poll this week. What are your expectations?
Our expectation is that we will win Osun because Governor Oyetola has worked well and justified the confidence reposed in him.