Otunba Abayomi Odunowo, a two-time governorship candidate in Lagos and Ogun State, and former Senior Special Assistant to ex-Governor Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun State, is the National Chairman of the Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu Group. He spoke to EJIKEME OMENAZU and OYENIRAN APATA on the presidential aspiration of the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Leader, Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Excerpt:
Why are you backing Bola Tinubu’s presidential ambition?
Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu is a man of great intellect and a human builder. I have watched his antecedents. He is a man of vision. At this point in the history of Nigeria, Asiwaju is the kind of man we need as President.
What do you think about Tinubu’s achievements in politics?
I am a bit confused about where to start counting his achievements. He has achieved so much in politics. That is why I am supporting him.
What do you see as Tinubu’s greatest achievements that qualify him as Nigeria’s president?
There are so many achievements he has made in politics. The first was when as the governor of Lagos State, the then president seized allocations due to the state for three years because his administration created additional local council areas. But, the Federal Government believed that the state had no right to do that, even though they were not asking for additional funds for the local governments. Allocations due to the state were withheld. Nobody felt the impact of the seizure. The re-engineering he did within Lagos was astronomical. That was one of his strong points that qualify him to become Nigeria’s president in 2023. In the history of Nigeria, no state government employs other tribes as commissioners. Asiwaju is a detribalised man. He does not care where you come from as long as you can deliver.
Tinubu is believed to have been unduly dominating Lagos State politics. What is your view on this?
They are unaware of what it takes for a system that works. I was one of the people that his approach affected when I was running for the governorship in 2011. I have come to realise that the way he manages the system was the best for our democracy. People can say whatever they like. Which state that is closer to Lagos in terms of infrastructure, human capacity, health, education and security? You can’t fault him.
Why do you think that Tinubu is the president Nigerians need at this time?
Nigeria has never been so separated. There are too many situations everywhere. The economy is in abysmal state. The people are beginning to fear each other. Nigeria needs a detribalised person at this time that will bring everybody together. Secondly, I believe Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu deserves the first option of refusal for what he has done for APC and for being able to support the first and second terms of the current president. He deserved to be considered.
Don’t you see Tinubu’s age and health as an impediment?
Age has nothing to do with performance. The brain does the work. I see Asiwaju as a man that has succession plan. He is intelligent. He is not a man or person that puts everything on his head. He gets the people to do the job. Age is an asset to him. In terms of health challenges, there are a lot of rumours and lies about his state of health. It is only a medical expert or himself that can come openly to say his health status. We have seen frail people survive rigours of governance. We have seen people in offices give up during their tenure. If anyone had told me the current president would be this strong the way he started some years ago, I would be in doubt. We are not God. It is only God that determines health and life. Asiwaju knows the challenges and rigour involved in the governance. He understands that health is wealth. If he believes his health can withstand the rigours, the ball is in his court.
Don’t you think that in terms of experience, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo could be a better option than Asiwaju? Don’t you think their aspirations will divide South West and the APC?
I think Asiwaju has more experience than the vice president in terms of managing people, putting resources together, and being able to manage one of the largest states in Nigeria. The vice president is supposed to be the leader of the Economic Team of the current administration. We have all seen how it is. I do not honestly feel under the current circumstance that the vice president stands a better chance than Asiwaju in as much as he is the vice president under the current dispensation.
Talking about APC, news has it that there are cracks here and there in the party…
(Cuts in) In any political group, there is bound to be a crack. It is about interests. I don’t think the VP is any cause for alarm concerning fears in the Southwest. Yes, in any political dispensation, you will have people as supporters and others that are not your supporters. As far South-west is concerned, it is the only part of the country where the competition is. It is not like other parts of the country where you can come and tell people the direction to go. It doesn’t work like that in the Southwest. The vice president has about 180 support groups that are being funded. Asiwaju has about 350 support groups that are not being funded. There is a difference.
The state governors seem to have a grip of APC to the detriment of the party chieftains. Thus, people do not see the party coming out of the national convention in one piece. What is your take on this?
APC is a family. There is bound to be a misunderstanding. It is only the opposition that is proposing implosion. There will not be an implosion. Everybody knows that it is a matter of interest. Two children in a family fight. Does that mean they will stop being family members? People will be upset. The Interim Extraordinary Committee has done so well by bringing the disagreeing members together, though they are yet to achieve 100 percent. It is only about two or three states that are outstanding. That is a pass mark. In politics, you cannot achieve 100 percent.
How do you see the Lagod4Lagos vision? Did you see PDP defeating APC in the state?
Let us look at the issue of Lagos4Lagos. Who is a Lagosian? Lagos is a city made up of the returned slaves from Spain. They have a very small population in Lagos Island. They are the Aworis, Ijebus, the Egbas, the Binis of which the Oba of Lagos took his origin. The people shouting Lagos4Lagos are just doing so for relevance. They cannot even take a ward of local government. They are jokers. When you talk about parties winning elections, Lagos is not just a state where PDP can even win anything substantial. They had had a bit of opportunity when they had the federal might. But, their biggest problem is Chief Bode George. As long as Bode George is their arrowhead, he will still compromise. He is my uncle, but that is the truth. PDP will continue to struggle. They should focus on other states, not Lagos. They have chances in Kogi and other places. PDP had 16 years of governance. They enjoyed using government money to fund everything. Now, they can’t use their money. Politics is all about funding. So, when you say governors want their position, they will always do that because the greatest funding of the party is done by the governors. The National Assembly members are not very relevant in the states. All the games they played trying to wrestle power from the governors failed. The governor funds the state. You can’t go to Abuja for nine months and say you want to control having been away for so long. Politics is local. It does not go that way. That is why Prof Yemi Osinbajo, as vice-presidential candidate, could not win his polling unit in 2015. What are we talking about? Check it out. If you have electoral value and people around you love you and you play the game, you will deliver your polling unit. I am not saying you should win the world, but resorting to newspaper branding is for people to make money.
Do you see Tinubu as a candidate that will enjoy national appeal?
Since we have been having presidential elections in Nigeria, by the time Asiwaju finishes as Nigeria’s president, we will have an unprecedented volume of votes across Nigeria with a minimum of 35 million. Mark my words. What does that tell you? I have gone round. I am an objective and grassroots person and politician. Our research team has conducted independent research. People talked to the grassroots people generally. It is not about carrying placards. When you process the results, you will be amazed. Asiwaju is a blessed man. He must have planned to do this long before now. I have done presidential support for other candidates. When the entire Southwest was against Obasanjo, I went round and the result then and what I am getting now is unimaginable. Go to Maiduguri, Bayelsa. It is amazing. We did not even focus on the Southwest because the southwest is in the barn. We might not get a lot of results from the Southwest because it is very competitive. The South-south and the South East are decided, still in their direction. Yet, we will get a bit, not a lot. We have four others that will cater for that because the electoral votes are clear. The South-east has five to six percent, South-south 11 to 12 percent. That gives you about 17 percent. West is 23 percent, North-east 21, North Central 19 and North-west 37. Politics is about numbers. Where are the numbers? There is no point in expending energy where you may not get the numbers. Some people understand, while others don’t.
Although the late MKO Abiola broke the barrier of religion, do you see Nigeria transiting from one Muslim president to another?
Where is Abiola from? If Abiola could break the barrier, he must have done something right. People resort to religion when they want to destabilise the polity. Religion is not important to the average person. When they want to be political, they drum up religious sentiments. In the South-west, can you separate a Muslim from a Christian? You can’t. But, in the northern part, because they have been so much oppressed, they are controlled by religion. Why do you want to change what they already know and believe in? For me, being Christian or Muslim does not make you a better person. It is your personality and what you want to deliver that people reckon with. Whatever is required to get the votes, religion is not one.
How do you see the problems of the party holding its national convention?
The convention may not hold as scheduled. The issue is simple. What is the reason for wanting this and the other? Why don’t you just combine it? In terms of expenditure and risks, allow the thing to happen once.
Do you foresee the national convention and the presidential convention holding at the same time?
Yes, that is what has been happening. All the games they have been playing, they will meet brick walls. While we are doing our homework, let them be scrambling around.
