A Chieftain of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ekiti State, Otunba Yinka Akerele, popularly known as Ajinde Ekiti, in this interview with Kehinde Agboola of DAILYREPORTERSNG, addressed numbers of issues around the leadership crisis rocking the State's chapter of the party and other issues around the 2022 Governorship election in the state.
The followings are excerpts of the interview:
"Your name became prominent especially in the political scene around 2007 after you contested the PDP Governorship Primary. How would you describe your experience so far?"
"The experience you want me to recollect is a sad experience because if democracy is defined by renown authors as government of the people, for the people and by the people then no matter how wrong the decision of the people is, they are responsible for it. Exactly what was supposed to be the case in Ekiti PDP during the primary in 2006, a case where majority of the delegates who went for the election voted for me, and I won the primaries. We were meant to go for a runoff because of the lacuna in the Constitution of the party then, which has been corrected now. If there was to be a runoff it was supposed to be between Professor Ojo Yinka, who came Second and myself Yinka Akerele but to my dismay, we were summoned to Abuja by the former President Olusegun Obasanjo and were forced to step down for a man who came third in the primary; Engr. Segun Oni. That's a story I don't like recalling."
"You have been described as Senator Olujimi's political field marshal. How do you see this?"
"When former Governor Ayo Fayose drove many of us leaders to the opposition APC then because he saw some of us as unfriendly and was not ready to work with us then, he went to the news announcing our suspension from PDP, so we left for him and after his tenure was over we came back to the party and the election I met on ground was the National Assembly Election and of course, Senator Olujimi was instrumental to my coming back from the opposition APC to PDP. I was not the only one she approached, she also approached some other leaders who left the party such as former Deputy Gov. Sikiru Lawal; former Secretary to the state government, Amb. Dare Bejide; former Commissioner Segun Akinwunmi and host of other leaders and arranged how we met with the national leadership of the party who encouraged and welcomed us back to the party and respectively we came back to Wards where we re-enrolled our membership and since then I have been playing my role as a leader in PDP. I spontaneously joined hands with other leaders to ensure victory in the National Assembly election where Senator Duro Faseyi and Senator Biodun Olujimi were candidates in the election. Perhaps the reason why I am exceptionally attached to Senator Olujimi was because of her roles in my coming back to PDP and, she is a leader I admonish and admire so much in terms of her leadership approach. So calling me Olujimi's Field Marshal is just a nomenclature and as long as it is for the progress of the party, I consider it as great privilege."
"Who do you regard as the leader of PDP in Ekiti State today and what is your confidence in the leadership."
"Every leader must learn to stand by the truth. The rule in PDP is that the highest ranking officer is the leader of the party in the state. For instance, when a Governor is elected he naturally becomes the leader of the party in the state being the most senior elected officer. So in the absence of a Governor and we have a democratically elected senator, not minding the name or face of the individual, the Senator becomes the leader of the party. Hence, Senator Biodun Olujimi is the statutory leader of PDP in Ekiti State and we are all pleased with her inclusive leadership. I also acknowledge the fact that former Governor Ayo Fayose is our Boss, having served the state for two terms but definitely not the leader of PDP in Ekiti State."
"On the issue of factions in the PDP in Ekiti State, what is your position on the activities of those in the other faction?"
"Party factionization is not alien and neither is it peculiar to PDP. As long as they can harness their potentials, groupings and factions only makes the party stronger. In Ekiti PDP today we have the Repositioning Group and the Fayose led group and the two groups are on ground impressing the name PDP on the people, sensitizing the public and mobilizing to the party to show the readiness of the party to take over governance of the state come 2022. So, I have seen nothing wrong with it as long that at the end of the day we all have to come together as one large family members. The obvious truth is that the Repositioning Group can not win alone and the Fayose led group can not win alone unless we all come together. So I am optimistic that both groups would come together at the end of the day."
"Reports have it that, former Governor Segun Oni whom you contested the PDP Governorship Primary against in 2007 has returned to PDP, after his defection to the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2014, and is said to have showed interest in the Guber poll. Do you plan to contest the 2022 Governorship in Ekiti State?"
"Well let me say this, Engr. Segun Oni is my senior brother even though he may see me otherwise. For instance, prior his arrival or return to PDP from APC, thank God he met me on ground, so, I got to the party before him, he has refused to call me yet he calls people around me and I don't know why he hasn't called me but I am convinced he is not my enemy. However, I just think it is natural of me to feel shortchanged by the fact the he was used as a joy-spoiller when my opportunity came --- I won an election, struggled for ticket as a young man, I was just 41 years old during this period and I won that election but the devil used him to truncate the process. I felt bad really but the treatment he meted on me thereafter made matter worse but I have forgiven him wholeheartedly because it was all political and has become a watershed. So, what matters to me now is what is on ground. If he is back to PDP with the intention to contest, that has got nothing to do with me. When it is time for me to contest, I will come out to declare my intention. But right now, where is the party? So, for me, the struggle for the control of the party is paramount. For example, if I'm to go out to canvas for support, to who? Is it to the Repositioning or the Fayose led group which are still subject to serious litigation and until that is resolved, any effort put in place would be counter-productive. I agree that some people may want to be on the field now for many reasons, don't forget that Yinka Akerele is a household name in Ekiti politics while some of the said aspirants are still greenhorn and would need to sell their names to the people and I can only advise them to make their campaign more of issue based than personalities attack. Our nature of campaign would invariably define our person. So, when the issue of the party is resolved, I will tell the public my position."
"Do you think the Nigerian Government has been fair to her Youths and what do you think could be done to alleviate poverty amongst youths and relief the unemployment challenges ravaging the country?"
"That is a very sensitive question but the truth is that our generation of leaders has failed the younger generation because the change the Nigerian youths are now clamouring for ought to have been done before now and this would have given them the necessary leverage and this current agitation would have been needless but because they compromised. The protest we witnessed across the country recently remains a wake-up call, especially to the executives, political office holders, the legislators and all political leaders to be courteous of their actions henceforth. If you could observe, the protest was not deliberate, not mechanically organized but was spontaneous and that will tell you the level of issues on ground unresolved. The #EndSARS was just a phrase. The Youths are aggrieved. There are lapses in this so called dividends of democracy, they have no jobs and they have no means of raising funds for personal enterprise. So they are stranded. I am particularly attracted to the item 13 of their articulate demands which is the Electoral Reform which I know the President Buhari/APC led may not likely listen to. The desired goals such as good road infrastructure, good education, good policing system and the rest would be actualized when votes begin to count in Nigeria".
"What is your message to PDP members and stakeholders in Ekiti State?"
"Well, very soon we will hear from the Court but one thing is obvious and that is the fact the PDP National leadership are biased against us. My assumption ab-initio was that the National itself would want to be part of the success in Ekiti but I found out their own focus is different entirely. So, to our people, by and large, I want to appeal to them that peace is the answer, togetherness is the answer and our ability to set aside our differences and sentiments to get to the Government house come 2022 as one formidable and indivisible party is the hallmark of this whole struggle and our struggle, by God's grace, shall not be in vain but for us to achieve this we must come together at the end of these bickerings and allow peace to reign."
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