Buhari should see reelection as opportunity to correct his mistakes of four years –Dr. Akinosun

Dr. Fola Akinosun

Dr. Fola Akinosun is a philanthropist and educationist, who believes that political leadership is to be earned through self-respect and carrying your followers and colleges along. He slugged it out with Governor Abiola  Ajimobi during the just concluded general election for the Oyo South Senatorial ticket but left the All Progressives Congress. In this interview with OLUSESAN LAOYE, he speaks on the 2019 general elections and the lessons which Ajimobi and other political leaders must have learnt through imposition of candidates. Excerpts:

As Strong candidate in the last election, what is your assessment of that election and what are the things you will want amended for future ones?

Well the elections have come and gone. It is just a journey. Democracy is actually a journey not a destination. So, we would eventually get there or get to the end of it. We will always get to a point which will be a new beginning. This time I look at it that they have not requested for PDP, ADP or APC, they have requested for little money to eat and God has given them. So, it was an election that showcased buying and selling of votes.  That is the way I perceived it. It was an election that came from an angle that we didn’t expect especially from me. What we thought would happen was election of personalities. We strongly believe that people would vote for personalities but instead of that, on the day of elections people opted for little money that at least can sustained them for a day.

What do you think is responsible for this and the consequences to the people and Nigeria as a country?

The consequences are that the people would continue to remain poor and Nigeria would remain stagnant. To me, that just didn’t go alone, it came with message, the message that for a very sound mind, he would understand that poverty is seriously on the land. People were ready to even give their future for a pot of porridge. That is the message, the implication is just that, those who brought these monies will want to make their money back. It may take us back and the early we dropped that idea, the better for Nigeria . This is because if we don’t drop it, we are likely to look back on that, buying of votes. What if the people requested for more money in the next election? Are we going to be giving them and giving until when to contest an election will mean selling all the properties that the contestants have?

I think that is not too good. We need to think about it. We need to think about it seriously. From my own angle, as I have said earlier, most of these things are spiritual. Ordinarily, the people that were elected wouldn’t have been elected, something somehow would have happened, and they will get there if it is part of their destiny. In the seat of Senate for instance in Oyo South where I was most affected, Dr. Kola Balogun that won the election I didn’t see him as somebody who brought money to buy votes but like I said it is a spiritual thing, someone else brought the money and the person didn’t win. So, it is like when you want to make a journey God will pave the way. Those that are there are there actually because God wants them to be there. But I am only talking about the circumstances as it affected the general public.

Who is actually at fault and to what extent do you think this will affect leadership selection in Nigeria?

I wish we change our attitude especially in picking and selecting our leaders. In Oyo for instance the people proved a,strong point and decided that money would not hold them from what they wanted but allowed circumstances to guide their decisions. If we put money into consideration all the time, best leaders would not emerge, and Nigeria could end up producing criminals who have money to buy votes as leaders at the helms of affairs.  That circumstances which the people considered was key in producing the Governor elect.  I am talking about Engineer Seyi Makinde, who is going to be the next governor in Oyo State. If not for a lot of issues that happened in the APC, may be the PDP wouldn’t have won. Not that money did not come into play, but people in the state despite that made a choice.  But you see, it is because it is the will of God that Makinde would emerge, you could see that the circumstances came to favour him. And that is why you see him emerged as Governor.

In summary, my own appeal to these people who have been elected irrespective of the circumstances that surrounded their victory, is that they should see themselves as God- chosen and serve to the glory of God.

You talked about money especially vote buying and selling, what’s the way out in future elections?

I want to say Nigeria is a country of very smart people. There is no way to curb it in a foreseeable future because no matter the yardstick you put to curb it people will outsmart it. You can see that despite the measures put in place to curb it in the last elections people still found ways of circumventing it.  The issue has been on for a long time but it just got to an advance level that both the seller and the buyer now see it as a normal process of the election. People don’t see it as anything bad because those in authority do it as well. If they carry it out at that level, it means it has been legalised., even the involvement of the security operatives who should apprehend the culprits shows that Nigeria is in a mess and only God can bail us out. So I don’t see a very easy way to curb it than a change of heart from the general public and when people come to reason and refused to buy or sell the votes again. And that is the best for the country because whoever sells make a profit and it is not good for us to turn our system of leadership’s appointment to trading.

I Will also say at this point that another way out that can change the orientation and attitudes of the people towards this is to keep educating the people on the danger involved for the future of their children and Nigeria.

That is what can bring about change of heart. If there’s enough education especially on the consequences of vote buying and selling, that may reduce it. Once the people know the consequences and they are ready within themselves, they will change.

Some people are complaining about the high number of political parties in the country. What is your position on this?

It is even very expensive for the INEC to manage. Political parties are so many. I think we are getting out of the era of unpopular parties. Whoever picks the parties that are not popular, it is not that the people will not know the symbol, but the parties will not even have what it takes to compete with the big parties. So, the reasonable politicians in Nigeria will just look at the popular parties, look at the political ideologies and see which one he wants to pitch tent with. And once he had pitched tent with one at this time,  my own advice is to stick to that.

With what you have said any regrets leaving APC to contest on the platform of ADP?

There is no regret. In any election, let me tell you that there is actually no loser. There will be a winner and of course there will also be a learner. Those who don’t win elections have something to learn. In most cases, they don’t have anything or much to lose.

Personally, I don’t have any regret. Actually I have achieved what I wanted to achieve. What I wanted to stand against was impunity. I wanted to be a progressive politician . I know the ideology as it was during the time of our late leaders. But I saw something different, coming up, impunity, cheating and all that. And I felt it was not good to just played along. I have played along at a time in 2015. The APC primary in 2015 I was involved and it was an election in midnight when there was no light. That primary produced Senator Soji Akanbi but because nobody reacted APC won. It came the second time again in 2018 and I felt if I keep quiet again it will continue. So I was able to challenge that. The way to challenge it was to make noise. I invited the attention of everyone and I think this was what has brought APC to lose that election. Because the national echelon of the party did not do anything to correct the impunity. Initially I wrote a petition which I didn’t do in 2015

In 2018, the first step I took was to write a petition and taking it with my hands to the National Headquarters of APC in Abuja. But the body language showed me that even if you write a thousand letters nobody would answer.

There is much for APC to learn , you want to talk about even changing of leadership of the party at the level of National Chairman. I know they would have learnt something. Former National Chairman of the party , Chief John Odigie-Oyegun is actually a politician and party man  who would not allow many things to go too wrong. But the present National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, is more of a labour man. A labour man will always want to threat with strike actions, threat with violence and all sorts of that at all times. Most of the crisis are settled on the altar of negotiation and money will be involved. He actually allow these problems and while the problems were on, a lot of things were commercialized and that gave opportunity to the people who wanted to do impunity to have their ways.  I think the party should learn from that.

Actually I have made an impact which even many people would not have made. I have made the party  to realise that we should not allow impunity or sweep under the carpet issues that are of people’s right

Let us now look at the Presidential election on now that President Buhari has been reelected what is the way forward for Nigeria and your expectations from  the new government?

I think the President by now should have learnt a big lesson to know what the people now want. Ruling for four years in a Democratic dispensation to me is enough to learn and he should consider his reelection as an opportunity to correct his mistakes He should see himself as the president of all. He should not allow people to accuse him of nepotism this time. He must stop impunity both in government  and the party for him to run a smooth government. This is the time for him to make a lot of sacrifice and not to look or listen to  those who Will deceive him because of what they wanted from him. At this point President Buhari should fear God to transform Nigeria. For him to leave a good legacy he should be bold enough to see to the amendment of the constitution. Address the issue of  the economy, employment, what would reduce ethnic sentiments ensure the protection and the dignity  of the rights of the people. ensure adequate security and as well block all the loopholes where the country’s resources are siphoned.