Even before the race to Aso Rock begins, the Unity Party of Nigeria‎ has already thrown in the towel. In an interview with Femi Ogbonnikan, the party’s National Chairman, Prof. Bankole Okuwa said his party would adopt a presidential candidate of another party who is committed to the country’s progress: Excerpts:
Ahead of the 2019 general election, how prepared is the Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN)?
We are preparing. We have to prepare hard because, you know, our country is dominated by people, especially voters who are illiterate and semi-illiterate. So, we have to come down to their level to make them understand what is at stake. You see, a lot of people in Nigeria don’t appreciate the power of the votes, that they can change with their votes. So, I have been appealing to people not to sell their votes for N1, 000 or N2, 000. They should not sell their votes for any amount at all because if you don’t do that you will get the proper people elected into elective offices and you will have a good government, a responsible government and the government that can take care of their needs.
That is what we want in Nigeria because many of these governors are not doing well. I have been in government before. I was in government in the second republic and the UPN was in power in Ogun State. Mr Bisi Onabanjo’s administration and I think that government was the last responsible and responsive UPN government that we have ever had. Ogun State was peaceful, progressive and the government all over Nigeria, was the best. We were the first state to create state university and we were prepared to give them the best.
In terms of security, we were giving them the best. When we talked of free education at all levels, the UPN government gave the best, same thing when we were talking of jobs also. But this government that we are proposing for 2019, we want to return to the Awo era and we have a young man, a young candidate who we can describe as a ‘young Awolowo’ to be voted into office and that is Rotimi Paseda. He is an international businessman. He has the stature. He has the understanding. He is good. People can trust him. He is not a corrupt man. Most of these governors have issues with EFCC. And this young man contested in 2015 and spent his own money and he didn’t borrow money from anybody and this time around he is going to do the same thing.
We are appealing to the people that they shouldn’t go to any other party, that UPN is back. When Awo was alive, there was not a single strike for more than nine years and that is what we are going to do. We are going to even go further beyond that because I was particularly attached to Chief Obafemi Awolowo. I was very close to him in person and in spirit. He was my hero, and this man that is coming on, that we are proposing for governor in Ogun State in 2019, is going to perform even better because he has read so much about Awoism. And we know that he can perform and we trust him. We know his ability.
When I talk to people about education in Nigeria I always concern myself with jobs. This man will turn Ogun State into the citadel of industrialisation in Nigeria. Nigeria will be industrialised and we will start from Ogun State. I am confident, that he has it. He has the knowledge. He has the ability. He has the exposure. He is different from all the governors in Nigeria. He is a home-born man who is willing to extend his ability to others. And that is what he has been working towards in Ogun State. We are going to convince the people and people are going to believe us and they are going to vote right for Olurotimi Paseda in 2019, by the grace of God.
In Nigeria politics requires a huge investment, do you think your party has the funds to finance the 2019 general elections at all levels?
We have it. I was a member of the UPN in the second republic and I was close to Chief Obafemi Awolowo. Awolowo would talk of finance as the strength of the party, but our present leader, who is Rotimi Paseda is very much aware. I must tell you that Rotimi Paseda is a rich man and I have never seen a person like this man. He has made up his mind to carry the whole party on his head. He had done it once and I know he is going to do it better. We have people coming from all directions and we are not going to lack any funds to propagate the party this time around and I am going to assure you that.
In the 2015 general elections your party didn’t field any presidential candidate. Do you plan to field a presidential candidate in 2019?
In 2019, we are not likely to field a candidate but we are going to look for a candidate of another party who is committed to the progress of Nigeria – a party that we can work with and we will tell our people to go along with that candidate and vote for him. We are not enemies. What we are competing about is fairness and good governance. But most people don’t think about that, they want to be senators, they want to be members of the House of Representatives to show off, that they are there. Who is there? They will mention somebody’s name. They have nothing to show for it. They have no reputation. If you watch the senators during sessions on television, a lot of them just sleep off. If you watch the House of Representatives session, some of them don’t even know what they are debating. I see a lot of them, ask them questions and they don’t understand. But we are fully prepared. Under Chief Awolowo, nobody who didn’t understand the issue could have a chance to go the National Assembly. We had party primaries. This one too we are going to have party primaries. But already we know that our candidate is going to win the primary. There are other people who are really interested and we are welcoming them because this is democracy, but we know that this man, Paseda, has done so much for the people. He is concerned about everything. If you talk to him, he is humane. And that is the kind of leadership that we need. We don’t need people who just want to show off because they are governors and they cheat others, make ten lanes within township. Where is that done? Even in the United States, what do you need ten lanes for in a township? What is it for? Nothing! All these overhead bridges; building bridges all over Ogun State, they are not needed. We need one across the express because when I was in the House of Representatives between 1979 and 1983, I used to talk about that every time because most accidents occur there. I praise him for doing that, but all the others that he has been building all over the state, we don’t need them.
They are doing them in order to get money into their pockets. That is what they are doing. We are not going to do that and we are not into government to begin to expose people. That is not our duty. We prefer to run a better government and let the people feel comfortable within their environments. And this is going to be a government that will listen and make all attempts to satisfy our needs.
Do you believe in independent candidacy?
I would encourage it. If we encourage independent candidacy in this country, the effect is, all these corrupt people, all these people that are imposed would disappear. That happened and I could remember. It happened during the first republic when Chief Awolowo was premier of the Western Nigeria. My uncle, Chief Ayodele Okusaga, from Ijebu East was Minister for Education. At the end of his term in the 60s, his people protested to Awolowo, that he didn’t do much for them and he had a challenge from there. Let me tell you, this Omu town has produced good and great candidates. The man from here is called Adebanjo and he was an independent candidate and he competed with Okusaga, and Adebanjo won the election and he was made a minister.
Quote
If you watch the senators during sessions on television, a lot of them just sleep off. If you watch the House of Representatives session, some of them don’t even know what they are debating.
Quote
If we encourage independent candidacy in this country, the effect is, all these corrupt people, all these people that are imposed would disappear.
