David Onuoha-Bourdex
Otunba Richard Adeniyi Adebayo is the first civilian governor of Ekiti State and a founding chieftain of All Progressives Congress (APC). After he left office in 2003, Adebayo joined forces with other political stalwarts in the South-west to establish the Action Congress (AC) and later Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), which was fused into the APC. In this interview with Gboyega Akinsanmi, Adebayo speaks on several issues including the report of the 2014 National Conference, the ongoing anti-corruption crusade, the report of the Nigerian Army’s Panel of Inquiry on the Ekiti election rigging tape and Governor Ayodele Fayose’s criticism of President Muhammadu Buhari, which he described as a strategy to evade justice, among others
You have been out of the public space, keeping a low profile politically. Why have you maintained a low political profile?
I will not say I have been out of the public space. To a large extent, I have been concentrating my efforts on our local political base, working on regional issues that support and unite the people of Ekiti State.
I will not say I have been out of the public space. To a large extent, I have been concentrating my efforts on our local political base, working on regional issues that support and unite the people of Ekiti State.
The Nigerian Army set up a panel of inquiry to probe Ekiti and Osun governorship elections. The panel came up with a report indicting some army officers. Can the report change anything?
I believe the process is still on. The panel that was set up has submitted the report to the authorities of the Nigerian Army with it recommendations. We must understand that the military have their own legal and administrative processes, which must run its course
I believe the process is still on. The panel that was set up has submitted the report to the authorities of the Nigerian Army with it recommendations. We must understand that the military have their own legal and administrative processes, which must run its course
Does that suggest that the APC can still approach the court after the military must have exhausted their own process?
Legally, we can still approach the court, as the military aspect does not touch on the civilian involvement in this saga. However with the additional allegations by Dr. Tope Aluko, former secretary of the PDP Ekiti chapter and right-hand-man to Fayose during the 2014 gubernatorial elections we are clear this is not just an APC issue. This speaks to the very core of the corruption entrenched in the previous administration and how with the support of President Jonathan, Fayose was allowed to decimate an election process with reckless abandon. This falls under the jurisdiction of the EFCC, the police and the judiciary. You have Aluko here with the smoking gun, not only indicting the other cohorts in this morally despicable saga but indicting himself also in the process.
Legally, we can still approach the court, as the military aspect does not touch on the civilian involvement in this saga. However with the additional allegations by Dr. Tope Aluko, former secretary of the PDP Ekiti chapter and right-hand-man to Fayose during the 2014 gubernatorial elections we are clear this is not just an APC issue. This speaks to the very core of the corruption entrenched in the previous administration and how with the support of President Jonathan, Fayose was allowed to decimate an election process with reckless abandon. This falls under the jurisdiction of the EFCC, the police and the judiciary. You have Aluko here with the smoking gun, not only indicting the other cohorts in this morally despicable saga but indicting himself also in the process.
But during the election, the Ekiti people chose to vote based on what they can get. Everything has been reduced to stomach infrastructure. What actually explains this scenario?
If you are talking about Ekiti State, the report of the panel that the Nigerian Army set up has shown that the election was manipulated. Stomach infrastructure is the “propaganda” that was used to cover up the fact that they were able to use the military and government funds to rig the election with impunity. If as alleged by Aluko, Fayose used $2 million approved by President Jonathan just to win the primaries within his own party, you can then begin to imagine how he had no limits in his desperation to rob the Ekiti people both through propaganda and physical means.
Governor Ayodele Fayose is confrontational in his approach to politics. What do you have to say about this approach?
We have noticed since the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari came into power fighting corruption, that those who have been very vociferous were later found complicit in the act of corruption. Some adopt a strategy of being obstreperous, in the misguided hope that it will fool Nigerians to thinking they are being investigated because they spoke against the current government, and not because of the illegalities they have committed.
If you are talking about Ekiti State, the report of the panel that the Nigerian Army set up has shown that the election was manipulated. Stomach infrastructure is the “propaganda” that was used to cover up the fact that they were able to use the military and government funds to rig the election with impunity. If as alleged by Aluko, Fayose used $2 million approved by President Jonathan just to win the primaries within his own party, you can then begin to imagine how he had no limits in his desperation to rob the Ekiti people both through propaganda and physical means.
Governor Ayodele Fayose is confrontational in his approach to politics. What do you have to say about this approach?
We have noticed since the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari came into power fighting corruption, that those who have been very vociferous were later found complicit in the act of corruption. Some adopt a strategy of being obstreperous, in the misguided hope that it will fool Nigerians to thinking they are being investigated because they spoke against the current government, and not because of the illegalities they have committed.
That is the same strategy that Fayose is using. Look at the case of Olisa Metuh, who was very vocal in criticising the current government, it was discovered based on evidence and witness accounts that we have heard so far, that he was indeed complicit in the act of corruption.
We have a lot of people that were arrested. Some have been charged to court. This government has little time. Don’t you think anti-graft should be fought differently to avoid distraction?
Are we saying that people who stole should be left alone? Do you want the federal government to forgive those who have stolen and let them go scot-free so that we can move the country forward? If any person is found to have committed a criminal offence, he must face the law. That does not stop the federal government from functioning. It is not the President that is directing their investigations or day-to-day operations. There are organs of government that are directing them, such as The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) operatives and the Nigerian Police.
Are we saying that people who stole should be left alone? Do you want the federal government to forgive those who have stolen and let them go scot-free so that we can move the country forward? If any person is found to have committed a criminal offence, he must face the law. That does not stop the federal government from functioning. It is not the President that is directing their investigations or day-to-day operations. There are organs of government that are directing them, such as The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) operatives and the Nigerian Police.
It is not under the Central Bank or the Ministry of Finance. The fact that some people are being prosecuted takes nothing away from the Federal Government. If anything, it only brings better understanding to the people about the challenges the government is facing due to the reckless damage done before the Buhari government came into office.
The issue of the misappropriation of about $2.1 billion of government funds is just one small aspect of the probe. There are other aspects that are being brought to light everyday and we will therefore be looking at a larger sum in its totality by the time this process is exhausted. You can imagine what difference a $2.1 billion injection will do to our current budget in the face of dwindling oil revenues. How can a government run effectively with such a vacuum in its coffers?
But the approach to the anti-graft war has stoked concerns from different quarters. Why is the APC government not considering other means of fighting graft?
We have the structures in place. We have the courts. We must allow due process. If the government says it wants to do something special or different now, everybody will start complaining that Mr. President is being dictatorial. He has to use the existing structures, and that is what he is doing.
We have the structures in place. We have the courts. We must allow due process. If the government says it wants to do something special or different now, everybody will start complaining that Mr. President is being dictatorial. He has to use the existing structures, and that is what he is doing.
People have accused him of not obeying court orders. Why is the President not committing to the rule of law as contained in the manifesto and programme of the APC?
Really, I look into all these allegations and I discover that people are not getting it right. So someone commits an offence. He or she was arrested and charged to court. He or she applies for bail and the court granted bail for the offence. As a result of the bail application for the first offence, that person was released. Then they picked the person again because they found that they have another offence to which there is another separate charge. In this kind of situation, how has the federal government violated the court order? The federal government has not violated any law; they have simply arrested and charged the person for another offence, which he is free to apply for bail for.
Really, I look into all these allegations and I discover that people are not getting it right. So someone commits an offence. He or she was arrested and charged to court. He or she applies for bail and the court granted bail for the offence. As a result of the bail application for the first offence, that person was released. Then they picked the person again because they found that they have another offence to which there is another separate charge. In this kind of situation, how has the federal government violated the court order? The federal government has not violated any law; they have simply arrested and charged the person for another offence, which he is free to apply for bail for.
In the North, we have Boko Haram. In the Middle Belt, the farmers and herdsmen are at war. In the Niger Delta, peace is endangered. How do we survive these challenges?
The federal government is aware of all these developments. Since the Buhari government came into power, a lot of efforts have gone into defeating Boko Haram. Lately, the incidents of Boko Haram has reduced, largely in terms of overrunning Nigeria’s territory. They have now resulted to guerrilla warfare, with suicide bombings.
The federal government is aware of all these developments. Since the Buhari government came into power, a lot of efforts have gone into defeating Boko Haram. Lately, the incidents of Boko Haram has reduced, largely in terms of overrunning Nigeria’s territory. They have now resulted to guerrilla warfare, with suicide bombings.
Even with this, their capabilities are being crippled severely because the federal armed forces are working hard to defeat the insurgents and arrest the would-be suicide bombers before they are able to carry out their deadly acts. We have situations in other regions where people have committed tremendous atrocities and are looking for the way of escaping justice. To achieve this, they have turned themselves into freedom fighters all of a sudden. I am confident this government is addressing these areas too.
The price of crude oil is crashing fast. The value of our currency is sliding by the day. Each of these indices portrays a portrait of sordid future. How can we survive these challenges?
Former President Goodluck Jonathan is a lucky man that he did not win the election. If Jonathan had won the presidential election, by now, Nigerians will be agitating to oust him.
Former President Goodluck Jonathan is a lucky man that he did not win the election. If Jonathan had won the presidential election, by now, Nigerians will be agitating to oust him.
With President Buhari we all know he inherited a severely crippled economy and people are therefore ready to endure and support this tough journey with him to restoring our economy. In all sincerity, the man is doing his best. He is going all over the world, seeking support and trying to find solutions to our problems. We have to change our personal orientation. We have to look inward. We have to look into how we can revive our own industries that utilise local raw materials.
I was talking to the Governor of the Central Bank sometime ago and he said: “When people criticised me, I tried to explain to them that I cannot in good conscience allow the meagre resources of Nigeria to be spent on importation just because we want to sustain the economies of foreign countries.” So, why can’t we use our money to sustain our economy? That is the focus of the Buhari government.
The government is looking inward to see what we can do to sustain our economy. A lot of people are looking inward already. Recently, a friend told me that he wanted to start a tooth-pick factory rather than importing it. For example, we do not manufacture tyres in Nigeria. Everything that has to do with tyres is imported. Meanwhile, there are rubber plantations here and that is the basic material for production of tyres. As at today, every single tyre in this country is imported.
Michelin and Dunlop who used to manufacture tyres locally closed down their factories because of bad government policies. Import duty on tyres was 40 percent and 5% on imported equipment to manufacture tyres. All of a sudden, the federal government changed the policy and made import duties on imported tyres 10 percent thus killing the industry. Now, we have to look at how we can revive our industries.
Ondo election will hold in October. With the rift among party leaders in the state, can the APC win in Ondo State?
Like we all know, the truth about Ekiti election has now come out. The Ekiti election was manipulated by the use of the military and other federal agencies. Now, that cannot happen again. Ekiti was used as a learning curve for everybody. They tried it in Osun but because of the information we had gathered from what happened to us in Ekiti, we were able to prevent them from succeeding. Now that the federal government has changed, you will notice that there is no attempt to use military or security agents to manipulate elections. The APC just lost an election in Bayelsa.
Like we all know, the truth about Ekiti election has now come out. The Ekiti election was manipulated by the use of the military and other federal agencies. Now, that cannot happen again. Ekiti was used as a learning curve for everybody. They tried it in Osun but because of the information we had gathered from what happened to us in Ekiti, we were able to prevent them from succeeding. Now that the federal government has changed, you will notice that there is no attempt to use military or security agents to manipulate elections. The APC just lost an election in Bayelsa.
In Ondo State, if you do your research very well and listen to what people are saying, you will notice that the party that has the best chance of winning election in Ondo State is APC. What we have done in every single state where we have had elections is to ensure that we hold proper, free and fair primaries. It is out of free and fair primaries that a candidate will emerge. Any candidate who emerges through free and fair process will largely enjoy the support of everybody. We have made free and fair primaries the hallmark of our party.
Many people are still seeking the implementation of the recommendations of the 2014 National Conference. Even though the APC did not support the process from the beginning, how do you see the report?
I have always advocated and fought for true federalism. I believe there are some merits in the report of the 2014 national Constitutional Conference. I honestly wish the National Assembly will look at the report and take part of it for implementation. Likewise, I believe the process of attaining true federalism cannot be attained through a one-day event. It is a process that continues over the years. Even in the United States, the Supreme Court rulings also alters some parts of the country’s constitution. As we progress, we will improve in that direction. I believe in a just and fair society. I believe the more people fight for their rights the better this society will be.
I have always advocated and fought for true federalism. I believe there are some merits in the report of the 2014 national Constitutional Conference. I honestly wish the National Assembly will look at the report and take part of it for implementation. Likewise, I believe the process of attaining true federalism cannot be attained through a one-day event. It is a process that continues over the years. Even in the United States, the Supreme Court rulings also alters some parts of the country’s constitution. As we progress, we will improve in that direction. I believe in a just and fair society. I believe the more people fight for their rights the better this society will be.
But the APC did not subscribe to the process from the inception. Has anything changed now?
At the time the national conference was holding, we supported the process because some of our members were part of it. There was no clearly articulated party policy on it at the time. Individuals expressed their opinions, but the party never came out with a categorical position on the national conference. I know for a fact that APC believes in true federalism.
At the time the national conference was holding, we supported the process because some of our members were part of it. There was no clearly articulated party policy on it at the time. Individuals expressed their opinions, but the party never came out with a categorical position on the national conference. I know for a fact that APC believes in true federalism.
Can true federalism arrest all agitations from different ethnic nationalities in Nigeria?
I think most of these agitations are economic. When you talk about the people who are agitating for Biafra, I can assure you that, it is not something that is as widely spread among the people of the South-East as they are making it out to be. The people of the South-East are the most cosmopolitan among all the tribes in Nigeria. There is no state where you do not have large concentration of Igbo people.
I think most of these agitations are economic. When you talk about the people who are agitating for Biafra, I can assure you that, it is not something that is as widely spread among the people of the South-East as they are making it out to be. The people of the South-East are the most cosmopolitan among all the tribes in Nigeria. There is no state where you do not have large concentration of Igbo people.
So, what are we saying? That those people should now uproot and return to the East? In Ekiti, for instance, we have a thriving Igbo community there. They have built their homes there, and they have even inter-married with children. Looking at these facts you can only conclude that those agitating for a Biafra are led by selfish interest as they use this platform to raise funds around the world with no accountability to the supposed cause.
Are you confident that judiciary would give maximum support to the fight against corruption considering the headache President Buhari claimed the arm is causing him?
They have no choice. The anti-corruption battle is also in the judiciary itself. The Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) and the National Judicial Council (NJC) makes statements and pronouncements regularly. Whenever allegations are made against judges and justices, they are investigated, and those that are found culpable are sanctioned. adebayo
They have no choice. The anti-corruption battle is also in the judiciary itself. The Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) and the National Judicial Council (NJC) makes statements and pronouncements regularly. Whenever allegations are made against judges and justices, they are investigated, and those that are found culpable are sanctioned. adebayo
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