Ondo REC must be removed to avoid 1983 crisis – Ajayi

Former deputy governor of Ondo State and the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in the forthcoming governorship election in the state, Agboola Ajayi, tells PETER DADA about his chances at the poll, among other issues

The election is just a few days away. How has your campaign been so far?

The campaign has been both hectic and joyful. It is hectic because people are generally frustrated with the system. They have lost confidence in the electoral process and in politicians. They (people) feel it’s a waste of time to participate in the process because they haven’t seen the impact of government.

But for us, it’s also been joyful because the people believe in us. They have confidence in our capacity to make a difference and are eager for change. They appreciate what little we’ve been able to achieve, even in the face of challenges, and they’re showing massive support for us.

With what you have gathered from the people in the campaign, do you have any worries about this election?

Yes, the only worry is the Resident Electoral Commissioner of the state, Mrs Oluwatoyin Babalola. Our party has raised an allegation against her. One organisation alerted us that Oluwatoyin has been having a series of meetings with the All Progressives Congress government, especially the governor and the party chairman, and we found out that it was true.

The government has enough; they have their way of accessing and getting information. If they want to be honest, they know what we are saying that it is true. So, we felt that this woman is partisan. So, she can never be fair.  We know she was born and brought up here; she is an Ondo State indigene. I don’t know how else they want us to prove that.

Since Oluwatoyin was born, she has never spent a night at Gbara Odo.  She has lived all her life in Akure here, her parents live in Akure here.

Oluwatoyin was residing in Akure until she was appointed. I don’t know why INEC should post her here. Maybe they didn’t know this information before.

We have told them to remove the woman because she cannot be fair. So, that one alone created a lot of suspicion, but we are going to resist it.

But with your clamour, the woman is still in the office. Does that mean that INEC turned deaf ears to your request? What will you do if she is not changed till the election day?

She must be changed. We won’t keep quiet, and if they make any attempt to allow her to conduct the election, the people of the state will not take it lightly with INEC. I want to appeal to INEC not to allow a repeat of what happened in 1983.

They cannot continue to do this. So, that one alone has created suspicion. We said for the credibility of this process, they should change this woman and bring in another person who is not from this area. If they bring anyone from anywhere who is not from this state, we are fine, but they should allow a level playing ground.

For a candidate to say they want to use the template they used in Edo. What a shameful society! Everybody condemned the election in Edo State, but they are saying they wanted to use the template of Edo State, and INEC could not come out to say, ‘No, you are on your own. We are going to conduct a free and fair election.’ The days are numbered, and we are here watching the process.

But INEC chairman was here in the state, and I think he said the commission had learnt its lesson from the Edo State election, and that the Ondo State election would be an improvement. Don’t you still trust INEC with that statement?

Do you believe him? It’s an immediate thing. I’m afraid I’m going to be at  a stakeholders’ meeting. I’m going to cancel all my engagements and be there. I will tell him (INEC chairman) that the problem of this country is INEC. I will do so because when you don’t elect a credible leader who has integrity, what do you expect? The life of this state is in the hands of this person. The moment we miss it, we will be affected as a state.

I am a beneficiary of free, fair, and credible elections. When we had an election then, here in Ondo State, no single person raised an eyebrow. My opponent was the first person to address me, and he said the contest was free and fair, and that Agboola Ajayi won squarely. He congratulated me. That’s how it’s supposed to be. Why must our election continue to end up in litigation every time?

When are we going to have the processes that are supposed to produce credible people? I think INEC should live up to expectations. If they cannot do it, they should tell us that they can’t do it. I’m going to tell (Mahmood) Yakubu, ‘You should not come and set Ondo State on fire because we are not going to accept it’. It’s not possible. Nobody can intimidate us. This is our state, and we will not allow it to burn anymore.

The issue of vote-buying is now rampant in the electoral system in Nigeria. People accuse the PDP and APC of involvement in the menace. What is your reaction to this?

Well, I don’t know about that. Is it not somebody receiving N1.2bn monthly that can do that? Do I even have the money to buy votes? I don’t even have the money to do it.

Friends were the ones spending money for my campaign, not me. I think the issue of vote-buying will not happen in this election and the security agencies should be on alert. If you see anybody with money to buy votes, they should collect the money and prosecute that person. That’s how it should be.

What measures have you put in place to curb rigging against your party in the forthcoming election?

That’s my secret. We are going to the election, and we are going to win. So, don’t worry about that.

You seem to have much confidence in winning the election. Why is it so?

We have won already. Don’t worry yourself. Is it not Saturday, November 16 election? Have you seen how an incumbent governor is panicking like this before? I was happy that it was on a live programme. I asked him (Lucky Aiyedatiwa) questions and he said he has not borrowed money since he became governor. I said, well, for me, even if I become governor today, if there is a need for me to borrow money for development, I will borrow.

There is nothing bad if a government borrows money for development. Get me right; I won’t borrow money to pay security vote. I won’t borrow money to be eating sardines. But if there is a need for a government to invest and borrow money for development, why won’t you do it?  That’s one aspect.

Secondly, I said, ‘It’s fine, and we thank God he (Aiyedatiwa) has not borrowed money and he equally confessed that the allocation has increased in a very fertile way. We thank God you have collected so much money, more than N150bn and you can’t show us one kilometre of road that you have tarred, and no single project has been inaugurated, not even a health centre of N2m.

My brother, our people are tired of the clueless government, and they can’t wait for election day to come. I was born and raised here. So, I understand the people’s needs intimately. I know what’s lacking in infrastructure, education, healthcare, and general governance. I’ve practised politics here; I’m not a stranger coming in to try and understand the landscape.

I understand the plight of our people and the kind of transformation we need across sectors – whether it’s education, health, transportation, or agriculture. My focus has always been on systemic change, not on blaming or criticising anyone, but on moving the state forward with a fresh and workable agenda.

This is the second time you are contesting a governorship election in this state. From your perspective, what will you say is the major problem facing the state?

The major problem we’re facing is the lack of genuine leadership. When you have someone in a position of power who lacks the understanding of how to lead, then the people will suffer. We’ve seen mediocrity persists, and it’s weighing heavily on the development of the state. There is so much potential here, but it’s being hampered by poor leadership. This is why I’m in the race to bring a change and to ensure that we put an end to this mediocrity for the sake of the people.

What are your plans to bring a change to the people of the state?

In our agenda, security is a priority for me, and for a good reason. I was part of the team that developed the regional security framework, the Amotekun, which has had some successes today. But I believe we need to do more to keep our people safe. One of my initiatives would be to create specialised security units for different localities based on their unique challenges and vulnerabilities.

Also, leadership has to be more transparent about security votes and how they’re used. People deserve to know how their resources are being allocated, especially when it comes to something as crucial as security.

Health is also a critical area. We’ve seen life expectancy decline due to treatable conditions like high blood pressure, stroke, and malaria, which are common here. I want to tackle this head-on.

On education, I am going to declare free education in primary and secondary schools. If a governor in a month is taking N1.2bn, the subvention of (state-owned) Adekunle Ajasin University when I was the deputy governor was N232m. With this new minimum wage, maybe it has increased to N350 or N400m. From that N1.2bn, I will give them N150m as an additional subvention; do the same thing to UNIMED (the state-owned University of Medical Sciences). Give N100m or N200m to Rufus Giwa Polytechnic.

So, when you spend about N700m or N600m from that N1.2bn, you still have enough money for security. Anybody who thinks he wants to be governor to be rich, the person is going to miss it, and that’s what’s happening to them. So, in terms of money, we have a lot of money that can be enough for all of us. I assure you that teachers will be recruited, and I will train and retrain them to gain capacity. I will impact positively in the area of education in Ondo State.

All these programmes involve money. How do you intend to fund them in light of the ongoing economic downturn?

Honestly, funding is indeed a challenge, but it’s not insurmountable. My approach will be to cut down on wasteful spending and increase efficiency in governance. Additionally, we will attract investment by creating a stable, transparent environment that appeals to both local and foreign investors. Revenue generation is possible with the right policies. When people see that their money is being used effectively, they will cooperate.

What have been the roles of the PDP national leadership in your ambition?

I must be sincere with you; I have been enjoying tremendous support from the party, the PDP. The two PDP South-West governors have been wonderful. Governor (Ademola) Adeleke (of Osun State) was the first. He came to inaugurate the committee before going back. Governor (Seyi) Makinde spent five days with us.

Governor Adeleke was in town for some days, and we campaigned for three days. The national campaign committee will spend three days in Ondo State before the election. They are ready. So, we’ve been enjoying tremendous support from the party. We appreciate that because they know the importance of Ondo State.

What is your message to the people of the state?

It’s for them to prepare and they should not be frustrated by any reflection that they will rig the election. They must come out and vote en masse for us. All the threat is a way of saying ‘Don’t come out’. No, they should come out and vote and stay with their votes on that day (November 16) and their vote will count.