Guardian

Ayo Afolabi, South-West Publicity Secretary of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), in this interview with ABIODUN FANORO, accused the Presidency of conniving with Dr. Frederick Fasehun, leader of the Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC) to resuscitate the defunct Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN) with a view to destabilising the zone.

WHY is your party jittery over plans to resurrect the Unity Party of Nigeria?

I don’t understand what you mean that ACN is jittery over efforts to resuscitate the UPN. There is no reason why we would be jittery about anybody’s plan to do what he thinks would best suit his own situation. But we would call the attention of Nigerians and indeed our people in the South-West to the fact that some people are out to cause mayhem and destabilize government in the South-West. If we perceive or we come by knowledge into any information that anybody is doing anything that would affect our people negatively, it is our duty to bring that person to the hall of public opinion and public court, that is exactly what we have done.

You may need to draw a link between bringing to public opinion and the intolerance your party has shown

According to the Nigerian Constitution as well as guidelines for the formation of political parties there is no where it has been spelt out that the Presidency could form and fund (new) political party as it is doing with the UPN.

We find it very curious and so we want to be enlightened, Nigerians also need explanation on when it has become the responsibility of either the federal or state government to sponsor with state’s funds, the formation of any new political party. Don’t forget that at the conference in Okota, Lagos, where the UPN was resuscitated, a representative of the President in person of Dr Uranta Uranta, President Goodluck Jonathan’s closest friend was present at the occasion. The presence is simply for the Presidency to ensure that Dr. Frederick Fasehun did exactly what he was expected to do. In the light of this, is it not appropriate for us to call the attention of the Nigerian people to this illegal moves by the presidency in spending public funds with a view to destabilisng existing government in certain parts of the country? I think what should engage the attention of the Presidency is kidnapping that is dangerously finding its way into the only peaceful region in the country, the South-West which houses the country’s commercial capital.

But Dr Uranta has denied coming to represent President Jonathan

The issue of denial is out of it. This is making a bold face after the whole dirty linen has been spread out in the sun. Let me remind all Nigerians, if only for them to know that we are not crying wolf, nobody knew about this move until we broke it open. It was after the ACN had broken it open that Dr Fasehun now came to tell Nigerians that he had applied for a contract to provide security for pipelines in the South-West. Let them explain the coincidence with the pipeline contract, with the presence of the President’s closest friend, Uranta at the Okota meeting as well as the recent visit of the Ijaw leader, Joseph Evah who led a delegation of over 200 people to Dr. Fasehun.

The Evah visit was not only used to jointly celebrate the posthumous birthday of Chief Obafemi Awolowo, founder of the UPN, Fasehun used the occasion to announce the plan to resuscitate the UPN and went further to declare his support for Jonathan’s second term bid. We read all these coincidences as they want the Nigerian people and the South-West in particular to believe, in the newspapers. All these have come to show that the Presidency is jittery about the ACN.

This is a multi party democracy, so how would the resuscitation of a political party destabilize a region?

If Dr Fasehun woke up on the right side of his bed and says he is setting up a political party, honestly, the ACN and the people of the South-West would not blink an eye. We know very well that Dr Fasehun is not a politician, we know that he cannot conveniently assemble 200 people within his area in Okota, apart from the OPC (Odua Peoples Congress) people. We cried out because the machinery of the Federal Government is being used to finance the set up. Remove this we are not afraid to go into election with Fasehun, if he genuinely decides to come into politics. It is within his constitutional and human rights, but he must exercise this without seeking undue support of the Presidency whose sole aim is to destabilise governance in the South West.

Let Dr Fasehun knows that we have our facts and they are un- deniable. Each time he goes to the Presidency, we know, because we monitor his visit to the Presidency and we would continue monitoring him, he has no hiding place in this new deal with the Presidency.

Why is your party finding it difficult to co-exist with other parties in the South-West?

I don’t understand what you are trying to say. There are other political parties in the South-West. There is the PDP (People’s Democratic Party), Labour Party is in Ondo, we are not quarelling with it, it is only when elections come that we fight it out and once elections are over, we are back at our normal relationship. We also co-exist with the CPC (Congress for Progressive Change) and the ANPP (All Nigerian Peoples Party). We are not fighting anybody or any party. It is only the PDP that is jittery and scared; that does not wish the opposition to exist and is busy doing everything to achieve  this, including the Fasehun-Presidency unholy alliance. How would the President feel, if we direct government in the South West to sponsor a new party in the South -South for the sole aim of destabilizing it.

Even if the UPN sponsorship is true, isn’t that part of politicking, using legitimate means to over power your opponent?

Is it legitimate to use government’s money to sponsor new political parties? When did the PDP and the UPN become associates that the Presidency now looks for money and contract to finance it?

Some people are of the view that rather than your party settling down to strategise on how to win, it is whipping up sentiments and crying foul where there is none

How would Nigerians describe us? What would Nigerians say, if we wait after the election before we disclose this evil plan. Wouldn’t Nigerians blame us? Wouldn’t they say why did we not cry out before now?

People would be expecting you to advocate for one man one, vote, which could defuse any plot, rather than this cry against the coming of a new party?

More than any other political party, we advocate and believe very strongly in one man one vote. This would not prevent us from crying aloud when illegalities are being committed. Which in this case, is the use of Federal Government’s funds and instruments to nurture a political party. There are governments in the South-West which bear the brunt of sabotage on these pipelines, the Presidency did not consult with them on how to secure these facilities. The Presidency however finds it more convenient to consult and engage an individual because it is now the time for “if you rub my back, I will rub your palm”. The Presidency is backing a party that is not out to win election but is out to deploy thugs and engage in destabilisation.

Is your fear about the fact that because Fasehun controls the OPC, he could be used to deploy them for political violence?

Go and find out that, it is not for me to tell you that. A few days ago, I read a news item where the National coordinator of the OPC, Gani Adams said he controls more than 90 per cent of OPC members. The ACN is not afraid of anybody. We therefore raise the alarm early enough where we come by moves any information that violence is being hatched by some people with a view to imposing it on the people of the region. This is our duty to them and to the land, it is not about whether we are winning or not, winning has been long settled.

If your governors and council chairmen have performed would a new party have emerged?

Are there no other parties in the region? Let there be a million parties, we don’t care about that. It is not about performance or not. It is about an evil determination to destabilize the region for one man’s selfish interest in 2015. Now on the issue of performance, we are today proud that we in the ACN parade the best performing governors in the country and we make bold to invite the whole world to come and see the miracles our governors are performing from Raji Fashola (SAN) in Lagos, Senator Abiola Ajumobi in Oyo, Rauf Aregbesola in Osun, Ibikunle Amosu in Ogun, Kayode Fayemi in Ekiti to Comrade Adams Oshiomhole in Edo State. This interview is not where we intend to celebrate them, however, I invite our critics to the streets of Lagos, and the towns and villages in other states under the ACN to see how public funds have been judiciously put into good use and not on frivolities like the Fasehun-Presidency destabilization project.

Anybody would have expected ACN to jump at the emergence of another progressive party that is directly from the Awolowo stable, but the reverse is the case?

How can we jump at somebody who is collecting money from the Presidency to revive a party with the aim of using it to destabilize the same region Awolowo toiled to build. You want us to jump at someone who is misusing public funds. Funds that that ought to be used to build roads, and equip hospitals, facilitate employment. Couldn’t this money be used to rebuild the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, the Sagamu-Benin Expressway, the Ibadan-Ilorin Expressway etc.

Talking about politicking, what is the difference between what Jonathan is accused of and what your National leader, Bola Tinubu did in 2011, when he allegedly dumped Nuhu Ribadu for Jonathan at the dying minute?

Where did you see Asiwaju (Bola Tinubu) abandoning Ribadu for Jonathan. An election came, the people decided who they wanted as their president, so how is Asiwaju involved in that decision. During the election, everybody including Asiwaju in the rain and in the sun, went out to campaign for Ribadu, but the people in their own wisdom said they wanted Jonathan to continue.  Why should Asiwaju be blamed for this?

Regrettably, Jonathan has paid back the people of the South West in bad coins and not in good coins. He abandoned all our roads, he abandoned all our cities, he abandoned everything that has to do with the South West.

With all these scenarios, how would 2015 be in the South West?

In 2015, the South West would remain firmly in the hand of ACN which would have finally metamorphosed into the APC (All Progressive Congress). In addition to that, we would ensure that no where in the region would the PDP get up to 20 per cent votes.