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A former member of House of Representatives, Hon Rotimi Makinde, has said the future of All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun State is bright. He stated this during an interview with selected journalists including Newspeakonline Reporter in Lagos. The APC chieftain spoke about President Bola Tinubu’s one year in office, labour unions’ strike, Osun politics among others. Excerpts
Let’s start with the one year anniversary of President Bola Tinubu. You were one of the key figures that vigorously campaigned for him during the 2023 election. The country seems to be bleeding, how do you feel now?
Well, there is no doubt that Nigerians are witnessing harsh economic realities and other challenges, but we must be fair to this government led by Asiwaju Bola Tinubu. He came to power at a critical moment and he must lay the critical foundations needed to drive the economy and all other developments. By the time he took over, we know where Nigeria was and we know it was not going to be that easy. My only consolation is that he has the capacity to turn this country around to an enviable status and Nigerians need to be patient with him. Even the best of reforms will not produce benefits overnight; we still need a bit of time for the reforms to mature. It’s not easy for anybody now, but there is hope that things will not continue this way without an end. I am hopeful that President Tinubu will fix this country. One year is not enough for an objective assessment given the rot he inherited, but he is not folding his hands, his government is working and doing the needful but we need to have more patience. It’s a sacrifice we all have to make.
The hardship is becoming unbearable and the organised labour has been going on nationwide strike, what is your view on this?
Nobody is saying that all is well, but something is being done. They are putting up palliative, although the type of palliative I had expected was not to give out money but intervening in critical areas For instance, providing relevant amenities for farmers for their agricultural activities, interventions on transportation, communication, ensuring safety and all that.
Across Nigeria, a general strike demanding higher wages has brought the country to a standstill and you ask, is that the best solution? The protesters voices are loud and clear–the economic reforms, they say, have nudged more people into the abyss of poverty. There seem to be a tug of war between the government and labour unions.
The striking workers demand for higher wages are a response to the hardship, a call for immediate relief in the face of rising cost of living, but the increment must be cautiously done or else you inflate the economy more and more. I know that the reforms over time are indispensable for the nation’s fiscal health. I think that these reforms have resulted in short term hardship for many Nigerians. For us, strikes have become a recurrent decimal, an unpleasant reality we’re forced to grapple with. It is sad that essential services have become bargaining chips in high stakes negotiations.
The truth is that the increase demanded by labour is likely to inflate the government wage bill by at least N9.5 trillion. My take is that both the government and labour must be realistic in their negotiations, be transparent and let empathy, wisdom and resilience be our compass. I trust that the man in the driver’s seat will deliver the needed democracy dividend that will take this country to a greater level.
You are one of the titans of a movement called the South West Agenda (SWAGA) 2023. That was as far back as 2020. What’s your group’s fate in this government?
The truth is that no one can actually relegate the role played by SWAGA led by Sen Adeyeye, Sen Soji Akanbi, Sen Gbenga Obadara, Hon Bosun Oladele, myself and others…We are still committed to our belief that Asiwaju Bola Ahmed would deliver; we remain hopeful and believe our principal is a man that never overlooks good deeds as well. We are happy our journey was never in vain and we shall continue to wish Mr President well.
Your party, APC is the main opposition in Osun State. What is the fate of the party?
I want to tell you that the future of APC in the state is very bright, especially if we adopt genuine reconciliation and allow unity to be our watchword. Failure to do just that would be further disaster for Osun APC. We shot ourselves in the foot in 2022. PDP was never our match, but internal crisis and lack of commitment cost us the unnecessary and avoidable electoral misfortune despite the fact that our party performed creditably well.
There are factions in Osun APC, which of the two major groups do you belong to, Ileri-Oluwa or Omoluabi?
I am more of pro-APC as a party and former Governor Oyetola is the face of APC. I am a party man to the core. There’s no controversy about where I stand, call it Ileri-Oluwa, I don’t care, but mind you, that was the option before me as Ogbeni Aregbesola was seen to have distanced himself and I was left at crossroad. Remember, Oyetola is my in-law, I married from Iragbiji. That was the only sensible option before me.I hope I have answered your question.
Not really, I asked because of the so much rumour peddled about your neutrality?
I am happy you called it rumour and that I was neutral. If what you called ‘neutral’ is me not engaging myself in the crossfire between our two leaders, I will claim it and accept that I stood aloof. I am for APC, I was for Governor Oyetola because he was the party’s candidate. I called it maturity, you may choose to call it anything. My position cost me a lot in the two camps, but God lives and He is the one that can vindicate.
How will you assess Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola as a leader of the party?
I will forever be grateful to Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola for so many reasons.Never shall I be seen to disrespect him as my leader and mentor. But I am not happy with the turn of events.
That is my principle towards any of my benefactors. Of course, without being economical with the truth. I have some grievances in my heart, I feel embittered towards him because for his sake, I had so many enemies for myself, especially in Ile-Ife when he contested for his second term. He won the 2014 election against Sen Iyiola Omisore who is from my local government. But thereafter, he had the state machineries to support me; I was unprotected when it was the turn for my own election barely six months after. I had to face a lot of challenges, which also include security…Late Oba Sijuade, may his soul rest in peace, was so unhappy with me despite my closeness to him. He was so keen to have an Ife-born as governor, but I had to be loyal to my party. Baba told me I may not win the election before the election day and he gave me a genuine reason..’Rotimi, you are too hard on Omisore!’ The aggression and gang up against me was damn too much for me to bear. The likes of Sen Iyiola Omisore and others were out to take electoral revenge on me. With a billion naira, it became hard to win the election. He was then the immediate past and embittered governorship candidate of the PDP, they were not comfortable with my role against his ambition. I was damned committed to my party against him in Ile-Ife. Same position was shared also by Prof Wale Ladipo, also from the same ward in Ife East, he was serving as the PDP National Secretary, and he too must be seen to deliver his constituency against my party despite his love for me. All these great politicians of Ile-Ife actually knew I was the best to represent Ife but they were so helpless. They all recognised the benefits for a community to have a ranking member in the National Assembly. Chief Femi Fani-Kayode too was one of them as member of the PDP and also from Ife East, he is my person and someone who loves me so dearly. I was once in solidarity with him as I attended his court cases even as an opposition. He too was then serving as the PDP spokesperson; he also needed to deliver his home. All of them combined together, descended on me on the election day with the support of the police who were there to protect the interest of President Jonathan.
It was just six months after my suicidal and fanatical support for my party, especially Governor Aregbesola’s, which was championed by me, at least in my constituency as the serving House of Representatives member. An Ife man lost the election and many of our people developed animosity towards me and Senator Jide Omoworare. They expected us to work for our kinsman, Sen Omisore. Only few understand the need for us to be loyal to our party. So, the community concluded that we contributed to PDP’s loss and so in 2015 we must be voted out as pay back for what they called ‘a sin.’
That explains why I lost the 2015 election. This is the first time I would speak on this; it was not because I failed in my responsibilities as a legislator. My records are in public domain. On the day of election, I did all I could to win all the local governments outside Ile-Ife. I won in Ife South, Ife North and Modakeke, but lost where I was born, Ife East and Ife Central, with higher voting population to Hon Abiodun Adeogun. He was fully supported by all these people I mentioned. Not just me, my party lost the senatorial election too in Ife axis. But my co-traveller, Sen Babajide Omoworare, was lucky. He managed to win through votes from Ijesa land, unlike me that only had votes from Ile-Ife. I needed to win the majority of the votes cast in Ife Federal Constituency. I simply paid the price for being a true party man and for the loyalty to my governor. Many saw it as betraying my own people.May God never put us in such a crossroad.
Having lost the 2015 election, was there any compensation for you from the governor?
That is the irony of politics and what I continue to see as a big lesson I got in politics. The same Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, whom I laboured so much for couldn’t protect me when it mattered most or save me from total ridicule in my community by compensating me with a good position at least. Three of us who could not make our return to the National Assembly expected so much as he begun his second term. APC is very funny when it comes to rewarding party people. Despite being there for him wholeheartedly, and I personally made so many enemies at home. Not a single reward came, for almost three years in his second term, I saw hell. He preferred to govern our state without cabinet for almost three years. He abandoned most of us that put our lives on the line to ensure he was victorious.
He never made a case for my former colleagues from Osun State, who also couldn’t return in 2015. Hon Nathaniel Agunbiade, Hon Adetunji Ajagbe and myself were left in the cold. I honestly felt that wasn’t fair. We were ready to work even without pay.
No one can change this fact in history; it is on record that he governed our dear state with such unprecedented record of not having a cabinet for close to three solid years. I guess that prompted why a law was passed by our colleagues in the 8th National Assembly that now made it mandatory and with specific time frame for an elected executive to form cabinet. Beautiful I would say.
It’s like you are still bitter towards him (Aregbesola) or are you sympathising with former Governor Oyetola against him?
This has nothing to do with Governor Oyetola and I am not bitter, because I am not perfect either. While Aregbesola hold the aces, many knew I was so committed, the same same thing I did for Governor Oyetola. Those who know me well know I don’t keep malice or harbour grudges against people.I am who I am. I don’t worship people.The truth is that It was a big challenge to control my bitterness against Ogbeni at that time. I must not appear in the crossfire despite my reservations about him. I also know him as someone who always find it hard to listen or accept flaws.Nevertheless, I owe him the respect, the gratitude and so I have to watch what I say about him as my leader. I hate to be described as an ingrate in life or to be seen as fighting someone on what I know little or nothing about. Another challenge is the scar in my heart and how I have to align with Sen Iyiola Omisore who crossed to APC through the coalition that produced Gov Oyetola in 2018. We all had to drop our ambition and allow him to line up those who came with him as against our core loyalists.This was the agreement reached by our leaders .Leaders can do no wrong, we accepted our faith.That was part of what laid the foundation for all these silent bickering and grievances till today in Osun State APC.
Hon Dayo Eluyemi, Barr Bada Olamilekan and many others who have emerged at our primary were asked to step down through the agreement reached by our leader following the coalition and those of us on ground were treated like a minor that we are, despite not being privy to the agreement. I am not sure Ogbeni, the then governor was in the picture and so also was Alhaji Oyetola, in fairness to him. All these started the problem and the silent malice that dragged the party back, though unknown to our leaders at the national level. They ignored all these aggrieved people till the next election in 2022.
What is your relationship with Senator Omisore now?
Very cordial. I can’t but align and relate with Sen Iyiola Omisore, who is now back in our party and automatically becomes my leader. It was an opportunity created by coalition to send signal to my people that we are now on the page to bail our community, Ile-Ife, and environs out andto ensure victory for Alhaji Oyetola, who happens to be my in-law and the symbol of our party.
What is his (Omisiore) perspective about Ogbeni Aregbesola and your relationship?
I am not sure if he is comfortable with me and my neutral position. I feel the three of them— Oyetola,Omisore and Aregbesola deserve my utmost respect.The imbroglio divided us and made us operate at different frequencies, all of which are not in tandem with my principles to make no further enemies in life, Nlnot any more.To swim well in this circumstances was a big task.I can’t continue to be at malice with Sen Omisore and found happiness in the eyes of my people.It will be unfair for me to take on Ogbeni, no I would rather continue to keep mute and allow the elders resolve their matters. That’s my position.Though it cost me a lot but I don’t care,my loyalty is to my conscience.
Do you still visit Ogbeni as you seem unhappy with him?
I saw him once when he was a minister, I went to his office. I never sneaked in, I told the then governor of my intention. Many who saw me see it as a topic of gossip. I really don’t care,he too spoke to me with caution.I went there because I heard that he expected me tag along and that he was feeling disappointed towards me because he expected so much from me as his mentee. Well, I decided to follow my instincts and to stop recruiting further enemies because of him others.
He had shunned me twice publicly, but no problem about that. He remains my leader and it is not compulsory for him to love me the way I do.That is life.
I became an apostle of peace on their imbroglio and I guess that is costing me a lot from both ends. I must confess, I am still in suspense and wondering why it is so hot as this.I am not comfortable with all the ugly things happening in the state, especially the position of the Omoluabi group, which somehow contributed to our woes and the undeserved defeat of 2022. Incidentally, most of this set of people in Omoluabi are my friends. It is like we voluntarily dropped our mantle to the PDP in 2022, we went into that election divided as a party. At several forums before the election,I warned the party but no one listened to me…Some bootlickers almost gave me the name I do not deserve because of my sincere prayers for peace.
How are you feeling now, knowing you are part of the struggle group who took over the state from Governor Oyinlola in 2010?
Any of us who played an active role towards the taken over of the state from the Governor Oyinlola, through Oranmiyan movement, led by our leader, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, can never be happy with this sad scenario playing out. I am bitter and feeling bad towards whoever played one satanic role or the other that made us lose that state. And I must quickly say this,I pity the teeming majority of our party followers who have not benefitted anything. Let me repeat again, it is pertinent to state that Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola and Alhaji Oyetola, in my own perspective did very well while our party was governing Osun State, both of them performed very well.It is sad that devil crept in.
Having said that, what is the way out of all these problems facing the party?
The way forward is genuine reconciliation. Alhaji Tajudeen Lawal, the State APC Chairman is on the right path. He is a brother, he needs all our support to change the tide. It is a big task, but very doable. Personally, I have promised the party through him, of my usual total support in order to move the party to the promise land.
What do you think will be the most deciding factor for victory towards the next governorship election in the state?
The person that is going to take our governorship ticket shall be the deciding factor of what is to become of us in 2026. We need a bridge builder who must be acceptable to the aggrieved and the good people of Osun State.
To the best of my opinion, Alhaji Adegboyega Oyetola has the right of first refusal and the honour and respect should be there for him. Of course,I wish we can know his mind earlier. We need to know our next move. Osun people know we are better in governance.
The party must recognise the need for genuine reconciliation and must show enough interest in winning formular. The eagerness of the people of Ile-Ife as a community to rule the state cannot be over-emphasised. Of course, Ife Federal Constituency has the capacity, population and experienced men of honour that are eminently qualified in the four local governments and Modakeke area office. It is easy to defeat PDP if we put our house in order, review our reward system and pursue genuine reconciliation.The big question is, are we together?.
You are also part of the Nollywood movie industry or are you out?
To God be the glory, if you call me a member of the Nollywood industry, business mogul or a broadcaster, you are not mistaken. The truth is that I became very selective when it comes to. Though, I have always done so, even when I was very active. The role has to be of good standard and most of my Nollywood colleagues saw this as pride. Aside from few producers, I am not comfortable with some storylines in circulation these days, unlike in our own era…I acted in about 200 movies and produced about 10, which are still talk of the town. Check my movies of about 20 years ago– Enikan o Laiye, Ojo Eye, Eniyan lo Buruju and others out. You will be proud of my productions. Fast track to the present, most of them are bad. Then, we create time to help each other on storyline. But today, one can’t even suggest free time to any of them, they easily pick offence and some of them would want me to stake my face on wishy washy stories. No, I am not ready for that ,I am not begging for fame but to protect my integrity. Well, I still relate well with the industry practitioners, except those who may be having a kind of inferiority complex towards me.I have respect for all, especially my seniors in the industry. Of course, this include Mr Muka Ray-Eyiwumi, who is even younger than me in age. I am the first Nollywood person to be elected into the National Assembly, no one can take that away from me. Also, many think I have become more expensive to be hired. No,I am ever available if your script is superb. I remember I acted in a couple of movies even as a serving lawmaker without receiving a dime. If I go back fully now as demanded by my fans, some of them may feel somehow and may think that I am coming back because I am in penury since I am not in government now. Very few of them know that I cam very comfortable before and after politics. I have no plan to quit anyway.I am coming back fully.