Mr Bolaji Tunji is candidate of Accord for Ogbomoso North State constituency in Saturday’s election. In this interview with WALE AKINSELURE, he speaks on what informed his throwing his hat into the ring, his chances and formidability of his party platform to win elections.
You ventured into politics after attaining heights in your media career. How has your experience on the political turf been thus far?
It has been quite interesting. It has been quite revealing and it has been a major eye opener for me considering my background as a media person. Venturing into the political arena changed my perception I had held concerning politics. In journalism, you tend to write what you have observed as the ills of the society but having served in government under the government of the late Senator Abiola Ajimobi, I understand that most times when you criticise, it comes from the fact that you don’t understand the nitty-gritty of governance. Due to the checks and balances that has been placed in the executive arm of government, things don’t get done as fast as it would have been done in a corporate environment. It is usually a long process to get projects done. I am not saying you should not criticise because if you don’t do so, there is a possibility for government to relax. That was when I was a political appointee, I am now a contestant, and that is also a different ball game entirely. When you want to start that kind of journey, there are people who believe that they are leaders in constituencies that you need to approach them. This is understandable because most of them are in control of their areas and you are looking for people to vote for you especially if you have not been on ground politically, you have to speak with them and sell your ideas to them. Once they buy your idea, the other part is you have to look for money. In Nigeria politics, nothing is free. People do politics because of what they can get out of it. The practice in our clime is that nothing goes for nothing. When you go to visit people, you spend money; when they visit you, you have to give them money. And the fact that you are giving them money does not mean they will support you. Moreover, as you are leaving, another candidate is coming in. if you don’t have a deep pocket, it is always very difficult to make any headway in politics. But, you also have to understand from the perspective of the electorate that people get their votes and you won’t see them for four years. They feel that that political period is a time they can get something from politics. There is need for Nigeria to have a fundamental change, fundamental rethinking of our politics. There is so much poverty in the land that people tend to maximize the opportunity they get in politics if poverty is reduced to a certain extent, I think we can start talking about having an enlightened voting populace, but if not, it will be a major problem because there is the tendency for people to want to sell their votes. You pay money so that they can vote for you. But, I am not a rich person; I tell them my ideas that I am going there genuinely because I feel there is a need to make a difference in my constituency.
You have an uphill task having to face a two-term lawmaker who, some say, has done well enough. How do you intend to edge out such a candidate in Saturday’s election?
It will look as if it is a very tough task, but not really. It is about people believing in the vision you have. You ask what concrete things have the people gained from the person who has spent about eight years there. Most of the time, people go into politics for their own personal interest. Once they get into office, they basically forget the people and that is what is happening in Ogbomoso North constituency. The complaint is that the person that has been there for eight years has not got anything to show for the number of years spent and they want a fresh person. And some of them share in my vision. Our people don’t need much; they need the little that can sustain their lives. Nigerians are not really greedy people; once you give them the basic things they need, they are satisfied, but don’t deprive them of it. People want clean water, good roads, electricity; and are able to eke out a living, they are completely satisfied. They don’t even bother about who their president or governor is. People start complaining about negligence of government because they have been so pauperised; life has become so miserable for them.
The results of the February 25 elections in Oyo State showed that the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are the two main parties in the state. You are running on the platform of Accord, doesn’t your platform choice already reduce your chances of victory?
There are actually three parties in Oyo State. Do not believe the narrative that we have only APC and PDP. APC of today in Oyo sSate is a shell; it doesn’t really have that clout, that power that it used to have because of the crisis that the party had in Oyo State. It has affected the party negatively. Their performance in the last election is not a true reflection of the strength of APC in Oyo State. The performance of APC in the last election was due to the tsunami of Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu and nothing else. Today, if you are talking of a party that is capable of winning the forthcoming election, that party is Accord. You have seen the antecedents of the APC and PDP. You know the negative way people are viewing the APC candidate that he is not the appropriate person for us; that he has been a lawmaker for over 12 years and nothing to show. During COVID, this lawmaker’s house was invaded because people felt he was hoarding facilities meant for the people. When you also look at the PDP candidate, he got into office due to the crisis in the APC that led to many people leaving APC and the alliance that came together to support him against the APC candidate at that time. That alliance is no more again. The only party that has the capacity and should win the election in Oyo State is Accord based on the antecedents of its governorship candidate, Chief Adebayo Adelabu. He is former deputy governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). If it was about money, he wouldn’t have come into politics. Moreover, he could have become the governor of the CBN when the tenure of the present occupant expires. If you look at his level of investment and interest in Oyo State, none among the candidates has his level of investment. Bayo Adelabu has invested massively in Oyo State because he believes in Oyo State. If you have someone that believes in you and was doing that in his personal capacity, he should be given that opportunity to govern because he will do more. And people think he is the ideal candidate that can take Oyo State to the next level and that is why I said Accord has opportunity to win this election.
There are strong insinuations of Bayo Adelabu stepping down and entering into an alliance with the APC or PDP ahead of Saturday’s election. How true is this?
I am in regular contact with Bayo Adelabu and I can say he has not gone into talks with anybody. There is the possibility of a coalition. About five parties have agreed to work with Accord because they know this is the party that has the best opportunity of winning this election and are working with him. I can tell you that Bayo Adelabu will not have any accord with APC. He is not stepping down for anybody; rather Teslim Folarin should step done for him. Adelabu is a more sellable candidate than Teslim Folarin. Other people should step down for him.
READ ALSO FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE
