I’m qualified to be Ondo governor, says Kekemeke

Isaacs Kekemeke is the former Secretary to Ondo State Government (SSG). In this interview with reporters in Akure, the state capital, the former All Progressives Congress (APC) chairman speaks on his governorship ambition and the future of the party in the Sunshine State. DAMISI OJO was there.

As a politician and lawyer, what is your assessment of the just concluded general elections?

I believe that Nigerians deserve to be  congratulated for this unbroken 20 years of democratic practice. Generally,  the elections were fair and the outcome in my view represent the general will of the people. The  increase in violence leading to deaths, ballot snatching, collation centre destruction and  the over-visibility of the military are worrisome. Though, it does appear that these developments are a reaction to the foreclosure  of some other vices like ballot stuffing, vote buying,  that plagued the electoral process. By and large, the important thing is that the outcome represent the general will of the people.

APC in Ondo State lost the presidential election. What do you think was responsible for this?

If the truth  must be told, I think we lost in that election because we were firing the cylinder from too many directions. All of us wanted President Buhari to win, but we were disunited. There was no central command and rallying point as was the case  in 2015. As for the National Assembly elections, it was clear that some highly placed people in the party engaged in anti party activities against their party, the APC, by raising and supporting candidates in another party (AA).  So, while we were united about President Buhari winning the election, we disagreed and were not united on the various Senate or House of Representative seats in a number of constituencies, particularly in about six constituencies and we lost.

If you were to be the governor, what would you have done differently?

The biggest challenge was created by the Governor himself. I have respect for his person,  but my view has always been that when you win an election, you don’t begin to revenge. You take no revenge once you have won. What to do is to bring everybody together; you no longer have a team of your own and everybody in the party becomes yours. Even beyond that, everybody in the state should be yours. I believe the governor was not and is still not magnanimous in victory. If I were to be the governor, that’s what I would have done. Exactly what I did when I became the chairman of the party. I brought everybody together as it didn’t matter whether you liked me or not.  For example, when I won the chairmanship seat in the 2014 state congress, the governor didn’t support me. I went to Ibadan twice to see him and to solicit his support for my administration. That is the way to go.

There is no unity in the party among chieftains and a lot of people have seen that as one of the reasons the party is not really moving forward in the state.

You are right. There are too many tendencies within the party in the state and it was partly responsible for the reversal of our electoral gains of 2015.

Now that we all have seen what exclusion and disunity can fetch us, we should all put the past behind us and embrace peace.  Election is a periodic thing and you will always need a party. The more united a party is, the easier it is for it to win elections. So, the ball is still in the governor’s court.

The governorship election is coming up next year. What should the governor do to retain the state? Do you still see the party retaining the state with this rancour among party members?

Well, I am very optimistic that our party will still win the next gubernatorial election in Ondo State, but not without hard work. What happened in Oyo, Adamawa  and Imo states is instructive. We need to start putting the party together. Before the election, there is the  need to stabilise the party now to avert disaster. The earlier our party is put together, the better for us.

There are rumours that you want to contest to be the governor in the state. Is it true or not?

Of course, in advanced democracies, this is the time a lot of things happen. Every citizen of this state who has the requisite qualifications stipulated in our constitution has a right to aspire and I think I am qualified. I am looking at the availability of the opportunity and also looking at whether it is explorable and then take a decision after due consultations.

If eventually you decide to run, what are some of the things you plan to do?

Looking at my involvement in the politics of this state in the last 27 years and having moved through the legislature, the executive and with some insight into the judiciary; and having worked in the PDP as pioneer Secretary and APC as pioneer chairman, I will ensure that our party is one, irrespective of individual inclination in the party primary. I will primarily focus on education, access to health, employment generation, agriculture and industries.

What about the health sector?

The present government is trying it’s best,  but much more can still be done. We ought to focus more attention on primary health care and make sure that the programme that the Agagu administration instituted is re-invigorated by ensuring that all the political wards have functional basic health centers and also that, the 26 hospitals across the state function properly with qualified medical personnel. Of course, there is a need for active and sustained partnership and collaboration with all governmental and non- governmental actors in the Health sector.

In the next four years of President Buhari, what should Nigerians expect?

President Muhammadu Buhari is very easy to read. He is not a man of too many words. During both the 2015 and 2019 elections, he didn’t speak too elaborately so it is easy to read him and know what he is going to do. He will reinvigorate the fight against corruption. In the next four years, the defeat for Boko Haram will be on the ground and not just technical. I mean Boko Haram would be physically defeated. I join other Nigerians  to wish for a better standard of living.  I foresee a consolidation of the effort in Agriculture so that in a short while, Nigeria will be able to feed herself. On the fight against corruption, some have labeled it as selective  but for me a selective fight against corruption is still better than a no fight at all. The President should however make sure that members of his administration who have committed breaches be prosecuted without delay. Luckily, the President has indicated his resolve to do so. I will also want the president to conclude the reformation of the electoral system before the next round of elections. As much as possible, our elections process should employ more technology. Between now and 2023, everything should be done to allow for electronic voting and electronic computation of result.

On the suspension of Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu from the party, do you think the party has handled it well?

Every one in Ondo state APC believes that the Governor has issues with the national leadership of our party on allegation of anti-party activities. Even though the state is rife with rumours of the Governor’s suspension from the party, there is neither confirmation nor refuttal from the party national leadership. It is only a matter of time before we know the truth.

There is a clamour for the dissolution of  the Ondo State Executive of the party. Do you share the view?

I do not want to sound vindictive, but the bitter truth known to many a party man is that  Ondo State APC deserves a better  leadership than it currently has.