EMPEROR JACKSON LEKAN OJO IS A PUBLIC ANALYST, SECURITY EXPERT AND A SELF STYLED POLITICAL PROPHET. IN THIS EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH MEMOYE OGHU LAST MONDAY IN PORT HARCOURT, THE RIVERS STATE CAPITAL, HE BARES HIS MIND ON HOT AND VERY TRENDING NATIONAL ISSUES. EXCERPTS:
* You’re aspiring to represent your people in Osun state in the Green Chamber of the National Assembly in 2023. Did you achieve your aspiration?
Ojo – Actually, it was my intention to do that and a lot of calls from Obokun/Oriade federal constituency of Osun state. A lot of calls; I’m a grassrooter – from the elderly, from the young ones,from my contemporaries, from applicants. A lot of calls came. But what particularly prompted me; when people call on you to come and contest; Yes, I wanted to do, but then I knew within myself that: is Obokun more superior to Oriade LGA in that constituency? The answer is no. Are they our slaves and the answer is no. Are they supposed to be playing the second fiddle? The answer is no . . .
Apart from all these, since one Obokun has done it for eight years, let another person go from Oriade. And that was the reason I decided not to run again. Another thing is that my party hasn’t done well at the federal level. To me, my conscience will not empower me to be proud of that party, talk more of going to contest on the platform of that party. But my major reason is equity – let Oriade LGA of our constituency go and represent us. It’s the turn Oriade LGA of our federal constituency . . .
* Osun state gubernatorial election comes up next month July. What are the chances of APC?
Ojo – There’s no contest between Adeleke and Oyetola in Osun state. PDP had a very better and best chance of winning in that place, particularly when there was conflict between the incumbent governor and the former governor, Rauf Aregbesola, who is also the current Internal Affairs Minister, because, whether you like it or not, Aregbesola is a political giant that nobody can toy with in the politics of Osun state. He’s a crowd puller. That would have been what PDP should have capitalized on and just win the election. But gradually they brought somebody without ideas; somebody without vision for governance; somebody that’s not Democratic at all; somebody that believes in monetocracy, plutocracy and aristocracy. I was surprised that a lot of persons that would have contested and won that ticket that would have made the APC jittery were shut out. Osun people are so sophisticated. We’re highly educated and exposed. For somebody to climb the rostrum and instead of to tell us what he’s promising to do for us, he would say, I’ve come with Dollars; I’ve come with Pounds; I’ve come with Euros and I’ve come with billions. That’s the campaign of Adeleke. What’re we talking about? Is it monetocracy? Government of the money for the money and by the money. No, no, no.
If Adeleke becomes governor of Osun state, I’ll sell my personal property in Osun state and leave the state. I’ll no longer go there . . . But I know it’s not possible, it’s impossicant . . . I’m well known in Osun state, not just my federal constituency. So, I make bold to say this; it’s not a prediction, it’s a political prophecy that APC will win 80% in Osun state, come July 2022.
* How would you assess the just concluded presidential primaries of the political parties and what effect will it have on our democracy?
Ojo – I’m a chieftain of the APC like I told you. PDP presidential primaries money exchanged hands but the man that spent the most became the loser. The governor of Rivers state paid a lot of money during the primaries. According to the people there, they said it was $20,000 per delegate. But he lost out because the political awareness and political exposure is expanding every day. People ate his money and refused to vote for him.
Now APC, they were very, very tactical. Tickets for most of those that stepped down were bought by Bola Tinubu. It was a pre-planned arrangement in order to confront Northern Nigeria. Confronting Northern Nigeria means the North were coming with only three presidential aspirants – Abubakar Badaru, the governor of Jigawa state;Ahmed Lawan, the Senate President and Yahaya Bello, governor of Kogi state. Those were the people coming from the North. What gave them comfort was when they now discovered that in the South alone has over 20 Aspirants. So, aspirants in the North now believed that there was no need to go to the South for political evangelism because they believed that votes in the South have been divided. But they never knew that only one single person bought all those tickets. . .
* So, are you saying that Tinubu was aware that Vice President Osinbajo was also coming into the race?
Ojo – He wasn’t aware. But the Vice President, the first option one for the Northern caucus for the cabals in the presidency and within the party. The cabals in the presidency nominated, appointed and decorated the National Chairman of the party. So, he was there to do their biddings . . . Now in case there’s resistance from the Southern part of the country, who among them can they trust. That was how they lured Yemi Osinbajo into this matter and Yoruba elders in APC called Osinbajo but Osinbajo said no. You know Osinbajo is a gentleman, doing the biddings of some persons, that if there’s protest resistance, strong resistance from the South, then they’ll turn back to Osinbajo . . . But suddenly, they changed their minds and supported Tinubu . . .
* Why did the EFCC went to monitor the parties presidential primaries?
Ojo – A lot of money was spent in the APC presidential primaries than the PDP but very, very scientifically. The money wasn’t brought to the field to be shared. The money was shared back home after the primaries by the various political leaders. You’re the leader of this party, you brought the delegates from your state. Take this and share them. Most of the money that was shared in APC primaries wasn’t shared in Abuja. So, even if EFCC had gone to ransack them in their hotel rooms, no kobo would have been found. They all returned back to their respective states and went to their political leaders and collected their money peacefully. That’s why I told you that it was so organized professionally and scientifically. But too much money was spent in the APC than the PDP . . .
* How would you assess the 2023 presidential race, now that the candidates are known?
Ojo – 2023 will be a great war between the South and North but the pendulum is going to swing to the North because the North will deliver one block votes. Buhari’s popularity in the North is among the Fulanis and those people believe that the worst among them is better than the best in the South. All those votes will now go to Atiku . . . In the North, the Abubakars will always recognize the Mohammeds. But in the South, Okechukwu will not recognize Ojo; Ojo will not recognize Okechukwu. You see it; the Abubakars, the Shehus, Musas, Ibrahims, they’ll recognize each other. But here in the South Okechukwu, Ifeanyi will have problems, Horsefall and Abiye will have problems . . . So, in 2023, it’s going to be a broken South facing a united North . . . Atiku, I mark him for victory. I’ve no reason to support Atiku, but I’m a Realist. You’ll be surprised that most Yorubas will vote for Atiku because Atiku has not offended the Yorubas the way Tinubu has. Atiku is a political crowd puller.
* On Tinubu’s running mate?
Ojo – The person Tinubu picked now is tentative. He’s not going to be his running mate. It’s just for them to meet up with INEC time. The Kabiru Masari he picked from Katsina state is just tentative . . . The person Tinubu picked now isn’t his special candidate. It’s just for them to beat time because there’s still room for substitution. A lot of persons had said that they’ll merge him with Abubakar Malami, the present Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the federation. The day they do that, I’ll congratulate Atiku and the PDP because the day they pick Malami as the vice to Tinubu, that day the votes for APC will be deflected.