“But if a man; a beneficiary of my goodwill now says “I agree that you are my benefactor but I may decide to pay you back with evil; I may under pay you and I may not even pay you at all”
By Adams Akorede
A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Chief Adeniyi Akintola has ruled out further relationship with a former Governor of Oyo State, Senator Abiola Ajimobi following the fallout of the 2019 general elections.
Akintola in an interview with The PUNCH had told the reporter who sought to know if there could be room for a reconciliation to spare him of such a needless venture.
The Pacesetter News reproduced below ‘the balance’ of the interview.
Q: Since your failed bid to pick the Oyo APC gubernatorial ticket, it appears you are no longer on speaking terms with the former Governor Ajimobi?
Yes, there is no basis for that. There is a level at which man should not descend no matter what. We had our relationship together. But if a man; a beneficiary of my goodwill now says “I agree that you are my benefactor but I may decide to pay you back with evil; I may under pay you and I may not even pay you at all”.
Q: Did he say that or mere hearsay?
No. He said it to my face. And people were there including his own brother.
Q: And are you sure he said all that?
He has been telling people before then and later said it to my face. People who had been appealing to me did not know the fundamental nature of our differences. Those issues were so fundamental and there is no need for reconciling with such a person. I am not quarrelling and I am not having any issue against him but further relationship? Please spare me.
Q: What future for your party?
Our party would bounce back. Oyo people are progressives in nature. What happen is that at a stage, we took electorate for granted. We failed to understand the fact that those of us who are registered members of political parties are not up to two percent of the entire populace. And we became swollen headed and they decided to deal with us. We didn’t lose to the PDP, we lost to ourselves. It was APC against APC.
Q: What efforts have been put in place to calm fraying nerves including you?
Those of us who understand this, know that without the support of some compatriots, we won’t be there. When some people think that they are more than the electorate, the electorate decided to teach us lesson. On the day of election, one of his commissioners called me and said some structures failed us and I asked him, “did you know that those structures exist when you are taking people for granted?”
Q: Your supporters expected you to move to another party when you couldn’t pick the ticket of APC but you declined…
Yes. Thanks to Governor Seyi Makinde; Dare Adeleke; Prince Dotun Oyelade because they actually made efforts for me to cross over and pick Oyo South senatorial ticket. But what would I say to some people because there is something I leanrt from Chief Bola Ige that I would not forget. You are not to engage in fight with anybody; you must know the opponents you are facing but you should first of all appreciate people behind you. If I move to PDP, what I would be telling Asiwaju Bola Tinubu; Vice President Yemi Osinbajo; former Governor Fashola, chief Bisi Akande? What would I tell Chief Bola Ige and Awolowo when I meet them in heaven?
Q: Does that mean you are an unrepentant progressive?
Yes, I am an unrepentant progressive.
Q: But some of them are criminally intelligent?
Yes. Every party has its plus and minus. The perception is different from what you think. People belief that PDP is an enclave of all sorts of people; drug pushers, etc but we have very many good people in that PDP. For those of us in APC, the perception is that we are propagandists, highly intelligent but criminally minded. These are the perceptions but not all of us are propagandists; not all of us are criminally intelligent and not all of us have intelligent without integrity. It is a perception and we would continue to correct those perceptions. People alleged of us of being master of propaganda as if PDP is not also engaging in propaganda.
•THE PUNCH
