LANRE AMINU, National Coordinator, Oodua Youth for Good Governance (OYGG), was the secretary for OGD committee for strategy and planning for 2007 election. In this interview with REPORTER, MICHAEL JEGEDE, he says OYGG was formed after the 2007 elections to free the people of the South West from the grip of the PDP governors. He argues that the 2007 election was the worst poll the country had ever conducted among other issues.

Excerpts:

When and why did you decide to form the Odua Youth for Good Governance?

Odua Youths for Good Governance (OYGG) came into being shortly after the conduct of 2007 election. It came into being shortly after the conduct of the worst election in the history of Nigeria both by African standard and the opinion of the international observers. My sole objective of forming the OYGG is to liberate the Yoruba land from rogues parading themselves as elected governors in Yoruba land. Our major aim is to rescue our people from the stranglehold of mediocre that are parading themselves as elected governors of the South West. We are out to redeem Yoruba youths of our race from the shackles of the mediocre that called themselves PDP governors of the South West. As somebody who has worked with some of them, I knew that majority of them are forces of retardation. Our major purpose is to liberate our people by electing selfless leaders just to reenact the old days of the likes of Chief Obafemi Awolowo.

You said you were the secretary of OGD committee on strategy and planning for the 2007 election while Babatope Ebenezer was the chairman. Why did you fall apart from them?

Immediately after the conduct of the 2007 election, Babatope recruited me to work for Oyinlola, to challenge the propaganda machinery of Rauf Aregbesola. By working strongly with these people I knew that they did not mean well for Yoruba land. I knew that their primary purpose for seeking power is just for avarice and personal aggrandisement. And I realised that in a free and fair election, the likes of Daniel, Oyinlola cannot win any election in Yoruba land. The youths of Yoruba land, students are being recruited as political thugs to work for them. In an interview I granted The Nation in November last year, I said South West PDP governors did not win any election. I think with what is happening now in the polity, my position is being vindicated by what happened during the re-run election in Ekiti. Secondly, by the recent revelation coming out of the Ogun State Election tribunal that INEC cannot find original result sheet of Gbenga Daniel election. INEC was only able to submit photocopies of the result of 2007 election conducted in Ogun State. And during the period I worked for Gbenga Daniel, I was permanently accommodated at presidential lodge. So, the claim then that Gbenga Daniel accommodated members of the Election Petitions Tribunal in Presidential Lodge is a fact. The claim of the governor that they were accommodated in the official quarters of judges is a blatant lie.

Would I be correct to say that you are making all these assertions probably because you were shortchanged at a point based on the agreement you had with them before you were recruited?

Anyway, that is not the reason why I am saying all these or why I fell apart with them. The major reason why I fell apart is Gbenga Daniel and Oyinlola and Ebenezer Babatope. Babatope was recruited for both of them. That is, Gbenga Daniel and Oyinlola at the same time to work for their propaganda machinery. The major reason why I fell apart with them was because of my conscience. Another reason is because by working closely with these people, I found that they are soulless politicians. They don't care about human lives. Also, another reason is the insistence of Babatope that I should not write anything against Oyinlola in the press for all the rot going on in Osun State. Let me tell you a little story. I am from Osun State. In 2005, I wrote a petition against Oyinlola on the sleaze of his government in Osun State. Oyinlola is an unmitigated disaster for Osun State. He is a man that served as military administrator of Lagos. He did not do anything at that period. His excuse was that greenhorn; that he did not have the administrative experience. That was what he said when he wanted to run for 2007 election in Osun State and people were criticising him. I am saying it again and again that the likes of Oyinlola has no business with governance. Oyinlola has turned the business of governance into a real jamboree. You will be sad for Osun State if you see the rot going on in the last six years in the state. My problem with these so-called leaders, the likes of Ebenezer Babatope, Faronbi was that they continue to pontificate on governance on the pages of newspapers everyday and they are the closest people to Oyinlola. I will tell you the story of how I got to know Babatope. You know, I told you in 2005, I wrote a petition to the PDP national secretariat against the maladministration of Oyinlola in Osun State. I copied former President Obasanjo. I copied Osun State PDP Chairman. Oyinlola now called me on the petition I wrote. I told him that I was not faceless that I meant well for him. That the purpose of criticism is to make the person that is being criticised to make amends. I told him that all those elders that were telling him that everything that he was doing was good were only doing so for what they wanted from him.

Why is it that you are always criticising the PDP as a party? Is it because of your grievances against the South West members you have mentioned?

In all sincerity, I don't have any problem with the PDP as a party. If PDP brings out credible candidates today, credible alternatives like Rauf Aregbesola. I will support him. I will support any good candidate from any party. Odua Youths for Good Governance does not belong to any political party. Our passion is good governance, because without good governance everybody will suffer. It is only about the future of my state, the future of Yoruba land, the future of the Nigerian state and the integrity of the electoral system that we are concerned about. If we don't get the electoral system well, nothing will work in this country. You see, the reason why Yar'Adua is shielding all these corrupt governors because they are the one that bankrolled his electoral campaign. That is why he is shielding all these people. But one thing I want president Yar'Adua to realise today is that if he does not get it well, if he does not separate governance from politics, bet me, PDP government would truncate this democracy. I have written more than fifty articles about Oyinlola, about the graft. As somebody who has worked with him I have raised several allegations of graft against Oyinlola. He is yet to respond to any one up till today. I wrote a petition to the presidency. I wrote to the National Security Adviser (NSA) on the threat posed to this democracy by South West PDP governors. I told Yar'Adua that if it is about 2011 election, the only thing Yar'Adua needs to do is to separate politics from governance and stand for justice. I let him realised that South West PDP governors, rather than being an asset, they are a political liability to PDP because of the odium and hatred they attract to the party.

We have other parties ruling at state level even in the South West. Is it only PDP that your group feels has not given good governance to the people?

It cuts across. Good governance is lacking all over the country. But I am so passionate about South West because I am from the area, because our people do not care about who rule them at the centre. Our people care very much about the people who rule them at the state levels because that is the government that is nearer to them. That is why I am so much concerned about the South West. Our people want good governance. They want a leader that will reenact the good old days of Awolowo. The Yoruba people do not care about who win at the presidency. The only thing is that Yar'Adua should ensure that people get justice. The people of Yoruba land will support him. Odua Youths for Good Governance will support his candidature. You see, all the noise I have been raising was that those who did not suffer for this democracy, military apologists are the ones benefiting from this democracy. They are the ones that want to truncate this democracy. They want to return us back to the stone age of military rule. PDP is the greatest threat to Nigeria democracy today. And the reason why I am always criticising PDP was that when you continue to criticise somebody. That person can have a rethink. That person may retrace his steps. That was my sole motivation. If a good candidate emerges from PDP today, my organisation and I will support that candidate. If Yar'Adua change his ways today and right the wrongs committed by his party we will support him. You see, Ladoja the former governor of Oyo State was a member of PDP. Yet, he told PDP to apologise to the people of the South West for what PDP has done to the people of the South West. If Yar'Adua cares about the people, If Yar'Adua doesn't want to end like Obasanjo that plunged Nigeria into absolute darkness, he should accept the Uwais report. He should accept Uwais report without tinkering with the report. And he should ensure that the National Assembly does the same. Because with what is going on now, majority of the people in the National Assembly, 85 per cent of them are PDP members and the people did not elect them. And accepting that report might be a treat to their coming back. That was why they were dilly-dallying about the Constitutional amendment. You know what is happening about Constitutional amendment. One N1billion budgeted for the exercise has been shared without conducting it. There is no hope that any constitutional amendment would be conducted today with what is happening at the National Assembly. You see, I have been sounding a note of warning to Yar'Adua and PDP leadership that they should not truncate this democracy. You see the threat of NLC in Kano that it would ground this country, it is because it is sure now that Yar'adua is not serious about this electoral reform. NLC (did) it before. They can do it again. NLC in collaboration with civil society groups sent Babangida packing in 1993. Babangida did not want to leave. They grounded the country. They sent him packing. If they can do that to military man, who is Yar'Adua. That is why Yar'Adua should have a rethink because I don't believe he is in charge of this country.

What gives you the impression that he is not in charge?

During the re-run election in Ekiti, Yar'Adua told the whole world that soldiers would not be deployed. But soldiers were seen on the day of the election. Does that mean that such a man is in control? Look at the controversy going on in Osun State, about false police report. The statement credited to the Inspector General of Police, Mike Okiro that Aregbesola forged police report on 2007 election in Osun State should be a source of concern to all lovers of democracy, to all those who share the belief that there is no alternative to democracy. Do the likes of Oyinlola and Okiro think that Nigerians are fools? Who do they think would believe such a story that Aregbesola forged 2007 election police report in the state? You see our major worry is the bastardisation of our institutions by the PDP elements. Police and other security agencies are being used by the PDP. And when people lost confidence in institutions, it is dangerous for democracy. Failed institutions are a signpost to a failed state. When the like of Senator Russ Feingold, Chairman of US Senate Committee on African Affairs and many others have described Nigeria as a failed state, when people lose confidence in the institutions they resort to self-help. You see, electoral reform will never work in this country.

Why?

If we continue in this manner electoral reform cannot work. Punishing electoral offender is the only thing that can bring sanity in our electoral system. When those who committed electoral crime are brought to book, others will refrain from committing such act in the future. In Osun State alone more than 14 people were killed on the day of the gubernatorial election. Pictures and everything were published in the papers. Names of the killers are being displayed on the newspapers everyday. All those that are accused of murder in Osun State are yet to be brought to book. And PDP is persecuting Deputy Speaker of Ekiti State House of Assembly, Adeoti. They claimed he led the political thugs that burnt Idosi INEC office. Somebody that committed an offence of murder has not been brought to book up till today and you are talking about electoral reforms.

You have said you don't belong to any political party. Were you not a PDP member while you were secretary of OGD committee on strategy and planning?

I am strictly a professional.

How do you mean?

I am a writer. I am a columnist. I have worked as a professional for many propaganda machineries. So, I knew a lot about of them.

Are you saying that while you were Secretary of OGD Committee on Strategy and planning, you were not a member of PDP and was strictly employed on professional ground?

I have been a member of the PDP. But I was recruited strictly as a professional. I am a Public Relations consultant. My job as the secretary of the OGD committee on strategy and planning was to handle the propaganda machinery of Gbenga Daniel. I was a member of his manifesto committee. I was also a member of all the intellectual committees set up by the governor with Dean, Social Science of OAU, prof. Wale Olaitan and Prof. Kayode Oyeshiku and Tunde Oladundoye, now Chairman of Ijebu East Local Government and his present Chief Press Secretary. We were all members of his.......